City of Rochester Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot Program
The City of Rochester Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) Pilot Program was a 12-month, city government-funded cash assistance pilot that gave $500 monthly payments (totaling $6,000) to 351 low-income residents living at or below 185% of the federal poverty level in qualifying city census tracts. It was funded primarily through $2.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars plus a small private donation, and was administered/enrolled by the Rochester Black Community Focus Fund, with M&T Bank providing free banking access and Notre Dame's Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) conducting a randomized evaluation. Recipients were selected by lottery from more than 11,500 eligible applicants (out of 16,123 total applications) after a one-week application window in June 2023. Payments to two cohorts began in September and December 2023 respectively, and the pilot has since concluded. Mayor Malik Evans launched the initiative as part of the national Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) network.
Black Community Focus Fund, ARPA-funded, Census-tract eligibility, Notre Dame LEO evaluation, Reparations-adjacent, Racial equity
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Rochester, The Black Community Focus Fund
- City
- Rochester
- State / Province
- New York
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://rocgbi.com/
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 351
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 6,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit
- Benefit details
Selected participants received $500 per month for 12 consecutive months (a total of $6,000), delivered via direct deposit with no work requirements or restrictions on use of funds. Participants without an existing bank account were provided a free account through program partner M&T Bank so payments could be direct-deposited. Payments were split across two cohorts of roughly 175 participants each, beginning in September 2023 and December 2023. A 2024 LEO evaluation found recipients were more likely to have checking accounts, more likely to have savings, and less likely to worry about eviction, foreclosure, or utility disconnection than the control group of non-selected applicants.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants had to be City of Rochester residents for at least one year prior to applying, age 18 or older, living within one of the program's designated Qualifying Census Tracts (concentrated in the city's northeast and northwest, excluding more affluent neighborhoods like Park Avenue and North Winton Village), and part of a household with income at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (ranging from $26,973 for a single person up to $93,536 for an eight-person household). Only one individual per household could apply. Of 16,123 total applications (13,255 from Qualifying Census Tracts), 351 recipients were randomly selected from a pool of more than 11,500 eligible applicants via a lottery run by Notre Dame's LEO lab.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
Family
- Household size (minimum)
- 1
- Household size (maximum)
- 8
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $93,536
- Banked status
- Unbanked, Underbanked, Banked
Citizenship
- Minimum Years In Jurisdiction
- 1 years
Geography
- US states covered
- New York
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Rochester
- Counties covered
- Monroe
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
- Minimum Years A Resident of Target Geography
- 1 years
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The City of Rochester contracted the University of Notre Dame's Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) to design the randomization, administer surveys, and evaluate the pilot, comparing the 351 recipients to a control group of over 11,500 eligible non-selected applicants using surveys and anonymized credit report data tracking earnings, employment, and financial/mental health outcomes. LEO's published findings (reported February 2024 and after) found GBI recipients were 63% more likely to have a checking account, 158% more likely to have any savings, and 100% more likely to report progress toward financial goals than the comparison group, along with reduced hardship worry.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted online (with in-person assistance available at neighborhood service centers, libraries, and community organizations) during a one-week window, June 22-29, 2023. The application period has closed and the program is not currently accepting new applicants.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants were selected via a random lottery/randomization process conducted by the University of Notre Dame's Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), which also established the treatment and control groups used for the program's impact evaluation.
