Pilots
Dallas, Polk, and Warren Counties, IA
Research launched in February 2023.
UpLift is a community-wide collaborative learning opportunity to study the impacts of a basic income on central Iowan residents. This study is the first basic income pilot to incorporate metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural geographies into one study area. CGIR is executing a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) where 110 residents across the tri-county study area of Dallas, Polk, and Warren counties will receive $500 a month for a 24-month period. 140 residents are selected as a part of the control group to compare health, well-being, and financial security outcomes to understand the impact of receiving a basic income. Community-based organizations have been integral to the development of this pilot including informing the eligibility guidelines of being a resident of the tri-county study area, having at least one dependent in the household up to age 25 years, and being at or below 60% of Area Median Income. This project is supported through a public/private/corporate partnership of 11 funding organizations with the specific goal to use the research findings to inform the community’s resource investment and policy discussions regarding more effective poverty-reduction strategies. Funding partners include Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, Principal Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Bank of America Foundation, The Director’s Council, Telligen Community Initiative, United Way of Central Iowa, City of Des Moines, City of Urbandale, City of Windsor Heights, and Polk County. Local research partners include The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University and the Des Moines University Department of Public Health.
Yellow Spring, OH
Research launched in January 2023.
YS EQUITY, supported by the Yellow Springs Community Foundation and administered by CGIR, is the first documented guaranteed income program in a village in the United States and the second program in Ohio. The program is anticipated to provide unconditional cash of $300 per month for 24 months to 30 low-income residents of Yellow Springs and Miami Township in 2023. Participants in the program were selected through a random lottery weighted by equity factors. Guaranteed income is a social and economic justice approach that provides assistance to families in need with minimal bureaucracy through unconditional cash transfers to best meet their needs and fill the gaps left by existing social safety net programs.
Mountain View, CA
Research launched in December 2022.
The Elevate MV program is a pilot project in Mountain View that provides $500 monthly cash payments to 166 randomly selected, eligible low-income residents that will elevate their basic income to provide more financial security. The program is unique as it offers unrestricted financial assistance to those in need, allowing recipients to choose how the assistance can best meet the basic needs of their families. As part of the national study of unconditional cash-transfers, CGIR assesses the effects of providing an unconditional guaranteed income through a comprehensive Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) approach.
Madison, WI
Research launched in September 2022.
The Madison Forward Fund is part of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) - a national organization that advocates for a national guaranteed income program - with one of the goals of aggregating information to track the impacts of monthly cash payments on families. This pilot is designed as a one-year guaranteed income program for Madison residents that provides $500 monthly payments to 155 randomly selected households with no strings attached or work requirements. The program is based on the belief that people in poverty are best equipped to make financial decisions that meet their household's needs. In partnership with CGIR, the project aims to support families affected by the pandemic and income inequality, providing data-based evidence to support the implementation of a national policy.
West Hollywood, CA
West Hollywood Pilot for Guaranteed Income
Research launched in August 2022.
The City, in partnership with the National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles (Los Angeles Section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW | LA), launches the first Guaranteed Income pilot in the country that provides cash-based assistance for low-income West Hollywood residents with age 50+. Through a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) Approach administered by CGIR, 25 randomly-selected participants were offered to receive USD 1,000 as unconditional cash-transfers each month for 18 months. The goals of this project include securing and achieving housing stability, housing retention, poverty reduction, and an improvement of social isolation.
Ithaca, NY
Ithaca Guaranteed Income (IGI)
Research launched in June 2022.
The Ithaca Guaranteed Income (IGI) is a local pilot program in partnership with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income to examine the impact of guaranteed income on housing stability and the overall wellness of caregivers in the city. In this pilot, CGIR adopts the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) approach to randomly select 110 eligible unpaid caregivers as the treatment group and to provide them with an unconditional cash payment of $450 per month for one year. The program intends to assist caregivers with additional money for their responsibilities without compensation, such as caring for children or the elderly, and further contributes as a part of a broader national effort to address poverty and economic inequality.
LA County, CA
Breathe: LA County's Guaranteed Income Program
Research launched in June 2022.
Los Angeles County is partnering with CGIR to launch the Guaranteed Income pilot project Breathe to provide its residents the chance to “breathe” easier knowing they are more financially secure. The program provides 1,000 eligible residents who were randomly selected from the applicants’ pool with unconditional disbursement of $1,000 per month for three years, finding out how this financial breathing room is helping change the lives of these participants. The program adds to the County and other jurisdictions’ understanding of the impacts of guaranteed income on participants’ economic stability as well as their health and overall well-being, demonstrating the county's resolute commitment to addressing poverty.
New Orleans, LA
Research launched in April 2022.
The New Orleans Guaranteed Income Program serves young people in Orleans Parish who are disconnected from work and school. The goal of the program is to support opportunity youth and help connect participants back to education and employment opportunities. The program, administered by the Mayor's Office of Youth and Families (OYF), provides non-string attached cash payments of $350 per month for 10 months to 125 young people between the ages of 16-24 who are disconnected from work and school. New Orleans is the only Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) -funded city in the country supporting individuals under 18. The project seeks to empower the youth with opportunity, freedom and resilience to build financial security, serving as a nationwide step forward for the guaranteed income movement.
San Diego, CA
San Diego for Every Child (SDEC) Guaranteed Income Project
Research launched in March 2022.
San Diego for Every Child and Jewish Family Service of San Diego have launched a guaranteed income project to combat the racial and gender inequalities that impact children living in poverty, who were hit hardest by COVID-19 and struggling to make ends meet before the pandemic. With the collaborative effort from CGIR, the program provides unconditional cash payment of $500 per month for 24 months to randomly selected 150 families who lived in geographic areas are ZIP codes with high rates of children experiencing poverty and disproportionately affected by COVID-19. The initiative aims to reduce child poverty and generate insights into the underlying causes by illuminating the systems-level changes needed to create a San Diego that works for every child, with the goal of informing future government and non-profit policies.
Durham, NC
Research launched in March 2022.
Durham's Guaranteed Income Pilot, also known as Excel, is a program in which 109 formerly incarcerated individuals are selected by CGIR using the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) method to receive a monthly, unconditional cash transfer of $600 for one year. In coalition with the City of Durham and StepUp Durham, CGIR undertakes the role of consolidating key findings from the pilots, fulfilling knowledge gaps in guaranteed income research, and aggregating data with anecdotal evidence to support the organization in federal advocacy. The Excel program, as part of a wider set of policies needed to address rising income inequality, aims to evaluate the effects of guaranteed income on recidivism and re-incarceration, employment, economic security, and income volatility, as well as physical functioning, mental health, stress, and coping, parenting, housing, and interactions with other institutional systems.
Gainesville, FL
Research launched in January 2022.
The Just Income project is a guaranteed income initiative located in Alachua County, Florida, that offers monthly unconditional payments to individuals who have been impacted by the justice system, targeting to mitigate barriers for successful reentry and explore the inherent potential for justice-impacted neighbors. The project is organized and operated by individuals who have previously been incarcerated. The program provides $1,000 in the first month and $600 per month for the next eleven months to 115 randomly selected justice-impacted individuals. Applicants who met certain criteria, such as being released from a state or federal prison, having a new felony conviction, or beginning felony probation in Alachua County, were eligible to apply.
Los Angeles, CA
Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot
Research launched in January 2022.
The City of Los Angeles has created the largest Guaranteed Income pilot in America, leading the nation in bold initiatives aimed at confronting poverty. Since one-third of working adults in Los Angeles aren’t able to support their families with full-time work alone due to a lack of financial resources, direct cash aid has been demonstrated to be a powerful tool to provide greater stability for vulnerable Americans. The program, Basic Income Guaranteed: Los Angeles Economic Assistance Pilot (BIG:LEAP), is providing 3,200 individuals with unconditional cash payments of $1,000 per month for 12 months, with no restrictions on how the money can be spent. Participants are located throughout the City of Los Angeles but are concentrated in the Council Districts with greater levels of poverty. To expand the knowledge on community investment and poverty interventions, CGIR works with BIG:LEAP to gather valuable data throughout the pilot program, contributing to reforming current policies, guiding future programs, and aiding in the expansion of LA’s social safety net.
Tacoma, WA
Growing Resilience in Tacoma (GRIT)
Research launched in December 2021.
Growing Resilience In Tacoma (GRIT) is a 12-month guaranteed income research demonstration that United Way of Pierce County ran in partnership with the City of Tacoma, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and CGIR. From December 2021 to December 2022, running as a Random Control Trial, GRIT gifted 110 Tacoma ALICE families $500 each month, a total of $660,000, and asked them to participate in optional, compensated surveys and qualitative interviews every 6 months. These dollars were unconditional and had no strings attached. The program is designed to address economic insecurity and its negative effects on individuals and the community, with a focus on increasing financial stability, health, and well-being. GRIT also acts as an advocate and leader for legislative progress as it advises on the design of a statewide guaranteed income bill for the state of Washington.
Courtesy of Visit St. Paul
Providence, RI
Providence Guaranteed Income Program
Research launched in November 2021.
The Providence Guaranteed Income pilot program is part of the Mayors for Guaranteed Income coalition and is monitored by CGIR to build a rigorous and innovative body of research capable of measuring the person-level impacts of guaranteed income. Researchers are looking at the impact this supplemental income has on participants’ economic volatility, employment status, physical and mental well-being, civic engagement, and parental engagement in their children’s education. Participants in the program were selected through a lottery, with one group receiving guaranteed income and another group serving as a control group. A total of 110 households were randomly chosen to provide a monthly disbursement of $500 for 18 months. This guaranteed income program, with the role of supplementing social welfare programs, aims to display the positive effects of guaranteed income and be used to advocate for similar programs at the state and federal levels. The City of Providence has taken steps to ensure that participants receiving other benefits are not harmed by receiving guaranteed income.
Santa Fe, NM
Research launched in October 2021.
The City of Santa Fe's Learn, Earn, Achieve Program (SF LEAP) is a project under Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI). The program aims to explore the impact of a guaranteed income on young parents who are studying at Santa Fe Community College (SFCC). Its goal is to help these parents complete their certificate or degree program so that they can secure a stable income for themselves and their families in the future. In October 2021, 100 young parents who earn less than 200% of the federal poverty level (about $34,000 for a family of two or $52,000 for a family of four) and are enrolled in SFCC100 were randomly chosen to receive $400 disbursement per month for one year.
Newark, NJ
Newark Movement for Economic Equity (NMEE)
Research launched in October 2021.
The City of Newark, New Jersey is launching its first mayor-led guaranteed income pilot program. In collaboration with the Newark Movement for Economic Equity (NMEE) to address the economic insecurity and construct equitable development strategy for Newark, CGIR adopts the Randomized Control Trial methodology to randomly select 400 Newark residents who are 18 years old and above with income below 200% of the federal poverty line to receive unconditional disbursement of $6000 per year for 2 years in two different frequencies in fall 2021, with 50 percent receiving the payments on a bi-weekly basis and 50 percent receiving the payments twice yearly. This approach of guaranteed income, along with Newark’s focus on housing insecure individuals and the unique approach to selecting recipients, aims to provide practical insights on the existing policies, building a stronger, more inclusive social safety net.
Cambridge, MA
Cambridge Recurring Income for Success + Empowerment (Cambridge RISE)
Research launched in June 2021.
Cambridge Recurring Income for Success + Empowerment, Cambridge RISE, is running an 18-month guaranteed income pilot with a treatment group of 130 single (unmarried) Cambridge caregivers of at least one child under the age of 18. CGIR is executing a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to investigate ways by which unconditional monthly cash assistance of USD 500 can be utilized to address the growing economic divide and racial inequities in Cambridge, MA. The RCT involves a control group of additional 156 participants with the same background as the treatment group. Both groups were randomly-selected.
Photography: Kyle Klein
Columbia, SC
The Columbia Life Improvement Monetary Boost (CLIMB)
Research launched in December 2020.
CGIR is employing a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to explore how local, consistent, and unconditional cash transfers can be effective in aiding fathers and their families through the Columbia Life Improvement Monetary Boost (CLIMB) program, South Carolina’s first guaranteed income demonstration. The program aims at addressing poverty, inequity, and family instability by investing directly in fathers. The RCT includes a treatment group of randomly-selected 100 individuals residing in Columbia, SC, who are fathers older than 18 years of age, and have some prior or current involvement with the Midlands Fatherhood Coalition. The control group consists of additional 100 individuals who met the same requirements as the treatment group; they were also randomly-selected. The treatment group participants receive USD 500 monthly cash-transfers for a year. While, CLIMB has partnered with Central Carolina Community Foundation as well as MoCaFai to provide pre-paid debit cards to the guaranteed income recipients, it has teamed up with CGIR to understand how people spend the money; to measure outcomes around financial security, health, and wellness; and to discover the effectiveness and practicality of guaranteed income in tackling the fracturing of families.
Paterson, NJ
Paterson Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
Research launched in July 2021.
In partnership with the Paterson Government, CGIR is assessing the impacts of the Paterson Guaranteed Income Pilot Program on the overall health and well-being of its participants through a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). By means of a lottery, 110 people who are 18 years old and above, and earning below New Jersey’s annual living wage – USD 30,000 for individuals or USD 88,000 for households – were chosen to receive USD 400 monthly payments of unconditional cash-transfers for a year using rechargeable debit cards.
Oakland, CA
Research launched in July 2021.
The Oakland Resilient Families is partnering with CGIR to launch one of the largest guaranteed income pilots in the country rooted in eliminating racial wealth inequalities. This pilot provides $500 per month for 18 months to randomly selected 600 families in Oakland with low incomes and at least one child under 18 years old, aiming to measure how this unconditional income impacts families economically, mentally, and emotionally. The program is divided into two phases, with the first phase focused on a concentrated community in East Oakland, where 300 families were randomly selected and organized into peer groups to collaborate and provide emotional and informational support. The second phase is a scientific randomized control trial (RCT) to measure the impact of a guaranteed income on individual families, with applications open to Oakland households living below 138% of the federal poverty level with at least one child under 18. The initiative is a result of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf's commitment to bring a guaranteed income pilot to the city, and it is a collaboration between the Mayor's Office, UpTogether, and Oakland Thrives.
New York City, NY
Research launched in June 2021.
The Bridge Project is New York City’s first guaranteed income program. Launched by the Monarch Foundation, the Bridge Project is designed to support low-income mothers in New York City during the first 1,000 days of their children’s lives by providing them with consistent, unconditional cash on a biweekly basis for three years. CGIR is executing a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to determine the impacts of guaranteed income on maternal, child development, and health variables. The trial enrolls 100 female-identifying individuals who are either pregnant or have a baby less than the age of one. Those individuals receive either USD 500 or USD 1,000 unconditional cash-transfers each month in disbursements of USD 250 or USD 500, respectively, every other week. An additional 100 participants serve as the program’s control group. By having two treatment groups through which their participants receive different amounts of cash, the study aims at grasping the nuances between the distinct levels of assistance. Hence, indicating the recommended grade of guaranteed income that would provide recipients and their babies with the strongest financial, social, and developmental outcomes. Current participants reside in Washington Heights, Inwood, and Central Harlem. The program hopes to launch future phases throughout various neighborhoods and boroughs to support mothers and their babies and alleviate child poverty across New York City.
Saint Paul, MN (Springboard)
Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists
Research launched in April 2021.
Springboard for the Arts is one of the first guaranteed income pilots in the nation to focus on the creative workforce. Funded with the support of the McKnight Foundation and the Bush Foundation, the program provides $500 of monthly support to 25 artists in the Frogtown and Rondo neighborhoods of St. Paul for 18 months, starting from April 2021. By executing a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), CGIR aims to explore the impact of guaranteed income on artists, culture bearers, and creative workers at a neighborhood level and to create a national model for the inclusion of artists in policies that address economic inequity.
Ulster County, NY
Research launched in February 2021.
Ulster County is the first rural community in the U.S. to undertake a guaranteed income experiment. This program provides much-needed economic relief directly to families throughout the county. Through a partnership between Project Resilience, Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and Ulster Savings Bank, Ulster County is providing 100 households with direct relief payments of USD 500 a month for an entire year, all funded through the generosity of community donations. CGIR is executing a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to determine the impacts of cash assistance on the overall health and well-being of recipients.
Courtesy of Ulster County Tourism | Photography: Bentley Potter
Los Angeles, CA
Guaranteed Income for Caregivers
Research launched in December 2020.
CGIR is administering a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) to evaluate the Guaranteed Income for Caregivers program, a micro-pilot of guaranteed income initiated by the Los Angeles Section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW | LA). 12 randomly-selected, female-identifying care professionals form the treatment group and are receiving USD 1,000 as unconditional cash-transfers each month for a year. As the program aims at expanding the social safety net for low-wage, working women in the care economy, we intend to explore the interplay between cash assistance, income inequality, gender dynamics, and care work.
Richmond, VA
Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI)
Research launched in November 2020.
Richmond’s guaranteed income pilot program, Richmond Resilience Initiative (RRI), is a collaboration between the City of Richmond and Robins Foundation. RRI is partnering with CGIR to conduct a non-experimental research study designed to understand how the livelihoods of 18 working families who no longer qualify for benefits assistance, but still do not make a living wage, would change when receiving extra unconditional USD 500 a month for 24 months. The 18 participating families were chosen through a draw from the current client list of the Office of Community Wealth Building (OCWB), the workforce development and economic mobility agency created at the recommendation of the 2011 Richmond anti-poverty Commission. By carrying out this research, CGIR will be able to generate actionable insights and policy recommendations that tackle the cliff effect phenomenon. The cliff effect happens when a household’s income increases above the income eligibility for benefits, but is still not enough to support the family’s needs. Thus, the household struggles to attain economic mobility and is prone to economic vulnerability.
St. Paul, MN
People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot
Research launched in October 2020.
The City of St. Paul is working with CGIR to test the effects of its People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot through non-experimental research. The City’s guaranteed income program is providing an unconditional guaranteed income of USD 500 per month for 18 months to 150 randomly-selected residents of St. Paul who are participating in the city’s CollegeBound program, and who have been impacted financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. CollegeBound is the City’s college savings initiative. It is providing every child born to a St. Paul resident on or after January 1, 2020 with a college savings account and a USD 50 seed deposit. In addition to the USD 500 that participants will receive each month through the guaranteed income program, their child will receive a USD 10 bonus deposit in their CollegeBound St. Paul account.
Courtesy of Visit St. Paul
New Orleans, LA
4.0 x Rooted School’s Youth Cash Transfer Pilot
Research launched in October 2020.
The Rooted School in New Orleans is partnering with CGIR on a micro-pilot to establish proof of concept for cash-transfers with youth. 10 rising seniors are being provided with weekly USD 50 via Cash App for a full year. The micro-pilot is focused on how cash impacts well-being, relationships, strategies, and goal-setting among youth. Our team is leveraging podcast platforms as a strategy for narrative change.
Stockton, CA
The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED)
Research launched in February 2019.
The Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) was the nation’s first mayor-led guaranteed income initiative. A collaboration between the Office of Mayor Michael Tubbs, the Reinvent Stockton Foundation, the Economic Security Project, and the residents of Stockton, CA, SEED aimed at testing a simple, yet innovative, solution to poverty and inequality. Between February 2019 and January 2021, SEED gave 125 randomly-selected Stocktonians a guaranteed income of USD 500 per month. The cash was unconditional, meaning there were no work requirements and no restrictions on how the money was spent.
SEED is being evaluated by our team where we are employing a mixed-methods approach to understand how the additional income impacts recipients’ financial well-being, psychological distress, and physical functioning. Research funding for SEED is provided by the Evidence for Action Program at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Spending data is shared publicly and is periodically updated on SEED’s Community Dashboard.
