Excel
Excel was a guaranteed income pilot launched in March 2022 by the City of Durham and nonprofit StepUp Durham, providing 109 formerly incarcerated Durham residents with $600 per month in unconditional cash for 12 months. Funding came primarily from a $500,000 gift from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (through his #startsmall initiative) and additional private donors, with the City of Durham covering roughly $100,000 in administrative costs. The pilot was evaluated as a randomized controlled trial by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania, as part of the nationwide Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) cohort. Disbursements ran from March 2022 through February 2023, and CGIR released its final evaluation report in early 2025.
Formerly Incarcerated, Reentry, Justice-Impacted, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, Jack Dorsey #startsmall, Randomized Controlled Trial
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- StepUp Durham, City of Durham
- City
- Durham
- State / Province
- North Carolina
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 919 813 0207
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 109
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 7,200 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 600 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Benefit details
Participants received $600 per month, unconditional and with no strings attached, for 12 consecutive months (March 2022-February 2023), totaling $7,200 per participant. Because payments were structured as a gift rather than earned income, they were not reported via 1099 and were not considered taxable income. The pilot used a randomized controlled trial design with a control group of 138 non-recipients for comparison.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants had to be at least 18 years old, have been incarcerated in a North Carolina state, other state, or federal prison within 60 months (5 years) prior to application, and be returning to a Durham City or County address. Household income had to be at or below 60% of the 2021 Durham-Chapel Hill Area Median Income. The program had no citizenship or immigration status requirement, welcoming both documented and undocumented formerly incarcerated residents. The 109 participants were randomly selected from the eligible applicant pool, with a separate control group used for research comparison.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
Justice
- Justice involvement status
- Formerly Incarcerated
- Released within (reentry window)
- 5 years
Geography
- US states covered
- North Carolina
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Durham
- Counties covered
- Durham
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Program was evaluated by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice as part of a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial across Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) member cities. CGIR tracked recipients' recidivism/re-incarceration, employment, economic security, income volatility, physical and mental health, parenting, housing, and institutional-system interactions, comparing outcomes to a control group of 138. The final report (released ~February 2025) found recipients were more likely to maintain full-time employment and had higher food security and housing stability than the control group, and none of the 109 participants were re-incarcerated during the study period.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted during a recruitment window (September 2021-January 2022) via StepUp Durham; interested formerly incarcerated Durham residents completed an application/survey to be considered. The application period has closed and Excel is no longer accepting applications, as the 12-month pilot concluded in February 2023.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants were randomly selected by lottery as part of a randomized controlled trial designed and run by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR); 109 individuals were selected to receive payments, with a control group of 138 eligible non-recipients used for comparison.
