Chicago Future Fund (Round 1)
The Chicago Future Fund Round 1 was a guaranteed income pilot run by Equity and Transformation (EAT), a Black-led Chicago nonprofit focused on economic equity for justice-impacted and informal-economy Black Chicagoans. It provided $500/month for 18 months to 30 previously incarcerated residents of West Garfield Park, distributed via the Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI). The pilot ran from approximately November 2021 through May 2023 and was funded through private/philanthropic sources. It was evaluated by Professor Nik Theodore of the University of Illinois Chicago's Great Cities Institute, with a final evaluation report dated November 2023. EAT is a member of the Guaranteed Income Community of Practice (GICP) network and later launched a second, larger round of the Chicago Future Fund.
Guaranteed Income, Justice-Impacted, Reentry, Black-led, Informal Economy, Chicago, GICP
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Equity and Transformation (EAT)
- City
- Chicago
- State / Province
- Illinois
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.eatchicago.org/
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 30
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, PayPal, Pre-paid Debit Card, Venmo
- Benefit details
Participants received $500 per month for 18 consecutive months (approximately $9,000 total per participant), distributed via direct deposit, PayPal, pre-paid debit card, or Venmo through F4GI, EAT's distribution partner. Payments were reported as unconditional guaranteed income with no work requirements. This session could not independently render the source evaluation PDF (hosted via Adobe Document Cloud) to verify exact payment mechanics beyond what is stated in the seed data.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligibility was limited to 30 previously incarcerated individuals residing in the West Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago. EAT's broader mission centers on Black Chicagoans engaged in the informal economy and impacted by the criminal legal system, consistent with the program's justice-involvement and neighborhood-residency criteria. Specific income thresholds, age ranges, or additional screening criteria referenced in the seed data (Age, Income, Race/Ethnicity) could not be independently verified in this session because primary source documents (program-specific eligibility pages, full evaluation PDF) were not renderable.
Demographics
- Race / ethnicity targets
- Black/African American (implied by EAT's explicit mission to serve Black Chicagoans, not confirmed as a formal screening criterion beyond neighborhood/justice-involvement requirements)
Justice
- Justice involvement status
- Formerly Incarcerated
Geography
- US states covered
- Illinois
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Chicago
- Counties covered
- Cook
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Program was formally evaluated by Professor Nik Theodore of the University of Illinois Chicago's Great Cities Institute (GCI), a UIC-affiliated urban research center; Theodore is a confirmed GCI-affiliated researcher with a documented specialty in labor markets and the informal economy, consistent with EAT's mission focus. Final evaluation report published November 2023.
Application Process
- Selection process
Cohort of 30 previously incarcerated individuals selected from the West Garfield Park neighborhood; specific selection mechanics not confirmed by independently accessible sources in this session.
