The Bridge Project | New York, NY
Launched June 2021.
The Bridge Project is New York City’s first guaranteed income program. Launched by the Monarch Foundation, the Bridge Project is designed to support low-income mothers in New York City during the first 1,000 days of their children’s lives by providing them with consistent, unconditional cash on a biweekly basis for three years. CGIR is executing a Randomized Controlled Trial to determine the impacts of guaranteed income on maternal health, child development, and other variables. The trial enrolls 100 female-identifying individuals in Washington Heights, Inwood, and Central Harlem who are either pregnant or have a baby under one year old. Those individuals receive either $500 or $1,000 unconditional cash-transfers each month in disbursements of $250 or $500, respectively, every other week. An additional 100 participants serve as the program’s control group. By having two treatment groups who receive different amounts of cash, the study aims to grasp the nuances of the distinct levels of assistance and provide insight into the recommended amount of guaranteed income that would provide recipients and their babies with the strongest financial, social, and developmental outcomes. The program hopes to launch future phases throughout various neighborhoods and boroughs to support mothers and their babies and alleviate child poverty across New York City.