BOOST is a Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) program that provides $1,000 per month for 12 months in unconditional cash payments to a cohort of 251 Los Angeles Community College District students.
251
participants
$1,000
monthly payment
1 year
duration
$3,012,000
invested in community
| Program Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Participants | 251 individuals |
| Amount | $1,000 |
| Frequency | monthly |
| Program Dates | November 2024-October 2025 |
| Eligibility | To be eligible for BOOST, students must be enrolled at a Los Angeles Community College District College, have completed at least 12 units, and currently be taking at least 6 units. They must also have a declared major in an eligible field, show interest in a health-related career, and demonstrate financial need based on income and college-related hardships. |
BOOST (Building Outstanding Opportunities for Students to Thrive) is a Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) program that will provide $1,000 per month for 12 months in unconditional cash payments to a cohort of 251 students, with a particular emphasis on those pursuing careers in clinical, allied, or behavioral health. The program focuses on four LACCD colleges: East LA College, LA City College, LA Trade-Technical College, and LA Southwest College. Over the year-long program, a total of about $3 million will be granted to students. Through a mixed-methods, randomized controlled trial led by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania, BOOST will also provide insights into the lives of LACCD students and how to improve programming and philanthropic efforts to support their success. The program is made possible through $4 million+ in private funding from The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and the Young Adults Forward Fund, an initiative of the California Community Foundation. BOOST will be the largest GBI program for community college students in the U.S. to date and the first to include a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT).
Data last updated June 30, 2025.
$44,797
$38,000
21.2%
20%
37.3%
31%
31.2%
40%
8.5%
8%
STOCKTON
STATE MEDIAN
BOOST
$23,553
Los Angeles County, CA
$87,760
Annual Household Income (Mean)
$31,854
Sample Size
251
Avg. Age of Respondent
32
Avg. Children in Household
1
Avg. Household Size
3
Male
26%
Female
72%
Other
0%
Married
11%
Single
72%
Partnered/In-Relationship
17%
Yes
47%
No
53%
White
32%
African American
19%
Other/Mixed
49%
Hispanic
65%
Non-Hispanic
35%
English
65%
Spanish
29%
Other
6%
The guaranteed income pilot launched during a period of dynamic change and economic challenges for pilot participants. The chart below situates this pilot in the context of unemployment and inflation.
The data in this pie chart shows aggregate spending for guaranteed income BOOST participants in Los Angeles County, CA. This includes all non-cash expenditures from the participants' bank accounts, not just those that are from the guaranteed income they received.
Spending breakdown
Retail sales and services accounted for the largest share of spending, at 37.4%, followed by Food and groceries (30.96%) and Housing & utilities (7.3%).
