To ensure the economic security and dignity of Baltimoreans, particularly given our legacy as the birthplace of redlining, we must be willing to invest in bold solutions like guaranteed income.”-Mayor Brandon M. Scott

Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYSF) Update

Thank you for applying for the Baltimore Young Families Success Fund. The application process is now closed.

The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF) is a guaranteed income pilot project launched by Mayor Brandon M. Scott to provide 200 young parents, between 18-24 years old, with an unconditional cash payment of $1,000 per month over the course of 24 months.

There were over 4,000 applications received and all participants for the treatment group (those receiving the monthly payments) have been contacted and enrolled in the program.

If you were not selected to participate in the program at this time, the City of Baltimore has free services and programs accessible to you. Please find a list of additional resources here. The Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success (MOCFS) also provides services for children and families. To find out more about those services, please click here.

 

The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF) is a guaranteed income pilot project that will provide 200 young parents, between 18-24 years old, with an unconditional cash payment of $1,000 per month over the course of 24 months.

Guaranteed income is an unconditional monthly cash payment given directly to selected individuals and is meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net. Guaranteed income provides a steady, predictable income to recipients to decide how to spend direct payments based on their personal needs.

WHY A GUARANTEED INCOME PILOT PROGRAM IN BALTIMORE?

Baltimore is the birthplace of redlining and residential segregation. That legacy shows up in stark inequalities and continues to shape life in the City of Baltimore today. These inequalities have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and have disproportionately impacted low income families.

The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF) will address income inequality and will combat the economic fallout from COVID-19 by providing payments to parents who have been hit hardest by the crisis with schools and daycare closing, experiences of unemployment, and housing or food insecurity.

The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF) will increase economic mobility, improve access to resources for children and families and provide financial and emotional stability necessary for pursuing opportunities and planning for the future. With a guaranteed income, families can stabilize their households and gain the personal power needed to benefit their families and our communities

Inequality in Baltimore’s legacy has had socio economic impacts on families for generations. To ensure the economic security and dignity of Baltimore City residents, we must be willing to invest in bold solutions such as a guaranteed income through the Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF).

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed how fragile, unstable and inequitable the American economy is. Now more than ever we have an opportunity to create a more resilient economy and financial stability to families through guaranteed income.

 

“I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effective — the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income.” — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?”

  • Guaranteed income is an unconditional monthly cash payment given directly to selected individuals and is meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net. Guaranteed income provides a steady, predictable income to recipients to decide how to spend direct payments based on their personal needs.

  • Baltimore is the birthplace of redlining and residential segregation. That legacy shows up in stark inequalities and continues to shape life in the City of Baltimore today. These inequalities have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and have disproportionately impacted low income families.

    Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF) will address income inequality and will combat the economic fallout from COVID-19 by providing payments to eligible parents who have been hit hardest by the crisis with schools and daycare closing, experiences of unemployment, and housing or food insecurity.

  • To be eligible to participate in Baltimore’s Guaranteed Income pilot, applicants must:

    • be residents of Baltimore City,

    • between the ages 18 -24 years old at time of application deadline,

    • be either the biological or adoptive parents, or guardians, must have full or partial care-taking responsibilities and

    • have income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level based on their household size.

  • No. Once the application closes on May 9, 2022, eligible applicants will be placed into a randomized lottery to be selected.

  • Candidates may apply beginning 6:00 AM Monday, May 2, 2022 through 11:59 PM Monday, May 9, 2022

    To apply, individuals must:

    1. Answer the eligibility questions

    2. Consent to taking the survey and filling out the application

    3. Complete the application

    NOTE: The application and survey may take up to 90 minutes to complete. If applicants opt to provide their email address in the application, they will have the option to exit the application before finishing and complete at another time. They will receive an email with directions to continue the application, which can take up to 4 hours to receive. Please do not wait until the last minute to complete the application!

  • Approval and Onboarding: The 200 verified participants will be notified of their approval and get instructions for how to receive their payments of $1,000/month for 24 months.

    The CASH Campaign has a team of trained professionals ready to discuss the potential impact on benefits and provide free benefits counseling for selected participants who currently receive benefits (e.g., TCA, SNAP, SSI, WIC, childcare). The $1000/month should not impact participants’ taxes because it is considered a grant or gift, not income.

    Anticipated Timeline: CASH Campaign of Maryland will begin contacting participants selected through the randomized lottery 2-3 weeks after applications close. The onboarding and approval process is expected to take 4-6 weeks. At this point, applicants that provided an email contact in their application and were not selected for the pilot will be notified. The Baltimore Young Families Success Fund’s website will also be updated to note that the pilot is filled and all participants have been identified and onboarded. Payments to participants will begin in late Summer 2022.

  • The money you receive in the pilot is unconditional meaning you can’t do anything to lose these funds over the span of the pilot project and you can spend it however is best for you and your family.

  • There are many programs available to residents in our community who need assistance. We want to make sure you can access them. Please refer to the community resource list to learn more about what programs and resources are available for Baltimore residents.

  • Last year, Mayor Brandon M. Scott joined the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and committed to launching a Guaranteed Income pilot to increase economic security among low-income Baltimore City residents. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is a national network of mayors who advocate for a Guaranteed Income—direct, recurring cash payments with no strings attached—to lift up all of our communities and create a just country, one city at a time. Joining the network puts Baltimore at the forefront of a national fight for equity.

  • Research on similar initiatives over decades has shown that there is no negative effect on the labor market, and the most recent research out of Stockton, California shows recipients found more work. Guaranteed income is not a replacement for work, it’s a much-needed financial floor to supplement families who desperately need an economic safety net.

  • This demonstration project is financed by a mix of funds from the City’s American Recovery Plan funds and philanthropic donations.

  • Abt Associates will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluation of the project and leverage qualitative research funded through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and conducted by a joint team of the Center for Guaranteed Income Research and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty. In the RCT evaluation, quantitative & qualitative data will be analyzed across multiple core domains, including recipients’ physical functioning, mental health, income volatility, spending, consumption, employment, education, family dynamics and parenting, stress and coping, hope and mattering, household food security, and COVID-19 variables.

    In addition to these core domains of the evaluation, Baltimore’s pilot project will also evaluate parental engagement and childcare usage, aim to increase parental time with children, and better understand how additional resources impact a family’s decisions about the quality and quantity of childcare.

Where can I find more information? 

Visit https://cashmd.org/ to sign up for guaranteed income email updates

Email guaranteedincome@baltimorecity.gov or gi@cashmd.org for general guaranteed income inquiries


OUR PARTNERS

The guaranteed income pilot is a collaboration between the City of Baltimore, the CASH Campaign of Maryland and the Mayor’s for a Guaranteed Income (MGI). The Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) is providing technical assistance through the planning, preparation, and implementation of the pilot. The Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success (MOCFS) has also partnered with the non-profit CASH Campaign of Maryland to administer the program. The CASH Campaign of Maryland brings a wealth of experience in benefits counseling and wrap-around services that will support project implementation. The financial technology company Steady will distribute funds to participants. Abt Associates, Johns Hopkins, and the Center for Guaranteed Income Research will partner with the city to evaluate the impact of the project.


OUR FUNDERS

Mayor Scott has allocated $4.8 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds that will be directly distributed to recipients. Costs for program administration will be funded through the Mayor’s Office of Children and Family Success (MOCFS) as well as private and philanthropic donors, including The Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Abell Foundation, the France-Merrick Foundation, and The Zanvyl and Isabelle Krieger Fund.

 
 
 
 
 
 

Baltimore joins 40+ cities as part of the Guaranteed Income movement, and a dozen other cities that have implemented, or committed to having, direct-cash pilot programs in place in 2021—all with a goal of creating momentum for a federal guaranteed income program. With a guaranteed income program, people are supported through monthly cash payments without restrictions for a sustained period of time, to create the breathing room to catch up on expenses and work toward long-term financial security. 

 

Thank you to the Baltimore’s Guaranteed Income Steering Committee who helped design the Baltimore Young Families Success Fund (BYFSF).

Danielle Torain, Co-Chair

OSI-Baltimore

Joe Jones, Co-Chair

Center for Urban Families

Ben Seigel

Economic Mobility Consultants

Yolanda Jiggetts

Park Heights Renaissance

 

Darius Graham

Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

Diane Bell-McKoy

Associated Black Charities

Hon. James Torrence

Baltimore City Council

Khalilah Harrington

Family League of Baltimore

 

Lamontre Randall

BeMore Group

Lorraine Dean

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Malika Jones

Cherry Hill Development Corporation

Marik Moen

University of MD Baltimore, School of Nursing

 

Melanie Styles

Abell Foundation

Matthew Dolamore

Esperanza Center

Rita Crews

Belair-Edison Neighborhood Association

Sara Cooper

Annie E. Casey Foundation

 

Terrill North

Hoffberger Foundation

Tom Dame

Gallagher Evelius & Jones

Tonaeya Moore

CASH Campaign of Maryland

Windy Deese

United Way of Central Maryland