The Healthy Beginnings Pilot is a new guaranteed income program GoldBug kicked off in November 2023. It’s the only initiative of its kind in Colorado, and the first ever guaranteed income program to be funded entirely by a private company.
We’re funding this new pilot to both impact women in our local area, and add to the growing body of evidence around the positive impact of guaranteed income on maternal health and childhood development.
The project
- Healthy Beginnings provides $750 a month for 15 months in guaranteed income to new mothers, half the women are in Denver and the other half are in a rural community. An additional $600 in cash incentives for attending medical appointments ($200 per appointment over the course of the program) is also available to recipients.
- The women who are in their second or third trimester, are experiencing economic hardship.
- Information is gathered through surveys, review sessions, and more to help us learn about the experiences of the participants and the impact of cash payments and community resource support.
Impact
Other maternal-based pilots around the country have begun to show improvements in the wellbeing of both mothers and infants. We hope the Healthy Beginnings pilot’s unconditional payments will alleviate financial, physical and mental health stressors, and lower the severity and number of barriers pregnant people face in both rural and urban settings in Colorado.
This year, we will continue to advance the Healthy Beginnings Pilot, expanding the national dialogue around guaranteed income policy, and encouraging other companies to get involved and make an impact.