Guaranteed Income for Artists (Creatives Rebuild New York)
Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY), fiscally sponsored by Tides Center, ran the Guaranteed Income for Artists program, providing $1,000 monthly no-strings-attached payments for 18 consecutive months to 2,400 artists, culture bearers, and culture makers across New York State from mid-2022 through March 2024. The $125 million CRNY initiative (which also included an Artist Employment Program) was funded primarily by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, and Stavros Niarchos Foundation. Participants were selected via weighted lottery from roughly 22,000 applicants, with priority given to artists facing structural barriers to financial security. CRNY commissioned a multi-institution research consortium to evaluate program design, implementation, and impact, publishing a process evaluation (Helicon Collaborative) and a seven-brief Impact Study (Indiana University, Appalachian State University, NYU, Washington University in St. Louis, CUNY). The program has concluded; CRNY now channels learnings into advocacy work such as the New York State Cash Alliance.
Artists, Culture Bearers, Statewide, New York, Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Large-Scale Pilot
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Creatives Rebuild New York (fiscally sponsored by Tides Center)
- State / Province
- New York
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 2,400
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 18,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 1,000 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Prepaid Debit Card
- Benefit details
$1,000 monthly, unconditional cash payments were distributed for 18 consecutive months via direct deposit or a pre-paid reloadable debit card, totaling $18,000 per participant. Benefits counseling was offered to participants who received public benefits, since guaranteed income could affect eligibility for programs like SSI/SSDI. No restrictions were placed on how funds could be used. Payments began in phases starting June 2022 and concluded by March 2024.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants had to be 18+ as of January 1, 2022, primary New York State residents, self-identified artists/culture bearers/culture makers, and demonstrate financial need under the Self-Sufficiency Standard for their county and household size (a variable income threshold, not a fixed dollar limit). Selection used a weighted randomized lottery that prioritized (but did not require) BIPOC, Deaf/Disabled, LGBTQIAP+, caregiver, immigrant, criminal-legal-system-involved, rural, and financially unsupported artists. Staff of Tides/CRNY and their immediate family members were ineligible. Applications were open only February 14 - March 25, 2022; the program is now closed to new applicants.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Race / ethnicity targets
- No strict requirement, selection lottery gave priority weighting to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) applicants
- Language
- Applications and guidelines were available in eleven languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Yiddish, Bengali, Korean, Haitian Creole, Italian, Arabic, Polish)
Geography
- US states covered
- New York
- Countries covered
- United States
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
CRNY commissioned two research teams: Indiana University Center for Cultural Affairs, and a consortium led by the Family Economic Policy Lab at Appalachian State University with the NYU Cash Transfer Lab, Washington University in St. Louis Center for Social Development, and CUNY. A separate process evaluation was conducted by Helicon Collaborative (Alexis Frasz), published February 2024. De-identified application data was shared with selection/evaluation partners; participants could additionally opt into interviews, focus groups, spending-data analysis, and creative-expression submissions for the Impact Study. Key published findings (Impact Study, Feb 2025, and Preliminary Findings, Sept 2024): 19% increase in hours spent on artistic labor; 29% reduction in severe anxiety and depression; 19% reduction in food insecurity; 75% of caregiving artists reported improved work-life balance; 17% increase in reported good mental/emotional health; roughly 17% of payments went to debt paydown and 16% to savings/investments.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were submitted online via the Submittable platform during a single open window, February 14 - March 25, 2022. The program is closed and no longer accepting applications; archived Program Guidelines remain posted on the CRNY website for reference.
- Selection process
Eligible participants were selected from approximately 22,000 applicants through a randomized, weighted lottery (not a merit-based review) that prioritized applicants identifying as BIPOC, Deaf/Disabled, LGBTQIAP+, caregivers, immigrants, people with criminal legal system involvement, those lacking a financial safety net, and rural residents. Selected artists then underwent an independent eligibility verification process before onboarding.
