San Francisco Launches Pilot Income Program for Minority Mothers

Approximately 150 Black and Pacific Islander women in San Francisco will get $1,000 in monthly supplemental income during their pregnancies and the first six months after delivery, the city’s mayor said Monday.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) rolled out The Abundant Birth Project Monday, intended to close racial health and wealth disparities among Black and Pacific Islander mothers and promote better maternal health and birthing outcomes. The $1,000 income is unconditional, and the program hopes to eventually expand the supplement for up to two years post-pregnancy.

The pilot program is the first of its kind in the country to provide such income support to expecting mothers. It targets low-income and middle-income pregnant mothers given the high cost of living in San Francisco, according to the announcement.

“Providing guaranteed income support to mothers during pregnancy is an innovative and equitable approach that will ease some of the financial stress that all too often keeps women from being able to put their health first,” Breed said in a release.

The program is being rolled out in partnership with Expecting Justice, an initiative led by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Expecting Justice plans to study how the pilot program impacts the health of participating mothers and their babies.

“Structural racism, which has left Black and Pacific Islander communities particularly exposed to Covid-19, also threatens the lives of Black and PI mothers and babies,” Zea Malawa, director of Expecting Justice, said.

“Providing direct, unconditional cash aid is a restorative step that not only demonstrates trust in women to make the right choices for themselves and their families, but could also decrease the underlying stress of financial insecurity that may be contributing to the high rates of premature birth in these communities,” Malawa added.

In San Francisco, Black infants are 13.8% likely to be born prematurely, nearly twice the rate for White infants at 7.3%, according to the announcement which cited data from 2012 to 2016. Pacific Islander infants have the second-highest preterm birth rate at 10.4%.

The pilot plans to work with local prenatal care providers and networks of pregnancy support services to locate and enroll eligible participants over the next two years.

The Abundant Birth Project is a fully funded public-private partnership, receiving financial help from organizations such as Genentech Inc., the San Francisco health department, California Preterm Birth Initiative at UCSF, and Friedman Family Foundation.