Just Income Cohort 3
Just Income Cohort 3 is the third annual round of Community Spring's guaranteed income program for justice-impacted residents of Alachua County, Florida. Disbursements ran from January through December 2025, providing $800 per month for 12 months to formerly incarcerated participants with no strings attached. The program was designed and is led by people with lived experience of incarceration and is funded by private donors and foundations. Payments are distributed via GiveCard, a prepaid/virtual debit card. Community Spring, a Gainesville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, administers the program alongside reentry and legal-advocacy partners.
Justice-Impacted, Reentry, Peer-Led, Formerly Incarcerated, GiveCard, Florida, Randomized Controlled Trial
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Community Spring
- City
- Gainesville
- State / Province
- Florida
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.csgnv.org/
- Phone
- +1 352-339-9393
- info@csgnv.org
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 20
- Funding type
- Nonprofit, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,600 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 800 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Prepaid debit card (GiveCard), Digital/Virtual payment card
- Benefit details
Participants receive $800 per month for 12 consecutive months (up to $9,600 total), disbursed via GiveCard prepaid/virtual debit cards usable anywhere major cards are accepted or for cash withdrawal. Payments are unconditional gifts with no reporting requirements or restrictions on use, and are treated as non-taxable gifts from a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. If a participant cannot continue receiving funds, remaining disbursements can be transferred to a designated beneficiary. Across all Just Income cohorts, Community Spring had distributed over $1 million to participants as of January 2026.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Applicants must be Alachua County, Florida residents who were released from a Florida state prison, released from a federal prison, released from a Florida county jail with a felony conviction, or began felony probation, within roughly the prior 12 months. There are no restrictions based on conviction type, length of incarceration, or income level; proof of Alachua County residency is required. Eligible applicants are notified by mail with a PIN and entered into a purely random lottery drawing, with the number selected depending on available funding at the time of the drawing. Cohort 3 selected approximately 20 participants, per program records, compared to 15 selected for the subsequent Cohort 4.
Justice
- Justice involvement status
- Formerly Incarcerated, On Probation
- Released within (reentry window)
- 1 years
Geography
- US states covered
- Florida
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Gainesville
- Counties covered
- Alachua
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Optional
- Research / participation requirements
Community Spring manages ongoing program evaluation. The original 2022 pilot cohort was studied via an 18-month randomized controlled trial with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (report published February 2025), finding 31% lower recidivism, greater financial stability, improved food security, and improved mental health among recipients, with no decrease in employment. Later cohorts, including Cohort 3, continue under Community Spring's broader evaluation framework, with participants invited to complete optional surveys or interviews that do not affect payment.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications are accepted during a designated annual window (recent cycles have run mid-November through early December). Applicants must submit proof of Alachua County residency and documentation of qualifying release/probation status. Eligible applicants receive a letter with a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to continue in the process; those who don't receive one can call Community Spring directly.
- Selection process
Participants are chosen through a purely random lottery drawing from the pool of all eligible applicants. The final number of participants selected is determined by the amount of funding available at the time of the drawing, followed by an onboarding appointment with staff to review program purpose and logistics.
