Wells Fargo Universal Basic Income Pilot
Compass Family Services, a San Francisco nonprofit serving families experiencing homelessness, ran a small unconditional cash pilot for 13 low-income families with children enrolled in its Children's Center, funded by a $35,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation. From October 2021 through March 2022, families received $350 per month for six months ($2,100 total) along with access to family counseling and money management classes. The pilot used a randomized, controlled design with a control group and Compass' Family Assessment Matrix to measure impacts on employment, housing, and family stability. Compass called the pilot a success and said it planned to expand basic income support with a subsequent grant.
Small RCT pilot, COVID-19 economic recovery, homelessness prevention, family services, bank foundation funding
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Compass Family Services
- City
- San Francisco
- State / Province
- California
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.compass-sf.org/
- Phone
- +1 415 644 0504
- info@compass-sf.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 13
- Funding type
- Corporate, Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 2,100 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 350 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 6 months
- Benefit details
Each of 13 participating families received six monthly unconditional cash payments of $350 (total $2,100), plus access to complementary family counseling and money management classes. Families completed surveys on planned and actual use of funds and were assessed via Compass' Family Assessment Matrix (FAM) at program start, midpoint, and end, with a 6-month post-program follow-up. A non-participating control group was also assessed as part of the RCT design to isolate the cash transfer's effect.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible families were low-income households with a dependent child currently enrolled in Compass Children's Center, which serves some of San Francisco's most vulnerable families, most of whom have experienced homelessness, housing insecurity, or high levels of poverty-related trauma. Selection was through Compass' existing service enrollment rather than an open public application.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Geography
- US states covered
- California
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- San Francisco
- Counties covered
- San Francisco
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- Family counseling, Money management classes
- Research / participation requirements
Participation required completing surveys on planned and actual use of funds and being evaluated by Compass Children's Center's Clinical Coordinator using Compass' internal Family Assessment Matrix (FAM), which gauges employment, housing, child well-being, and mental health/wellness, at program start, midpoint, and end, plus a 6-month post-pilot follow-up check-in. This was an internal Compass-run evaluation (via its Clinical Coordinator), not an external university/research-institution study; no independently published evaluation report was located.
Application Process
- How to apply
There was no public/open application; families already enrolled at Compass Children's Center (a Compass Family Services program) were identified and selected internally by Compass staff to participate in the pilot.
- Selection process
13 low-income families with a dependent child currently enrolled in Compass Children's Center were selected by Compass staff; the pilot was structured as a randomized controlled trial, with a non-participating control group of similar families also assessed for comparison.
