Activism

Guaranteed Income Program for Pregnant Black Women Expands Services Across State

“For so long, Black women have been excluded from the resources needed to have safe and healthy pregnancies. This funding will provide pregnant people with economic stability during this critical phase in their lives while allowing public health institutions to test a novel and promising public health intervention,” said Dr. Zea Malawa, director of Expecting Justice.

Published

3 years ago

December 18, 2022

Oakland Post

The first-in-the-nation program was put on by the city's public health department and Expecting Justice, an organization that advocates for safe births for Black and Asian American and Pacific Islander women.

By Olivia Wynkoop | Bay City News Foundation

A San Francisco-based guaranteed income program that gives monthly checks to pregnant Black women received $5 million to expand its care to soon-to-be-mothers across California, the San Francisco Department of Public Health announced Tuesday.

Since 2021, the Abundant Birth Project has provided an additional $1,000 a month to 150 at-risk pregnant women of color in efforts to mitigate racial birth disparities.

Now backed by a multi-million-dollar state grant from the California Department of Social Services, the program will work with local health organizations to serve 425 mothers residing in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles and Riverside counties for the next two or three years.

“Thank you to the state of California for this crucial investment in the Abundant Birth Project as it works diligently to minimize racial health disparities caused by financial stressors,” said Dr. Grant Colfax, San Francisco Director of Health. “We are so proud and excited to see a San Francisco program grow to help hundreds more Black birthing parents in California and give infants the best chance for a healthy start in life.”

The first-in-the-nation program was put on by the city’s public health department and Expecting Justice, an organization that advocates for safe births for Black and Asian American and Pacific Islander women.

The project aims to prevent premature births, which are nearly twice as likely to happen to Black women compared to white women in San Francisco, according to the city’s Office of Financial Empowerment.

Expecting Justice said this is because women of color face greater challenges during pregnancy due to interpersonal, institutional and structural racism, as found in the health care industry and the ever-growing income gap. These disparities often leave mothers without basic needs, greater stress and worsened health conditions, said the organization.

Expecting Justice’s approach is to supplement women with additional cash to ease the financial stress that holds them back from putting their health first, which ultimately keeps their expected child healthy, too.

As women receive funds, researchers from University of California at San Francisco, UC Berkeley and UC Davis will monitor how extra cash can help mothers and their babies. Evaluation study researchers said they hope the results will inspire similar programs to kickstart nationwide.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed said she committed an additional $1.5 million to sustain the project for another year after it has “proven to be successful” in helping Black families overcome these socio-economic barriers.

“This guaranteed income program helps ease some of the financial burdens that all too often keep mothers from being able to prioritize their own health and ultimately impact the health of their babies and family,” Breed said in a statement. “We hope the Abundant Birth Project serves as a model to address racial birth disparities throughout the region and state, and across the country.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Guaranteed Income Program for Pregnant Black Women Expands Services Across State

Don't Miss

WIN-TV: Live with Grammy Winner Anthony Hamilton

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.