About BOOST

BOOST: Building Outstanding Opportunities for Students to Thrive, aims to help bridge the gap between financial aid, wages, and the cost of living for students attending the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and pursuing careers in clinical, allied, and behavioral healthcare.  This program will enroll approximately 250 current students to receive a guaranteed payment of $1000 per month over a one-year period. 

The Foundation for the Los Angeles Community Colleges is administering this program in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Center for Guaranteed Income Research (UPenn). All costs associated with the project are funded by private donors. 

Students who meet all of the eligibility criteria are invited to apply to participate in BOOST.  Applying to the program, and choosing to participate in the program, is completely voluntary. 

BOOST includes a randomized experiment evaluation. Eligible students who complete the online application will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Treatment, Control, or Non-Participants.

1. Treatment Group: Students assigned to the Treatment group will receive unrestricted payments of $1,000 per month for one year, from November 2024 - October 2025. If you are randomly assigned to the Treatment group, we will not tell you how to spend your additional income, nor will we include requirements like enrollment or employment. Students assigned to the Treatment group will also be invited to participate in paid research activities, including surveys and interviews.

At least 200 of the eligible applicants will be randomly assigned to the Treatment group. Students assigned to the Treatment group will receive additional information about the program, payments, and how they may impact other benefits, prior to accepting their place in the program. 

2. Control Group: Students assigned to the Control group will not receive a guaranteed income through the program. People assigned to the Control group will be invited to participate in paid research activities, including surveys and interviews. 

At least 350 of the eligible applicants will be randomly assigned to the Control group. Students assigned to the Control group will receive additional information prior to accepting their place in the program. 

3. Non-participants: Students assigned to the non-participant group will not receive a guaranteed income through the program and will not be invited to participate in research activities.