Even The Economist agrees: cash can solve poverty. The simple trick is giving people what they need.

www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/20...

Unconditional: Stories from the Denver Basic Income Project Producer Gwen Battis on the premiere of her guaranteed income documentary

"Having an [unconditional basic income] was such an eye-opening and different experience for them that really moved them forward in ways that are tangible, but aren’t as popular or sexy to talk about in policy...

If someone’s telling you it’s changed their life, you need to listen to them."

A guaranteed basic income is path to child well-being. Read #CDFMinnesota Outreach Coordinator Natletha Sumo Kollie’s perspective on the MN Financial Opportunity Coalition's Substack to learn how direct, flexible support helps young families thrive: https://mnfinancialopportunity.substack.com/

Colorado SunFest 2026 panel: Basic income programs in Denver and beyond The Denver Basic Income Project will be discussed during Colorado SunFest 2026 at The University of Denver on May 1.

Colorado SunFest 2026 panel: Basic income programs in Denver and beyond

Welcome to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Culver City, CA Mayor Freddy Puza!

Thank you for joining our growing coalition of leaders who know that just a little bit of cash can transform what's possible for families in need.

Yes.

Graph showing that the benefits of guaranteed income for formerly incarcerated people extend to their families and communities

The benefits of the program also extended beyond the single person receiving payments. Recipients were able to pitch in for household expenses, cover food costs, and help others.

This means guaranteed income not only benefits people in reentry, but their larger communities:

Guaranteed income helps people leaving jail and prison, and that helps everyone Guaranteed income programs show reduced recidivism and improved self-sufficiency, quickly paying for themselves.

Guaranteed income for people in reentry is a smart policy move that helps people succeed, reduces recidivism, and quickly pays for itself.

Community Spring's program should be replicated across the U.S. Learn more about what your state can do 👇

Guaranteed income helps people leaving jail and prison, and that helps everyone - www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2026/04...

Cash’s Window of Opportunity An Interview with Shafeka Hashash, Director of Cash Initiatives at Economic Security Project

"Cash is being embraced across the political spectrum. In the midst of this horrific affordability crisis, telling families, 'no, you shouldn’t have any more money in your pocket' is not such a good talking point."

guaranteedincomeworks.substack.com/p/cashs-window-of-opport...

As we approach America's 250th birthday, now is a good time for this reminder:

One of our Founders, Thomas Paine, suggested we have a universal basic income for all people 21 and over, funded by a tax on landed wealth and property.

Sounds like a hell of a birthday gift, don't you think?

Unconditional: Stories from the Denver Basic Income Project | Official FEATURE DOCUMENTARY trailer 🎬

To learn more about the film and RSVP for the Spring premiere, head to
lnkd.in/gnW6KqzV 🍿

Supporting the idea. When the president returned they went over the same ground in another long talk, and still the Secretary of Defense was for the program. Finch was for it, if a little shaky at the end. Shultz never wavered.* Still, the president's own doubts remained. He did not know how many of the persons whose income would be raised really were seeking more dignified, stable, comfortable lives. "But we will do it anyway," he said, more to himself than to those with whom he was talking. We would do it "because it has to be done." Three days earlier, August 4, he had himself gone over the subject one last time. He asked why did it have to be done? There were no certain grounds in evidence, nor yet in convic-tion, that it did have to. There was only the momentum of a decision-making process that had reached the point where it would at all events be proposed. He had already decided. But why? It came down to three propositions-each now asserted at a higher level of confidence than ever had been the case earlier. Each he accepted. First, the poor, especially the black poor, were being destroyed by the existing welfare system. This was becom-ing the most serious social problem of the time. Second, after so very long it was time to bring the South back into the mainstream of American life. A tired image, but a pressing reality. What fun-damentally kept the South apart, and kept the Nation incomplete, divided, was poverty. Here was the one "Bold Experimentation" that might bring fundamental change. Finally, it was necessary to prove that government could work. There was, indeed, a "crisis of confidence in the capacity of government to do its job." The moonshot had been one kind of success; a guaranteed in-come would be another, at least as important, surely more difficult. America needed some successes. On August 7 he

Watched the Artemis II launch and thinking again of Nixon's logic behind his GBI plan:

"It was necessary to prove that government could work…The moonshot had been one kind of success; a guaranteed income would be another, at least as important, surely more difficult. America needed some successes."

Welcome to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Mayor John I. Clark!

Thank you for joining leaders in Colorado and across the country working to help families make ends meet and end the affordability crisis.

Income and Work Level-Up had little or no effect on household income but helped older participants move towards retirement. Throughout the pilot and afterwards, Level-Up participants and control group members had similar individual and household average incomes, but during the pilot a smaller share of Level-Up participants’ income came from paid employment. This suggests that GI participants or their family members may have cut back on paid work during the pilot to focus on personal health, education, childcare, and other household priorities, which is part of the intended pathway by which GI may improve household well-being. In terms of working for pay, the effect of GI on younger adults (ages 25-45) looked much different than its effect on older adults (ages 50+). Younger Level-Up participants were employed full-time more than their control group counterparts, especially after the pilot. Six months post-pilot, young Level-Up participants were 22 percentage points more likely to be employed full-time than were young control group members (a statistically significant difference). In contrast, GI seems to have helped older Level-Up participants move towards retirement. Post-pilot, older participants’ full-time employment decreased,

although not significantly so. At the same time, they were significantly more likely to say they were retired or disabled (a single response category on the survey) and were significantly less likely than control group members to say that they expected to find work, presumably as a result of being retired. In interviews with Level-Up participants, of those who spoke about employment, most said they did not change how much they worked because of GI. These interviewees were all parents of school-aged children, likely in their prime working years. These interviewees expressed various sentiments, including that $500 was not enough money to allow them to work less without struggling to make ends meet or that they still want to earn as much as possible to prepare for the future without the extra $500. Some interviewees were able to pursue career goals by using GI to improve their career trajectory by taking courses or obtaining additional certifications, paying for childcare, or reducing other barriers to employment.

🧵 Level-Up project results

Location: Mount Vernon, NY
Amount: $500/mo
Participants: 200
Control group: 227
Duration: 1 yr (2023-24)

Those ages 25-45 did more paid work (statistically significant finding) and those age 50+ worked less (not significant)

www.guaranteedincomeworks.org/data-from-mo...

Mount Vernon, NY experimented with providing a guaranteed basic income to 200 residents. The result? Better jobs, better health, and more stable families.

Full report: www.guaranteedincomeworks.org/data-from-mount-vernon-n...

Basic income’s appeal today is similar to its roots in 18th-century England – it’s a way to compensate people for a common good taken for private gain Today’s basic income proponents say cash payments would be good for everyone. In the 1790s, the idea’s inventor argued something else: It was owed to everyone.

The first basic income proposals in the 1790s grew out of resistance to enclosure, were inspired by reports of Indigenous American resource distribution, and can tell us a lot about the mind-boggling theft behind AI

My piece today in The Conversation:

theconversation.com/basic-income...

A newfound ability to breathe is always a top response in basic income pilots among participants when asked how'd they'd describe what it's like having basic income.

Mayors for a Guaranteed Income

I highly recommend this organization to follow. A guaranteed basic income for anyone who needs it. I'm sick of wealthcare, socialism for the 1% through our taxes. Our taxes should support people and planet, NOT profits and pedophiles.
www.mayorsforagi.org

How to Build a Guaranteed Income Program and Coalition In this guide, we outline how nonprofits, state and local service providers, and others can build a guaranteed income program tailored to their community. We…

Guaranteed income programs give families the support they need to thrive. It’s been exciting to see pilot programs launch across the U.S. and this @urbaninstitute.bsky.social resource is the perfect resource for others to follow in their footsteps. Check it out:
www.urban.org/apps/how-bui...

SALEM — One-hundred low-income Salem residents who recently completed a guaranteed basic income program reported high levels of satisfaction and improvements to overall quality of life, describing the monthly payments as a critical source of financial and housing stability, according to the early data. In 2024, Mayor Dominick Pangallo and researchers with Salem State University’s North Shore Policy lab and sociology department initiated “Uplift Salem” — a year-long pilot program providing monthly $500 payments to residents below the federal poverty level. Starting in late 2024 and concluding this past November, the program provided direct-cash payments to 100 randomly selected low-income residents through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding set to expire, and private contributions from project partner and nonprofit UpTogether, totaling $685,000.

Overall, 77% of surveyed participants during the program’s conclusion in November reported being extremely satisfied with the program, with another 10% reporting they were somewhat satisfied. Thirty percent of respondents strongly agreed and 38% somewhat agreed that their participation in the program resulted in their feeling a greater sense of control over their finances. “I am so grateful for this program,” one survey respondent wrote. “I was facing homelessness and this program saved me from that. I am a disabled single mother, so money has always been tough for me. This program has saved me.” Three-quarters of surveyed adults who had regular caregiving responsibility for children reported being able to spend more time with their children. Three-quarters of surveyed participants also said it allowed them to pay for things that members of their family needed such as food and clothing.

Oh look, yet another study confirming the vast benefits of guaranteed basic income programs

archive.ph/VXXkw

Guaranteed income programs helped Maricruz overcome the barriers keeping her family in poverty.

Now she's paying it forward. She helps run guaranteed income programs that give more moms like her an opportunity to finally catch their breath and reach for a better life.

Who can afford to get ahead in America? The rich are getting richer, while others can't keep up. Here's why the top 1% is doing so well and why many Americans are struggling financially.

It's not just that American families can't afford to get ahead. Without an income floor, most families are just trying to avoid catastrophe.

www.nbcnews.com/specials/unaffordable-am...

Of $29 million given in Rx Kids funds, report shows most parents spend money on baby supplies, food • Michigan Advance Since its launch at the start of 2024, Rx Kids, a prenatal and infant direct cash support program that started in Flint and has expanded to communities around Michigan, has prescribed over $29 million...

Since its launch at the start of 2024, Rx Kids, a prenatal and infant direct cash support program that started in Flint and has expanded to communities around Michigan, has prescribed over $29 million in funds to 8,348 families, according to a new program dashboard.

From @kdailey.bsky.social

Welcome to Legislators for a Guaranteed Income, Representative Amy A. Perruso!

Your advocacy for a Basic Income Feasibility Study advances the movement for economic stability in Hawai'i and across the country.

Episode 41: How Evidence-Based Research Could Transform the Child Welfare System A2J Lab Director and Professor Jim Greiner sat down with five A2J Lab staff members to discuss “Mother Up”, a DC guaranteed income pre-pilot program with Mothers Outreach Network for Bl…

Our latest #ProofOverPrecedent episode talks with staff members about our Mother Up guaranteed income project with @mothersoutreach.bsky.social. Hear about the study, initial results, and plans for the currently-enrolling Phase III study. buff.ly/IPNQbCb #GuaranteedIncome #ChildWelfare

This new-to-Portland program hands pregnant women cash every month — and research says it works The Bridge Project provides 36 monthly payments to new mothers. Data show the cash helps participants find stable housing and work

A U.S. guaranteed income program that has supported nearly 4,000 pregnant women is expanding to Portland. The initiative provides unrestricted cash during pregnancy and early childhood, including a prenatal stipend and monthly payments for up to 3 years.zurl.co/QPqxw

Wealthy folks blaming poor folks for poverty is so cringe. We don't need classist gaslighting, we need guaranteed incomes that provide stability and opportunity.

Full article: jacobin.com/2026/03/poverty-financia...

The opponents of guaranteed income are crashing out Those that profit off of poverty are worried that that we might actually end it

I appreciate this post taking aim at the new anti-UBI org the Coalition of Affordability and Prosperity:

"This should be understood for what it is: a desperate attempt from DC insiders and the billionaires they work for to turn back the growing momentum for guaranteed income at the national level."

Ireland's basic income for artists changed my life. Other people deserve the same luck | Caelainn Hogan A pilot scheme offering some artists €300-plus a week for three years is being made permanent. But should something so fundamental be run like a lottery, asks writer Caelainn Hogan

Ireland decided to grant 2000 artists a guaranteed income and found that for every euro invested, the return to the economy was 1.39 euros. They are working on making it permanent:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
#AcademicSky #universal #news