California Kids Investment and Development Savings Program (CalKIDS) is a children’s savings account program administered by the ScholarShare Investment Board, an agency of the State of California. CalKIDS will provide each child born in California and eligible low-income public school students free money for college education and career training!
CalKIDS School-Age Eligibility
School-age eligibility includes high-need students enrolled in a California public school on Census Day, October 2021.*
- Student must meet one of the below eligibility standards:
- Receiving meals through the National School Lunch Program
- Family submitted an Alternative Household Income Form
- Student participates in CalFresh, CalWORKs, FDPIR (Food Distribution Program on
- Indian Reservations), or Medi-Cal
- Was designated as an English Learner
- Was designated as migratory, unhoused, or a youth in foster care
*Student eligibility is defined by the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF).
CalKIDS 529 Award Amounts
- $500 for low-income or high-need public school students
- $500 more for youth in foster care
- $500 more for youth who were unhoused
NOTE:
- Students who were unhoused or in foster care on Fall Census Day October 2021 can be eligible for up to $1500.
How To Request Your Funds
To use your funds, you must:
- Be between 17 and 26 years old
- Enrolled at an eligible college, university, technical, or vocational institution
- Once funds are requested, they are sent directly to your institution
To claim your account and funds
Claim your account at CalKIDS.org with the following information:
- County where student attended school on Census day, October 2021
- Date of Birth
- Statewide Student Identifier (SSID)
NOTE: The Statewide Student Identifier (SSID) is a 10-digit ID number. You can find it by one of the following methods:
- High School Transcript
- High School Report Card
- School portal
- Reaching out to your 1st through 12th grade school
- directly
- UC Application | You may have included it on your UC Application
- application
Accessing your award
Request distribution of funds to UCLA on the online portal by providing:
- Name and address of institution
- Self certification that you are enrolled in an eligible institution
- Self certification that you were a resident of CA for the 12 months preceding request
- Email or Phone Number
- UCLA Student ID Number
- Dollar amount of distribution
How Funds Are Disbursed
Once UCLA has received your CalKIDS 529 fund payment, we will automatically disburse it to your BruinBill. If you have a current balance on your BruinBill at the time of the funds being disbursed, it will apply the funds towards that balance. If there is excess funds after the balance was paid or if there is no balance at the time of the funds disbursing, a refund will be generated directly to the student based on the method of refund they are signed up for.
We strongly encourage you to consider enrolling into BruinDirect as it is the fastest and most convenient way to receive your refund. BruinDirect refunds are processed on a daily basis and are typically credited into enrolled bank accounts within 3 days of initiation.
Helpful Links and Resources
Use the eligibility tool linked below to confirm your eligibility for CalKIDS Funds!
The CalKIDS Institute at UCLA amplifies, strengthens, and evaluates the new statewide children’s savings account program, the California Kids Investment & Development Savings Program (CalKIDS). The Institute is committed to economic equity, higher education access, and the financial well-being of families. Click below to learn more!