Our Impact

Since 2021, the Abundant Birth Project (ABP) has distributed guaranteed income (GI) to 1013 mamas across California. As we reflect on five years of investing in mamas and families, seeing the next generation thrive, and abundance in our communities, we share our insights in our 2026 Impact Report here:

Our Evaluation of CA ABP

We are conducting a rigorous evaluation of the program’s expansion to Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties and will share findings when they’re available. This evaluation will help us understand whether receiving the income stipends improves stress, financial wellbeing, and the health of the moms, birthing people, and babies. The ABP evaluation research was designed in partnership with Expecting Justice and mamas from the community to make sure it is informed by and uplifts the lived experience of mamas.

Our research team is composed of researchers from UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University, as well as local community researchers.

Our Evaluation of the ABP San Francisco Pilot

The San Francisco ABP Pilot, which ran from 2021 to 2024, was the first pregnancy GI program in the U.S. The ABP pilot distributed $1,000 per month during pregnancy and for 6 months postpartum to 151 mamas in San Francisco.

The ABP pilot aimed to positively impact birth outcomes through increasing economic security among two groups in San Francisco with the highest rates of preterm birth, the Black and Pacific Islander (Pasifika) communities. The pilot was intentionally developed with and for Black and Pasifika community members in San Francisco, with their perspectives incorporated throughout the design, implementation, and evaluation of the program. Participating in the evaluation, which aimed to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the program, was optional.

“I had support, ABP showed me classes to take to be a better mother to become a better caregiver for my child. Because of ABP my pregnancy and child development has been remarkable. ABP has given me strength, wisdom, and tools I needed to grow and thrive.”

Javiona, Alameda County

Publications

No strings attached: a mixed methods evaluation of the acceptability of the San Francisco Abundant Birth Project, a perinatal guaranteed income program

Designing the First Pregnancy Guaranteed Income Program in the United States: Qualitative Needs Assessment and Human-Centered Design to Develop the Abundant Birth Project

Other Resources

Unconditional Cash Transfer Programs as a Promising Reproductive and Racial Justice Policy Intervention

Cash Transfers Improve Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Outcomes in the U.S.

Lightening the Load: How Four Unconditional Cash Programs Served 900+ Pregnant and Postpartum People

“ABP has strengthened and nourished me as a mama by giving me a sense of community and belonging. Through this experience, I have felt connected to other mothers who understand the journey of pregnancy, motherhood, and the challenges that can come with it. That sense of support and shared experience has been just as meaningful as the financial assistance itself."