Program participants must meet ALL the following eligibility criteria, and submit a completed application, will have the opportunity to be randomly selected for the program:
For household size, you should count yourself, your spouse, and any other family member who depend on you to cover most of their expenses (for example: children, or elderly, sick or disabled family members) and/or that you claimed on your 2023 or 2024 tax filing.
There will be an online application available on January 5, 2026. You will need to apply online and will be asked to submit documents for Born Well Guaranteed Income Program staff to verify your identity, your annual household income, and proof of residency and determine your eligibility. These documents are uploaded securely and will be kept confidential. If you are unable to submit the information requested, please indicate this on the application and team member will help with next steps.
After your eligibility has been verified, you will be entered into our Opportunity Drawing will be where we will randomly select households to participate in the program. In total, up to 25 women will be randomly selected to receive funds from our program with additional participants on a waitlist. All applicants will be notified of results from the Opportunity Drawing within approximately 2-3 weeks from the time you submitted your application. If selected in the to participate, you will receive an invitation to complete your enrollment.
The Opportunity Drawing is the process by which we randomly select eligible participants for the program. Think of it like the lottery, where every eligible applicant has a chance to enter and be selected for the program. Because there are limited available slots for the Born Well program, selecting eligible applicants at random is the most equitable way to give every mom an opportunity to participate.
Participants must up to 39 weeks pregnant at the time of the Opportunity Drawing. The Opportunity Drawing will take
place around January 16, 2026. If you know you will be at least 12 weeks pregnant by this time, you should continue to submit your application. Please note that your gestation period will be verified by the Black Infant Health Program team once your application is submitted.
No, once received the money is yours to keep and spend how you’d like.
No, we trust you to spend the funds as you see fit to support yourself and your babies.
No, once you successfully enroll in the program, your spot in the program is secured. You will not lose our funding if you earn more income during the duration of the program. In fact, we hope this guaranteed income helps support you to earn more money for you and your family.
If selected, you will receive a debit card and your funds will be loaded onto this card on the 1st of every month following your enrollment. You will have the option to have this card mailed directly to your address or pick up the card in-person at a secure location. If you only have a P.O. Box, we will ask you to pick up the card in-person at a secure location.
The state of California exempts income received guaranteed income programs from benefits calculations for CalFresh, CalWORKs and Medi-Cal for up to 12 months. This means, income received from our program should not affect these benefits. However, other federal benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Housing Vouchers may be reduced. If you receive these benefits, it is important that you consider this during the application and enrollment period. If you are selected for the program, Black Women’s Resilience Project staff will be available during the enrollment period to assist you with questions you have about your public benefits to help you make your final enrollment decision.
This funding qualifies as a tax-exempt charitable gift under IRS rules and will not be considered as income. As such, you do not need to claim it as income for your tax returns. If you have any questions about tax liability, we strongly recommend that you consult the IRS or a licensed tax professional.
No, you must live in San Diego County for the duration of the 12-month program. If you move out of San Diego County, you will no longer be eligible to receive funds from the program.
No, you must be enrolled in the Black Infant Health Program (BIH) for the duration of your time in the guaranteed income program. If you stop receiving services from the BIH program, you will no longer be eligible for the guaranteed income program.
Absolutely. If you know someone who meets all the program eligibility criteria, please refer them to the online application.