Cities and states across the US are providing direct payments.
Universal basic income (UBI) payments come from the government and are typically paid out monthly.
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These UBI payments are intended to help citizens financially while inflation costs are still high.
1. Alaska
Alaska has been distributing checks to residents via the Alaska Permanent Fund. It was designed to provide state citizens with a portion of state oil revenues. This comes as an annual check. In order to qualify, you must be an Alaskan resident for at least one year. However, you’re not eligible if you’ve been convicted of state felonies or jailed.
This year the payout will be $2,550 payment from Alaska’s Permanent Fund– which is the highest in history.
2. Alexandria
In Virginia, the Alexandria guaranteed income pilot is giving 150 participants $500 a month for two years. The programs runs through December 2023.
3. Arizona
Families in Phoenix, Arizona, are receiving $1,000 debit cards for one year. In order to qualify, earnings of a family of four cannot exceed 80% of the median income for the area, which is $63,200.
4. Atlanta
At least 650 Black women in Atlanta, Georgia are receiving monthly $850 payments. Payments will be distributed over the next two years through the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund.
This program is available in Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward, but will be expanding to at least two extra sites in Southwest Georgia and the Metro Atlanta suburbs.
5. Birmingham
In Birmingham, Alabama single mothers will be paid a guaranteed income. A total of 110 mothers are receiving $375 a month for one year.
6. Cambridge
This program in Cambridge, Massachusetts is offering guaranteed income to 120 people. Recipients will get $500 a month for 18 months.
7. Chelsea
In Chelsea, Massachusetts, 2,000 eligible residents are receiving a monthly stipend ranging from $200 to $400 a month.
8. Chicago
5,000 low-income people are getting $500 a month for one year as part of Chicago’s Resilient Communities pilot program. Recipients first started receiving payments in July.
9. Columbia
In Columbia, South Carolina, struggling dads can get recurring support under a city program. Last year, 100 low-income fathers in Columbia got debit cards worth $500.
10. Compton
The Compton Pledge is Compton, California’s largest city-based guaranteed income program. At least 800 people are receiving $1,800 every three months for two years.
11. Cook County
The Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot, in Chicago will provide $500 monthly payments to 3,250 county residents for 24 months.
12. Durham
In December 2021, Durham, North Carolina launched its Excel pilot program. This grants eligible recipients with $600 monthly payments for a year. Originally, the program planned to distribute $500 monthly. However, after an anonymous grant, the monthly amount was increased.
Eligible participants must be at least 18 years old and formerly incarcerated. There is no work requirement but if you do earn income, it must not exceed 60% of the area’s median income. Also, incarceration must have taken place within the last five years.
13. Evanston
Evanston, Illinois, has partnered with Northwestern University to launch a pilot program. The program will offer $6,000 to 150 residents. Recipients are selected through a lottery system. These payments are meant to supplement programs that are already in place.
Once a month for a year, participants will get a $500 preloaded debit card with no restrictions on what it can be used for. The deadline to apply is August 29.
14. Gainesville
In Gainesville, Florida, at least 115 formerly incarcerated people will receive monthly payments. The first month’s payment will be $1,000, followed by $600 a month for 11 months.
15. Georgia
Georgia has another guaranteed income program called IMPACT (Income Mobility Program for Atlanta Community Transformation). This program will help 300 residents who are at least 18 years old and live below 200% of the federal poverty line. Accepted applicants will get $500 per month in guaranteed income during a 12-month period.
16. Healdsburg
Mothers on Healdsburg, California, will be eligible for UBI payments too. The program is undergoing work by the city and nonprofit organization Corazón Healdsburg. The goal is to help those early in their motherhood that need to stay at home.
In order to be considered eligible you must be at least 18, have one dependent child and have income that falls below 200% the federal poverty level. Participants will be selected by random lottery.
A total of 50 households will be getting $600 monthly payments for two years.
17. Houston
Eligible residents in Houston, Texas residents were able to claim money under city’s pilot program. Monthly payments of $375 will go out to qualifying residents for one year.
110 people will be chosen after a selection process. The application window closed on May 25.
19. Jackson
In the fall of 2018, the not-for-profit, Springboard to Opportunities started The Magnolia’s Mother’s Trust. This UBI program in Jackson, Mississippi provides low-income, Black mothers in Jackson $1,000 a month for one year with no strings attached.
The first round of the program helped 20 mothers, 110 in March 2020, and will help 100 moms in the third round.
20. Long Beach
Long Beach, California plans to have a guaranteed income pilot program up and running by this summer. 250 families will be chosen that live in the 90813 zip code area. They will receive $500 monthly payments for one year.
21. Los Angeles
BIG: LEAP is the UBI program for low-income workers in Los Angeles. 3,200 families are getting $1,000 in monthly instalments for a year. In order to be eligible, you must be at or below the federal poverty level.
Breathe is an entirely separate program in LA that is also offering money. This program is offering $1,000 a month to 1,000 randomly selected families living in Los Angeles.
22. Louisville
Young adults in Louisville, Kentucky may qualify for $500 monthly payments. The program is called YALift! (Young Adult Louisville Income for Transformation). The payments will go to 150 people ages 18-24. In order to qualify, you must live in California, Russell, or Smoketown neighborhoods.
23. Lynn
A small UBI program in Lynn, Massachusetts will help out 15 new moms. This program sponsored by the Family Health Project will pay $400 monthly for a child’s first three years.
24. Marin County
Marin County, California has its own guaranteed income program. For two years, 125 125 low-income women raising at least one child under 18 will get monthly payments. Each payment will be worth $1,000.
25. Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota kicked off its guaranteed basic income pilot program in May 2022. 200 families were selected to receive $500 every month for two years.
26. Mountain View
Mountain View, California, has extended their pilot UBI program an additional year. The extension comes after receiving a $100,000 grant from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Applications are expected to open in mid-to-late summer.
27. Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, New York, will send $500 monthly payments to 200 residents for a year. These payments have been made available through a partnership with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income program. Applications closed on August 5.
28. Newark
400 residents in Newark, New Jersey will get payments for two years, thanks to the expansion of its guaranteed income pilot program. The payments will be worth $12,000 over the two years and will be distributed two ways.
Half of the program participants will get $250 on a biweekly basis. The other half of participants will get two payments of $3,000 each year.
29. New Orleans
Teenagers in New Orleans, Louisiana are getting $350 in monthly payments. This program is acting as a part of the state’s financial literacy program. The payments started in May 2022 and will last for ten months. In order to qualify, you must be between 16 and 24 and unemployed or not in school.
30. New York City
The Bridge Project expanded is a guaranteed income program is focused specifically on New York City mothers. The program has expanded into a second phase that will include an additional 500 low income and pregnant mothers.
31. New York State
Many groups suffered from high unemployment during the pandemic, including artists. Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY) initiative was launched by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The CRNY program will provide $125million in relief funds to artists.
2,400 artists in New York state will $1,000 payments over 18 months. The program will also offer 300 employment opportunities to artists for two years– which will pay $65,000 annually.
32. Oakland
600 families in Oakland, California are getting no-stings attached payments. Phase one started in the spring of 2021– 300 300 people were chosen to receive $500 for 18 months. Now, 300 additional families are getting the same benefit.
33. Philadelphia
Philadelphia started a guaranteed income pilot program in March. Monthly payments worth $500 will go out to 60 people for a year. The recipients will be chosen from a pool of 1,100 people who currently receive federal aid through TANF.
34. Portland
The Black Resilience Fund will provide up to 50 Black families in Portland with a guaranteed income for the next three years. The payments will vary based on income. Single adults will get $1,000, with the amount increasing with dependents. Applications closed on August 15. The selection process will happen soon and payments will go out in December.
35. Providence
110 people are receiving guaranteed income in Providence, Rhode Island. The program started in November 2021 and will run through December 2022. Participants are getting $500 a month for one year.
36. Richmond
This small guaranteed income program in Richmond, Virginia is offering monthly payments to 18 low-income, working families.
37. Rochester
Rochester, New York is still in the exploratory stages for a guaranteed income program. In December 2021, the Rochester council approved a two-year pilot program. The program will provide $500 payments to 175 low-income families families for the first 12 months. The following year, a different set of 175 Rochester families would get the $500 monthly payments. The payments will go to households at or below 200% below the federal poverty level. Mayor Malik Evans backs the program but he wants to explore using the cannabis tax as a source of revenue for the program
Rochester has another UBI initiative running too, but this one is specifically for artists. The Local Sound Collaborative Artist Grants Program will pay eligible Rochester artist $200 direct payments each month for a year. To be eligible you must reside in the Greater Rochester area. You also must be at least 18 and identify as a member, worker, and/or engage in the local music community.
This payment is open to artists including, but is not limited to production engineers, live and studio musicians, as well as sound technicians. in 2022, only five participants will be selected. Of those, three spots will be prioritized for artists of color. Applications will remain open until September 1. The Local Sound Collaborative is hoping to expand to more artists next year.
38. Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico has the Learn, Earn, Achieve program. It will give 100 young parents enrolled at Santa Fe Community College $400 a month for one year.
39. Shreveport
110 residents in Shreveport, Louisiana have started receiving $660 monthly payments for a year. The payments are available to city residents that are single parents with an income 120% below the federal poverty line.
The city defines a single parent as: “mother, father, stepparent, grandparent, caregiver, or legal guardian with a school-age child.”
To qualify, the child must be at least three and less than 20 years old as of August 2021. The city has also said if you are unmarried, you cannot be living with a partner.
40. South San Francisco
About 150 low-income families in South San Francisco are receiving $500 checks every month for one year. This program started in November 2021.
41. Tacoma
In Tacoma, Washington, 110 people are receiving $500 a month for one year. The program is run by Growing Resilience in Tacoma and will continue through December 2022.
42. Washington, DC
The Strong Families, Strong Future DC program will provide $900 per month for one year to 132 new and expectant mothers in Wards 5, 7, and 8. The program is being managed by the nonprofit organization Martha’s Table.
43. West Hollywood
The guaranteed income program in West Hollywood, California is small. 25 selected residents from this area that are 50 or older will receive $1,000 for 18 months.
44. Wisconsin
155 families in Madison, Wisconsin, are getting $500 payments for a year under the UBI pilot. Applications closed on July 3.
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