With over 100 pilots currently operating around the country, guaranteed income programs have proven to be one of the most promising approaches to provide greater economic stability for families.
The Guaranteed Income pilots happening around the country provide direct cash assistance for a limited period of time – with no strings attached. The pilots are designed to give individuals and families increased flexibility and financial freedom to overcome whatever barriers they may face – whether it is meeting basic needs, paying down a debt, moving into permanent housing, furthering their education to secure a better job, or to stop working a second job and instead be home for family time.
The Greater Washington Community Foundation is an early adopter and investor in several guaranteed income pilots throughout our region, including:
Arlington’s Guarantee (Arlington, VA) launched in September 2021 as a partnership between The Arlington Community Foundation and Arlington County Department of Human Services. This pilot program provides a monthly unconditional cash payment of $500 over 18 months to 200 families. Target outcomes for participants include increased financial well-being, a heightened sense of personal agency, and community belonging.
MoCo Boost (Montgomery County, MD) launched as a public-private partnership to provide $800 a month to 300 households for 24 months. This pilot program includes 100 households recently served by the Montgomery County Homeless Continuum of Care and 200 participants with at least one child/dependent who had previously sought assistance from the County during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In DC, The Community Foundation joined with several local and regional foundations to launch Let’s Go DMV!, a 5-year guaranteed income pilot providing $1,000 a month to 75 hospitality workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic. Cash payments started in March 2022. All but one participant is a person of color, with about half being immigrants and the other half being primarily from DC or the region.
We are currently working with partners to design, support, and launch a similar pilot project in Prince George’s County in 2023.
Additionally, with the recognition that health, economic mobility, and wealth are inextricably linked, we have invested in a broad array of guaranteed income pilots and cash transfer projects in DC through our Health Equity Fund.
We are confident that these pilot programs will demonstrate that guaranteed income programs stimulate economic mobility and help close the racial wealth gap.
As we provide financial support for these guaranteed income programs, we will also be building consensus and public will to make guaranteed income a publicly funded instrument of community stability and prosperity.
Together, We Prosper
Our guaranteed income program investments are part of our multi-year commitment to increase economic mobility to close the racial wealth gap. Contributions raised through our Together, We Prosper Campaign will help accelerate the work to pursue economic justice and shared prosperity for all the people of our region.
We believe that by increasing economic mobility and building community wealth, we can help our entire region to prosper. The Together, We Prosper campaign will help build sustainable funding for community needs today and into the future, while enabling us to put powerful economic strategies to work in the parts of our community experiencing the deepest disparities.