UBI Programs

Ethiopia

The Tigray Social Cash Transfer Pilot Programme (SCTPP) was an unconditional cash transfer piloted by Tigray's Bureau of Labour and Social Affairs (BoLSA), with support from UNICEF, in two woredas of Ethiopia's Tigray Region beginning in 2011. It provided labour-constrained, ultra-poor households -- those headed by elderly people or people with disabilities, or caring for orphans and vulnerable children -- with a base monthly transfer of ETB 155 plus categorical top-ups for additional dependents. Beneficiaries were identified through community-based targeting by local Community Care Coalitions and linked to complementary health, education, and welfare services. Funded by UNICEF, FAO, HelpAge International, and Irish Aid, the pilot reached roughly 3,767 households (6,716 people) and was rigorously evaluated by IFPRI, IDS, and Mekelle University between 2012 and 2014.

United States

The Transition-Age Youth Basic Income Pilot (referred to by the County as its "First Cohort") was a first-in-the-nation guaranteed income pilot launched by the County of Santa Clara in July 2020 to support young adults aging out of the county's foster care system. It provided 72 former foster youth with $1,000 a month, loaded onto a prepaid Visa debit card administered by Community Financial Resources, with optional financial mentorship from MyPath and Excite Credit Union. It was funded through the County's general fund ($900,000 initial allocation plus a later $500,000 extension), with in-kind support from nonprofit partners. Participants reported improved housing stability, higher credit scores, increased banking access, and greater school/employment enrollment. The pilot directly inspired California Senate Bill 739, which extended a similar guaranteed income model statewide to transition-age foster youth.

United States

The Trust Youth Initiative is a direct cash transfer ('cash plus') program for young adults ages 18-24 experiencing homelessness, run by Point Source Youth in partnership with local homeless-youth service providers (Ali Forney Center in New York City; Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco) and evaluated by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago (with J-PAL support in San Francisco). Participants receive unconditional monthly cash payments plus a one-time lump sum, distributed via UpTogether, alongside optional youth-driven supportive services. The program has run as two distinct cohorts: an initial New York City cohort (enrolled 2022) and a larger San Francisco cohort (2023-2025). Funding has come from a mix of private philanthropy (NYC) and a public-private partnership between the City of San Francisco and Google.org (SF).

United States

The Truth & Reconciliation Guaranteed Income Program was launched in December 2023 by the ACLU of Louisiana in partnership with the Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI) to compensate 12 survivors of police violence and harassment in Jefferson and Caddo Parishes who never received restitution through the courts. Participants, drawn from ACLU-LA's Justice Lab litigation and storytelling initiative, received $1,000 monthly for 12 months plus a $5,000 final payment, alongside free mental health counseling and expungement services. The program is funded not by government or traditional philanthropy but by a $1 million commitment from Buck and Gracie Close, descendants of a South Carolina slave-trading family, framed explicitly as reparations rather than charity. F4GI administered payments and co-authored the program's research and final evaluation report.

United States

UpTogether (formerly Family Independence Initiative) is a national nonprofit that channels unrestricted cash to families and individuals facing financial hardship, in partnership with philanthropic funders, corporations, and government agencies across dozens of U.S. cities and counties. Seed data describes 'Twin Cities Prosper' as an UpTogether program funded by the Target Foundation for 135 families in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN, but this specific program name could not be independently confirmed through public sources. Target Foundation, Target Corporation's philanthropic arm, is a verified funder with a stated focus on advancing shared prosperity in the Twin Cities, so a partnership of this kind is plausible but unproven.

United States

Santa Clara County's Transition-Age Youth Basic Income Pilot (First Cohort) gave 72 young adults aging out of the foster care system unconditional $1,000 monthly cash payments for a total of 18 months, funded by county public funds plus private/philanthropic support. The pilot was administered by the County of Santa Clara Office of the County Executive; Community Financial Resources issued prepaid debit cards, and Excite Credit Union and MyPath jointly provided optional financial mentoring to participants. Created in 2020 at the request of then-Supervisor (now State Senator) Dave Cortese, it was billed as the first UBI-style program in the nation targeted specifically at former foster youth. A second GBI cohort for former foster youth began payments in August 2023 as part of the County's expanded guaranteed income initiative.

United States

OpenResearch (formerly YC Research, incubated by Sam Altman) ran the largest and most rigorous randomized controlled trial of unconditional cash in the U.S. to date, giving 1,000 low-income adults in Illinois (Chicago area) and Texas (Dallas area) $1,000 a month for three years, with 2,000 more receiving $50 a month as a control group. The study was privately funded (including by Sam Altman) and implemented with local partners Heartland Alliance (Illinois) and the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab, with recruitment support in Texas. It ran from November 2020 through October 2023 and has produced dozens of peer-reviewed and working papers on employment, spending, health, parenting, and political attitudes.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu's Universal Cash Transfer was a national government initiative announced in May 2023 to deliver one-time digital cash payments to roughly 66,000 household heads affected by Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin, replacing traditional food-ration and shelter aid. It was to be implemented via Vanuatu Post Limited's blockchain-enabled digital payment app, using national ID registration and Starlink internet to reach remote islands. The program was funded with VT700 million (about US$5.67 million) from the national budget. Despite pilots on Lelepa and Ambrym islands in 2023, as of the most recent public reporting (March 2025) the program had stalled amid political instability and regulatory delays, and no payments had reached affected households.

United States

This is a guaranteed income pilot run by the County of Santa Clara's Office of the County Executive as part of its broader Guaranteed Basic Income (GBI) initiative. It gives $1,200 a month in unconditional cash, plus financial and peer mentoring, to homeless/unstably housed high school seniors in Santa Clara County to help them transition into college, vocational training, or the workforce. It is funded through a $3 million state budget allocation championed by State Sen. Dave Cortese, layered onto the county's broader GBI funding mix (General Fund, ARPA, AB109, and Destination: Home). It is one of four simultaneous county GBI pilots and uses a randomized controlled trial design, with 75 students receiving payments and roughly 100 more referred students placed in an unpaid, services-only control group. Enrollment is by referral from school districts and county partner organizations, not an open application.

United States

Uplift Harris was a Harris County (Houston, TX) guaranteed income pilot funded by $20.5 million in federal ARPA dollars, intended to give 1,928 low-income households in the county's 10 poorest ZIP codes $500/month for 18 months, no strings attached. It was administered by Harris County Public Health with GiveDirectly and tech/payments partner AidKit, and evaluated by Elite Research. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sued in April 2024 arguing the program violated the Texas Constitution's 'Gift Clause,' and the Texas Supreme Court blocked all payments; a revised, more-conditional version (Community Prosperity Program) was also sued and blocked. In June 2025 Harris County officially ended the program and reallocated the remaining funds — no participant ever received a payment.

United States

Uplift Salem was a guaranteed income pilot run by the City of Salem, Massachusetts in partnership with national nonprofit UpTogether, which managed the cash distribution. It provided $500 a month, no strings attached, to 100 randomly selected low-income Salem residents for 12 months, from December 2024 through November 2025. The $685,000 pilot was funded through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and a private contribution via UpTogether. Salem State University's North Shore Policy Lab and Sociology Department evaluated outcomes for recipients versus a 100-person comparison group.

United States

UpLift is a cross-sector basic income pilot spearheaded by the Mid-Iowa Health Foundation that provided 110 low-income individuals in Polk, Warren, and Dallas Counties, Iowa, with an unrestricted $500 monthly stipend for two years, starting May 2023. Implementation was coordinated by The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Civic Engagement at Drake University, and the randomized-controlled-trial research was led by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice, with local support from Des Moines University's Department of Public Health. The $2.5 million pilot was funded by 11 public and private funders, including local governments, Mid-Iowa Health Foundation, corporate foundations, and United Way of Central Iowa. Outcomes for recipients are being compared against a control group of 140 individuals who did not receive payments.

United States

UpTogether Brookline is a 12-month guaranteed income pilot launched by the Brookline Community Foundation (BCF) and the Brookline Housing Authority (BHA), with UpTogether serving as the fund implementation and payment-processing partner. The program provides $750 per month in unrestricted cash to 53 BHA residents (public housing residents and Section 8 voucher holders) enrolled in BHA's Self-Sufficiency Programs. Payments began November 1, 2025 and run through October 1, 2026. The pilot is funded by $460,000 in Town of Brookline American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars allocated to BCF and BHA, plus an additional BCF grant.

United States

UpTogether (formerly the Family Independence Initiative) is a national anti-poverty nonprofit headquartered in Oakland, California, that provides unrestricted cash investments to individuals and families to use as they see fit. Through its donor-directed 'Community Fund' model, philanthropic partners can target investments by city, region, or zip code. According to unverified seed data, the UpTogether Chicago Community Fund invested in 128 families residing in Chicago's 60649 (South Shore) and 60644 (Austin) zip codes, providing $1,204 per month for six months (May-September 2024). This specific fund is privately funded and was not found in independent news coverage or UpTogether's public press archive.

United States

UpTogether, in partnership with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and other Dallas-area community organizations, is described as investing a total of $9,000 per household (paid at $500/month over 18 months) in 97 Dallas, TX households, with a stated focus on housing stability. UpTogether is a national nonprofit (legally Family Independence Initiative, DBA UpTogether) that provides unrestricted cash to families experiencing financial hardship. This specific Dallas cohort could not be independently confirmed via a dedicated program page or news coverage separate from UpTogether's well-documented Dallas Targeted Eviction Prevention Project (TEPP).

United States

The UpTogether Illinois Community Fund provides $500 in unrestricted monthly cash payments to 52 families across downstate/central Illinois, outside the Chicago metro area, for 12 months. It is run by UpTogether (formerly Family Independence Initiative), a national nonprofit that, since 2020, has distributed more than $210 million to over 200,000 people and families. The fund is financed by a single private donor rather than government or corporate funding. Families choose how to spend the money, using it for needs like housing, car repairs, childcare, and school. Most enrolled participants have household incomes below the federal poverty line, and about two-thirds work an average of 34 hours per week.

United States

The UpTogether Michigan Community Fund is a statewide guaranteed income pilot launched in September 2024 by the national nonprofit UpTogether, funded by a $306,000 gift from an anonymous private donor. The program provides 51 Michigan households with $500 per month in unrestricted cash for 12 months, totaling $6,000 per household. Eligible participants earn up to 80% of Michigan's statewide median income and reside anywhere in Michigan outside the City of Detroit. The pilot is intended to demonstrate the impact of direct cash investment and encourage municipalities and philanthropic partners to adopt similar guaranteed income strategies.

United States

VC Thrive is a guaranteed income pilot in which the Ventura County Human Services Agency selected the local nonprofit James Storehouse to provide $1,000 monthly stipends to 150 former Ventura County foster youth for 18 months. It was funded by a $1.5 million California Department of Social Services (CDSS) grant, $1.5 million in Ventura County State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, and about $2,700 in private donations. VC Thrive is one of seven county-level sites in California's statewide GI Pilot Program for Pregnant Individuals and Former Foster Youth, which is evaluated by the Urban Institute and UC Berkeley. Applications opened October 16, 2023 and closed February 29, 2024 or once 150 eligible applicants enrolled. As of 2026 the 18-month pilot has concluded, having distributed a total of $2.7 million to participants.

Macao SAR (China)

The Wealth Partaking Scheme is an annual cash disbursement by the Macao SAR Government to all holders of a valid Macau Resident Identity Card, funded from the territory's fiscal reserves (largely gaming-tax revenue). Running continuously since 2008, it pays permanent residents MOP10,000 (~US$1,238) and non-permanent residents MOP6,000 (~US$743) per year as of 2026. It is one of the few ongoing, universal, government-funded resource dividends in the world and has continued uninterrupted through the 2020-2023 pandemic-era revenue collapse.

United States

Compass Family Services, a San Francisco nonprofit serving families experiencing homelessness, ran a small unconditional cash pilot for 13 low-income families with children enrolled in its Children's Center, funded by a $35,000 grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation. From October 2021 through March 2022, families received $350 per month for six months ($2,100 total) along with access to family counseling and money management classes. The pilot used a randomized, controlled design with a control group and Compass' Family Assessment Matrix to measure impacts on employment, housing, and family stability. Compass called the pilot a success and said it planned to expand basic income support with a subsequent grant.

United States

The West Hollywood Pilot for Guaranteed Income (WHPGI) is an 18-month guaranteed income pilot launched by the City of West Hollywood in partnership with the National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles (NCJW|LA), providing 25 randomly selected low-income older adults (age 50+) with $1,000 in unconditional monthly cash assistance loaded onto a pre-paid debit card. It is funded through a mix of City (public) and privately raised/philanthropic dollars and is part of the national Mayors for a Guaranteed Income network; it is widely cited as the first U.S. guaranteed income pilot focused specifically on older adults. The University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) designed and administered the study as a randomized controlled trial to measure impacts on housing stability, poverty reduction, and social isolation. Payments began August 30, 2022 and ran for 18 months; the pilot has since concluded and applications are closed.

Netherlands

A randomized controlled trial run by Utrecht University for the Municipality of Utrecht (and Municipality of Zeist) testing whether relaxing social-assistance (bijstand) rules improves labor-market and wellbeing outcomes. 752-787 social assistance claimants were randomly assigned to a control group and three treatment groups (more autonomy/exemption from job-search obligations, more intensive caseworker support, or a more generous earned-income disregard) for 16 months. It was one of six parallel Dutch municipal welfare experiments (2017-2019) run under a national Participatiewet research framework, not a standalone universal basic income pilot.

Ukraine

Winter Support (Zymova Pidtrymka) is a Ukrainian government cash-assistance package launched on the initiative of President Volodymyr Zelensky and administered by the Cabinet of Ministers together with the Ministry of Digital Transformation's Diia platform. Its centerpiece is a one-time, unconditional payment of UAH 1,000 (roughly $24) to every citizen physically present in Ukraine, including children (claimed by a parent or guardian), meant to help cover basic winter costs like utilities, medicine, food, and books. The payment is funded from the Ukrainian state budget and delivered via a 'National Cashback' prepaid card in the Diia app, or through Ukrposhta post offices for those without the app, including automatic crediting for pensioners and social-benefit recipients. First run in winter 2024-2025 (14.4 million recipients) and repeated for winter 2025-2026 (a record 18 million applicants), the program recurs annually for as long as the war continues, with planning for a 2026-2027 round already underway.

United States

WomenRise is a scholarship program run by United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg that provides financial assistance to single mothers to cover the cost of childcare while they work toward a post-secondary degree or credential. Awards are paid directly to licensed or voluntarily registered childcare providers during the mother's enrollment in a qualifying education or training program. Recipients also gain access to mentoring, community support through the Women United giving community, and other United Way resources.

Global

World (formerly Worldcoin) is a global biometric identity and cryptocurrency network built by Tools for Humanity that uses iris-scanning 'Orb' hardware (and NFC passport/ID 'Credential' verification) to issue a unique proof-of-personhood 'World ID.' Verified users historically became eligible for WLD token grants claimed monthly over a 12-month cycle, a mechanism the company has described as inspired by universal basic income. As of June 1, 2026, Tools for Humanity/World Foundation stopped creating or renewing new WLD airdrop cycles, so the grant component is now closed to new enrollees while existing participants finish out their remaining claims. The broader World ID identity network remains fully active and expanding (partnerships with Visa, Tinder/Match Group, Zoom, DocuSign, Coinbase, Razer) even as multiple countries have suspended, banned, or investigated Orb operations over biometric-privacy concerns.