Updated 7/12/24, originally posted April 2023
The Philly Joy Bank application is now open! Visit the Philly Joy Bank website to find the application, FAQs, information on the documents you need to apply, learn more about who is on the Steering Committee, and more.
Why is this program so important?
Of the top ten most populated U.S. cities, Philadelphia has one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the first year of life. When breaking down the data by race and ethnicity, Black infants in our city are over two times more likely to die before their first birthday than White infants.
The Philly Joy Bank is one of the first guaranteed income during pregnancy pilots. Giving cash during and immediately after pregnancy is a promising approach to addressing these racial disparities and improving birth outcomes. In addition to the guaranteed income, program participants will also be offered voluntary support such as benefits and financial counseling, home visiting, lactation support, and doulas.
To be eligible for the Philly Joy Bank pilot, residents must be pregnant, have a household income of less than $100,000 per year annually, and live in one of the three Philly neighborhoods with the highest rates of very low birth weight: Cobbs Creek, Strawberry Mansion, and Nicetown-Tioga. The program is not currently accepting applications to participate.
Philly CAN's leadership
The Philly Joy Bank was developed by the Philadelphia Community Action Network (CAN), a collective impact stakeholder group focused on reducing racial disparities in infant mortality in the city. The CAN is a group of local parents, researchers, doctors, policy workers, birth workers, mental health professionals and more who recognize that the Philadelphia infant mortality rate can only be addressed by fostering a learning community and coordinating cross-sector actions.
The CAN's Holistic Mental Health Group is responsible for coming up with the idea. They concluded that monthly cash supplements during pregnancy and the first year of a child’s life would relieve one of the most significant sources of stress for pregnant people by providing direct financial assistance.
The Department of Health's Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health is the backbone agency of the CAN. Financial support for the Philly Joy Bank comes from the William Penn Foundation, Spring Point Partners, The Barra Foundation, Philadelphia Health Partnership, Vanguard, Jewish Healthcare Foundation, and Pew.
Press coverage
You can find full list of media coverage of the Philly Joy Bank here.