Understanding Participant Experiences in the Born Well Guaranteed Income Pilot Program: Qualitative Interview Findings

This report is the outcome of a collaboration between San Diego State University’s (SDSU) Sage Project, the Black Women’s Resilience Project (BWRP), and student researchers from the SDSU Geography 586 (GEOG 586) course: Qualitative Methods in Geographic Research. Through this collaboration, students collectively designed, conducted, and analyzed a real-world research project aimed at answering the question “How does receiving unconditional monthly income during pregnancy and early parenting shape participants’ everyday decision-making, well-being, and experiences of care?”
Of the 25 participants in the BWRP’s Born Well guaranteed income (GI) pilot program, 13 completed qualitative interviews designed, transcribed, and coded by GEOG 586 students. Analysis of these interviews identified four key themes that provided in-depth insight into participants’ lived experiences with guaranteed income during pregnancy and early parenthood. Together, these findings offer a deeper understanding of participants’ experiences and the role GI played during this critical period. Despite the limitations of a pilot program and broader systemic constraints, interviews with Born Well participants found that the guaranteed income program provided meaningful financial stability while also strengthening participants’ ability to care for themselves and their families, navigate healthcare and support systems, exercise greater autonomy, and make decisions that supported their well-being during pregnancy and early parenthood.