The Abundant Birth Project is a San Francisco Department of Public Health program that provides monthly payments of up to $1,000 exclusively to Black and Pacific Islander mothers from pregnancy until their children are six months old. San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) stated that the program was created to combat alleged racism, arguing that racism is responsible for higher rates of infant and maternal mortality for Black individuals and Pacific Islanders. ¹

In December 2022, it was announced the Abundant Birth Project would expand beyond San Francisco to provide payments to Black and Pacific Islander mothers in Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. The announcement revealed the state of California’s Department of Social Services provided $5 million in funding to the program and that San Francisco would increase its funding of the program by $1.5 million. ²

Background

In September 2020, San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) announced the launch of the Abundant Birth Project, a program under the San Francisco Department of Public Health, that provides $1,000 a month to pregnant Black and Pacific Islander women until the baby is six months old. The announcement stated that the program would include approximately 150 women and would be studied by Expecting Justice for its effect on health outcomes for the pregnant women and the infants. ³

Breed announced the program as exclusively for Black and Pacific Islander women because they face the highest rates of preterm births, infant mortality, and maternal mortality, and because they have a substantially lower median income. The program will test to see if the increased income will improve health outcomes and if racism is to blame for the health outcome disparity. ⁴

In December 2022, it was announced the Abundant Birth Project would expand beyond San Francisco to include Alameda, Contra Costa, Los Angeles, and Riverside counties. To expand the program, the San Francisco Department of Public Health was awarded $5 million in state funding through the California Department of Social Services to continue and expand the project, adding an additional 425 mothers who will receive the payments. Mayor Breed also announced that the city of San Francisco will contribute an additional $1.5 million in funding over two years to be able to expand to the additional counties. ⁵

Lawsuit

In May 2023, Californians for Equal Rights Foundation and American Civil Rights Project filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco and the state of California over the Abundant Birth Project, alleging it violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment due to the program offering benefits based on race. ⁶

The lawsuit describes the income program as “discriminatory giveaways” that are “wasteful and injurious.” When asked for comment by the Los Angeles Times, officials from California and San Francisco declined to speak on the case but confirmed that the program would continue and “defended it,” in the paper’s phrasing. ⁷

Funding

The Abundant Birth Project uses a combination of government, philanthropic, and private funds, initially receiving $1.1 million from Jack Dorsey’s Start Small campaign, $200,000 from Genentech, and $200,000 from the San Francisco Department of Public Health as well as contributions from California Preterm Birth Initiative at the University of California San Francisco, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, San Francisco Health Plan, Tipping Point Fund, Economic Security Project, Walter and Elise Haas, San Francisco Foundation, and Friedman Family Foundation. ⁸

1. “Mayor London Breed Announces Basic Income Supplement Program for Black and Pacific Islander Pregnant People.” pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu, March 4, 2024. https://pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu/news/mayor-london-breed-announces-basic-income-supplement-program-black-and-pacific-islander.
2. “Program Providing Basic Income to Black Pregnant Women Expands to Help Mothers across the State.” San Francisco, December 6, 2022. https://www.sf.gov/news/program-providing-basic-income-black-pregnant-women-expands-help-mothers-across-state.
3. “Mayor London Breed Announces Basic Income Supplement Program for Black and Pacific Islander Pregnant People.” pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu, March 4, 2024. https://pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu/news/mayor-london-breed-announces-basic-income-supplement-program-black-and-pacific-islander.
4. “Mayor London Breed Announces Basic Income Supplement Program for Black and Pacific Islander Pregnant People.” pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu, March 4, 2024. https://pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu/news/mayor-london-breed-announces-basic-income-supplement-program-black-and-pacific-islander.
5. “Program Providing Basic Income to Black Pregnant Women Expands to Help Mothers across the State.” San Francisco, December 6, 2022. https://www.sf.gov/news/program-providing-basic-income-black-pregnant-women-expands-help-mothers-across-state.
6. “Is Helping Black Moms Out Financially Unconstitutional?” The Sacramento Observer, November 28, 2023. https://sacobserver.com/2023/11/is-helping-black-moms-out-financially-unconstitutional/.
7. “Backlash to Affirmative Action Hits Pioneering Maternal Health Program for Black Women.” Los Angeles Times, November 28, 2023. https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-11-28/backlash-to-affirmative-action-hits-pioneering-maternal-health-program-for-black-women.
8. “Mayor London Breed Announces Basic Income Supplement Program for Black and Pacific Islander Pregnant People.” pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu, March 4, 2024. https://pretermbirthca.ucsf.edu/news/mayor-london-breed-announces-basic-income-supplement-program-black-and-pacific-islander.