Guaranteed Income to Grow Ann Arbor (GIG A2)
GIG A2 was a two-year guaranteed income pilot that provided monthly payments of $528 to 100 Ann Arbor entrepreneurs, gig workers, and self-employed residents with household incomes at or below 225% of the federal poverty line, from January 2024 through December 2025. It was designed, operated, and evaluated by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan under contract with the City of Ann Arbor, using a randomized controlled trial design with a comparison group of 100 additional eligible applicants who received only small research-participation stipends. The pilot was funded by $1.6 million of the city's federal ARPA funds plus contributions from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, and payments were distributed via the platform Steady. All monthly payments have concluded; a Year 1 report was released in January 2026 and a final two-year evaluation report is expected by the end of 2026.
Entrepreneurs, Gig Workers, Self-Employed, Small Business, Randomized Controlled Trial, ARPA-Funded, University Research
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan
- City
- Ann Arbor
- State / Province
- Michigan
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://giga2.org/
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 100
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 12,672 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 528 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Debit Card
- Benefit details
Recipients received $528 per month for 24 consecutive months (Jan 2024–Dec 2025), totaling $12,672 per participant, with no work requirements, spending restrictions, or strings attached. Payments were administered through Steady via direct deposit or a pre-paid debit card. A separate comparison group of 100 eligible applicants received only a modest research-participation stipend (reported as roughly $25/month) rather than the full guaranteed income payment, as part of the randomized controlled trial design. Participants in both groups were also paid $50 for each research survey or interview completed.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
To qualify, applicants had to be at least 18 years old, live in the City of Ann Arbor, have household income at or below 225% of the federal poverty line (e.g., $44,370 for a two-person household in 2023), and be engaged in gig work, informal work, or entrepreneurial activity broadly defined (e.g., independent contractors, informal service providers, small business owners, platform gig workers). Receipt of other public benefits such as SNAP, TANF, Section 8, or Pell Grants did not disqualify applicants and was cited as a likely qualifying indicator. From roughly 500 eligible applicants, 200 were randomly selected — 100 to receive the monthly guaranteed income and 100 to serve as an unpaid (stipend-only) research comparison group. Applications were accepted only during a single window, October 2–13, 2023; the program is now closed to new applicants.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
Financial
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 225 %
- Employment status
- Self-Employed, Gig / Informal
Geography
- US states covered
- Michigan
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Ann Arbor
- Counties covered
- Washtenaw
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The pilot was designed, operated, and evaluated in-house by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, led by Principal Investigator Kristin Seefeldt with co-PIs William Lopez and Rebeccah Sokol. It used a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design comparing 100 payment recipients to 100 non-recipients. All 200 participants were required to complete baseline, one-year, and end-of-pilot surveys (and some completed in-depth interviews) covering topics such as use of funds, food/housing/child care security, entrepreneurial activity, and health and well-being; participants were paid $50 per research activity. A baseline report was released October 2024, a Year 1 report was released January 2026 (finding no statistically significant differences in food, housing, or utility security between groups, but reporting reduced stress and a sense of financial relief among recipients), and a final two-year evaluation report is expected by the end of 2026. Findings have also been published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Service Review (2026).
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted only during a single online application window, October 2–13, 2023, via the GIG A2 website (giga2.org). Application information and in-person application assistance events were publicized through the City of Ann Arbor, Poverty Solutions, and community partner organizations. The application period has closed and there is no rolling or ongoing application process; all 200 participant slots (100 paid, 100 comparison-group) were filled from that single cohort.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants (approximately 500) were pooled, and 200 were randomly selected to participate in the study, reflecting the demographics of the eligible applicant pool. Of those 200, 100 were randomly assigned to receive the $528/month guaranteed income payments, and 100 were randomly assigned to a research-only comparison group receiving a stipend but not the guaranteed income, forming a randomized controlled trial (RCT).
