In Her Hands Guaranteed Income Initiative
In Her Hands is a guaranteed income initiative created by the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity (GRO) Fund, in partnership with GiveDirectly, providing unconditional monthly cash payments to women in historically disinvested Georgia communities. The original cohort (2022-2024) delivered $850/month for 24 months to roughly 650-654 low-income women in Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward, the rural Clay-Randolph-Terrell county cluster, and College Park. It is funded by private philanthropic donations (including the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation) channeled through GiveDirectly, and disbursed via AidKit using direct deposit and debit cards. A 2024 Westside Atlanta expansion (English Avenue, Vine City, Bankhead, Washington Park) extended the overall initiative to nearly 1,000 women. It is widely described as the largest guaranteed income pilot in the southeastern United States.
Guaranteed income, Black women, GiveDirectly, Largest GI pilot in the South, Urban/suburban/rural comparison, Racial wealth gap
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Georgia Resilience and Opportunity Fund (GRO Fund)
- City
- Atlanta
- State / Province
- Georgia
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://thegrofund.org/
- info@thegrofund.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 654
- Funding type
- Philanthropic, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 20,400 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 850 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct deposit to bank account, Pre-paid debit card, Re-loadable debit card
- Benefit details
Participants in the original three-community cohort received $850 per month for 24 months ($20,400 total), disbursed via direct deposit or AidKit-issued prepaid/reloadable debit cards. The later 2024 Westside expansion offers ~270 additional women $36,000 over 3 years, with a choice of $1,000/month for 36 months or $800/month plus a lump sum payable at a time of the recipient's choosing. Payments are unconditional, with no work requirements or restrictions on how funds are spent. Selected participants receive optional one-on-one benefits counseling on how accepting payments may affect other public benefits.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible applicants must be women (explicitly inclusive of transgender women and non-binary individuals) aged 18 or older, residing within designated program neighborhoods/counties in Georgia (Old Fourth Ward, Clay-Randolph-Terrell counties, College Park, or later English Avenue/Vine City/Bankhead/Washington Park), and living at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Applicants could not be concurrently enrolled in another In Her Hands cohort. Because the program was oversubscribed relative to available slots, eligible applicants were selected via random lottery. Selected participants had to verify income, identity, and address before enrollment.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
- Sex
- Female
- Gender
- Female, Nonbinary
- Race / ethnicity targets
- No explicit racial eligibility criterion, but the initiative is designed and marketed as focused on Black women in historically disinvested, majority-Black Georgia communities
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $51,000
- Income as % of Federal Poverty Level
- 2,002 %
Geography
- US states covered
- Georgia
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Atlanta, College Park
- Counties covered
- Fulton County, Clay County, Randolph County, Terrell County
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Evaluation led by Dr. Leah Hamilton and the Family Economic Policy Lab (Appalachian State University), in partnership with the Washington University in St. Louis Center for Social Development, Boston University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Clark Atlanta University, using a comparison group of eligible-but-not-selected applicants. Year 1 and Final Report (published May 2025; authors Brugger, Davis, Elliott, Hamilton, Roll, Rollins, Smith, Quick & Zewde) findings include: ~29% reduction in participants struggling to pay utility bills on time, 27% drop in phone service cutoffs, 20% decrease in food insecurity, 17% drop in skipped medical care, average savings increase of ~$330, average debt decrease of ~$7,000, and roughly 14% of participants improved credit scores, alongside broader gains in housing security, mental/physical health, life satisfaction, and ability to pursue employment/education.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted during defined open enrollment windows for each cohort (original cohorts enrolled starting 2022; the Westside expansion accepted applications May 15-31, 2024). Applicants submitted an online/in-person application; if selected, they were required to attend an in-person enrollment appointment and provide proof of income, identity, and address. Applications for all current cohorts are now closed.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants (women 18+, residing in a target neighborhood/county, income at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level) were entered into a random lottery due to limited program capacity. Selected applicants were notified by email/text within about six weeks of applying and then completed in-person enrollment verification.
