UBI Programs

United States

Direct Cash Hawai'i is a Targeted Housing Assistance Program (THAP) site launched on Oahu in 2026 by the national nonprofit Point Source Youth in partnership with Partners in Care and the Hawai'i Health & Harm Reduction Center. It provides about 50 young people ages 16-24 facing a housing crisis with a one-time, individualized cash payment (averaging roughly $2,500, based on a personal housing plan) plus 1-3 months of optional youth-directed supportive services. The program prioritizes Native Hawaiian and LGBTQIA+ youth, who experience disproportionate rates of homelessness in Hawai'i. It follows the same needs-based, flexible-amount THAP model used by CASH LA in Los Angeles and is funded in part through philanthropic support, with photo credit to the Doris Duke Foundation at the program kickoff.

United States

Spectrum's Direct Cash Transfer (DCT) program gives youth ages 18-24 who are experiencing homelessness or facing imminent risk of it in the Burlington/St. Albans, Vermont area a stable cash flow to pursue housing, jobs, or education. Participants receive $1,500 per month for 18 months, plus a one-time $3,000 withdrawal option, for a total of $30,000 per youth. Built on the 'Cash Plus' model with Point Source Youth, the pilot pairs unconditional cash with case management and prioritizes youth facing added barriers, such as youth of color, LGBTQ+ youth, youth with disabilities or chronic illness, trafficking survivors, and pregnant/parenting youth.

United States

The Direct Cash Transfers as Prevention Pilot — now publicly branded by Point Source Youth as the Targeted Housing Assistance Program (THAP) 7-State Pilot — provided one-time, needs-based cash payments to youth at imminent risk of homelessness across seven U.S. communities (Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Tucson AZ, Contra Costa County CA, Lane County OR, Grand Rapids MI, and New York City NY) between May 2024 and May 2025. Point Source Youth, a national nonprofit working to prevent and end youth homelessness, ran the pilot through local community-based organization (CBO) partners, disbursing funds within 48 hours of a completed housing plan. The pilot served 345 youth households (623 people including household members/dependents) and was catalyzed in part by philanthropic funders including the Schultz Family Foundation. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health evaluated the pilot, finding 92% of participants had not entered the homelessness system within six months of receiving support.

United States

Direct Investment Program in Sacramento (DIPS) Cohort 1 was a guaranteed income pilot launched in June 2021 by United Way California Capital Region (UWCCR), the first of three sequential UWCCR guaranteed income cohorts in the Sacramento region. It provided 100 low-income Sacramento County households with $300 per month, unconditional and with no strings attached, for 24 months, concluding in May 2023. The pilot was primarily funded through a philanthropic gift from MacKenzie Scott rather than government funds. Eligible households had incomes up to roughly 150% of the Federal Poverty Level for their household size. UWCCR partnered with Sacramento State University's Division of Social Work to help design and evaluate the broader guaranteed income initiative.

United States

Guaranteed Income Program 2.0 (referred to in the seed database as DIPS-II), the second of several guaranteed income cohorts run by United Way California Capital Region, gave 80 low-income City of Sacramento residents $500 a month for 12 months with no strings attached. It was funded with $750,000 in City of Sacramento American Rescue Plan Act dollars and administered by United Way California Capital Region. Participants were selected by lottery from over 17,000 applications after screening for city residency, adult age, and household-income eligibility. Sacramento State University's School of Social Work conducted a baseline/endline evaluation comparing recipients to a control group of unselected applicants.

United States

The Direct Investment Program in Sacramento (DIPS), Cohort 3, was a 12-month guaranteed income pilot run by United Way California Capital Region (UWCCR) for 130 low-income households in Sacramento County Board of Supervisors Districts 1 and 2. Selected by lottery from over 8,400 applicants, eligible participants had to be at least 18, live in District 1 or 2, and fall under household income limits (as low as $28,205 for a single adult, up to $133,980 for a household of eight). Recipients received $500 (listed as $505 in the final evaluation report) in unconditional cash each month from January 2024 through December 2024, delivered via direct deposit or a debit Mastercard through a partnership with SAFE Credit Union. The program was funded with $1 million from Sacramento County ARPA allocations (via Supervisors Phil Serna and Patrick Kennedy) and $180,000 from Sierra Health Foundation, and was evaluated by Sacramento State University's School of Social Work. It is the third and final cohort of UWCCR's guaranteed income series, following earlier pilots with Sacramento County (2021) and the City of Sacramento (2023).

Global

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United States

The Dream Keeper Fellowship was a guaranteed-income pilot launched October 2021 under San Francisco's Dream Keeper Initiative, run by the SF Human Rights Commission with the Office of Economic and Workforce Development. It paid individuals identified as high-risk for gun violence a $300 monthly stipend, plus up to $200 more for hitting milestones like job interviews or probation compliance. Participants were paired with life coaches from the Street Violence Intervention Program (SVIP). Modeled on Richmond's Operation Peacemaker Fellowship and funded through city tax dollars and private donations.

United States

The EBCI GenWell Program is a voluntary, tax-free general welfare benefit program run by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Department of Treasury for enrolled adult tribal members. Launched March 1, 2023, it offers members an alternative to the Tribe's long-running taxable Per Capita casino-revenue dividend, using the federal Tribal General Welfare Exclusion (TGWE) Act of 2014 to exclude payments from gross income. Funding derives from the Tribe's 50% share of net gaming revenue from Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort properties. Members choose fixed monthly amounts ($800, $500, $300, or $200) plus a semi-annual balance in June and December, or a straight semi-annual payment, mirroring the size of the Per Capita distribution. It replaced the Tribe's former Per Capita Loan program while the taxable Per Capita option remains available in parallel.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Eight, a Belgian NGO, ran unconditional monthly cash transfers to entire villages in an artisanal tin-mining zone of Kalima/Pangi territory, Maniema Province, DRC, in partnership with research institute IPIS and funders including the Belgian Development Cooperation, Fairphone, Proximus and Umicore. Adults received $20/month and children under 18 received $10/month (paid to the mother/female guardian) via individual mobile money accounts, for 2 years per village, with no conditions on spending. The pilot began in the village of Lutala in October 2021 and subsequently scaled to two more villages in the same region, Balendelende and Masimelo (launched December 2023), each running a 2-year cycle. IPIS conducted baseline, midline and further studies comparing recipient villages to a control village to assess effects on poverty, child labor, health, education, entrepreneurship and collective action. As of mid-2026 all three Kalima/Maniema villages (Lutala, Balendelende, Masimelo) have completed their 2-year transfer cycles; Eight has since started a separate, unrelated village project (Kyunga) near Lubumbashi in a different province.

Uganda

Eight, a Belgian NGO, provided two years of unconditional monthly cash transfers via mobile money to every resident of Busibi village near Fort Portal, Uganda, from January 2017 to January 2019. Adults received $18.25/month and children received $9.13/month, with children's payments routed to mothers or female guardians. The pilot tracked education, healthcare, democratic participation, and local economic development, and was documented in the web series/documentary "Village One" (later "Crazy Money"). It was studied by University of Ghent and later University of Antwerp (IOB) researchers, including a long-term sustainability follow-up.

United States

An ARPA-funded pilot narrowly targeted at single mothers — female heads of household with a dependent under 18, hit financially by COVID-19. What sets it apart is the rigor of its research design: RAND Corporation and USC's Sol Price School of Public Policy built in a matched control group to produce genuinely comparative outcome data, while keeping the research survey itself voluntary and decoupled from eligibility — a more academically rigorous structure than many city-run cash pilots.

United States

UpTogether, in partnership with the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation and EPISO/Border Interfaith, provided $500 monthly unrestricted cash payments to 120 El Paso County families for six months (October 2024-March 2025). The privately funded initiative aimed to stabilize households, ease housing cost burdens, and support economic mobility. Participants were identified by EPISO/Border Interfaith from high-need areas across El Paso city and county rather than through an open public application. It was the third direct-cash initiative launched jointly by UpTogether and EPISO/Border Interfaith in El Paso, following COVID-era funds in 2020-2021, and collectively these efforts have benefited about 1,400 families.

United States

Bundle of four federally funded COVID-19 relief programs run by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Fiscal Recovery Funds: Elder Food Security, Disability Food Security, and Economic Impact Recovery payments for adult and dependent tribal citizens. Elder (ages 55-74 with income under $40,000, or 75+ at any income) and Disability (ages 18-54 with a qualifying disability) recipients received a $200/month grocery allowance via debit card. Economic Impact Recovery provided $1,000/year to adults (18-54) and $700/year to dependents (0-17) toward living, technology, and internet expenses. Disbursement began September 1, 2021, funded from the Nation's $944,425,951 (2021) plus $149,926,190 (later) ARPA allocations, and all four programs required Choctaw Nation tribal citizenship and attestation of negative COVID-19 impact.

United States

Elevate Boulder was a City of Boulder Housing and Human Services guaranteed income pilot that gave 200 low-income households $500 per month in unconditional cash assistance for 24 months, funded with $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Participants were chosen by randomized lottery and had to reside in Boulder, be 18 or older, earn 30-60% of Area Median Income, and show COVID-19-related hardship. Payments ran from January 2024 through a final disbursement on December 31, 2025, administered via the AidKit cash-transfer platform. An evaluation by the Omni Institute found improved food/housing security and mental health but little change in employment, savings, or debt. As of mid-2026 the pilot has ended; the city and Community Foundation Boulder County are fundraising for a possible second cohort.

United States

ELEVATE Concord is a guaranteed income pilot run by the nonprofit Monument Impact in partnership with the City of Concord, serving 120 single-parent families with young children who were still recovering from COVID-19 income loss and facing housing instability. Participants received $500 per month for 12 months plus a one-time $2,500 stabilization gift, delivered via UpTogether's digital payment platform, alongside optional wraparound services like technology classes, business support, and rental assistance. The pilot was funded primarily with $1.5 million in City of Concord American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, supplemented by private philanthropic support from funders such as the Latino Community Foundation and Y&H Soda Foundation. An independent evaluation found strong gains in housing stability and mental health during the program that receded sharply once payments ended.

United States

Elevate MV was a guaranteed income pilot run by the City of Mountain View's Human Services Division, implemented through the Community Services Agency (CSA) of Mountain View, Los Altos & Los Altos Hills with support from the YMCA. It provided $500 unconditional monthly cash payments to 166 randomly selected, extremely low-income Mountain View parents and pregnant residents from December 2022 through November/December 2024. The program was funded through the City's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation plus a $100,000 donation from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, with payments processed by Community Financial Resources (CFR). It doubled as a Randomized Controlled Trial led by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR), comparing the 166-person treatment group to a 132-person control group. The pilot has concluded; a comprehensive CGIR findings report was anticipated in 2026 but was not yet published as of this research.

United States

The Elm City Reentry Pilot (branded on 4-CT's site as "Cash for Reentry") is a guaranteed income program run by the Connecticut nonprofit 4-CT for formerly incarcerated individuals returning to the New Haven area. Participants are identified and referred by the Project M.O.R.E. Reentry Welcome Center and receive $500 per month for 12 months on a combined Elm City Resident ID and prepaid Mastercard, developed with the City of New Haven, Mastercard's Global Cities team, and Usio, Inc. The pilot launched in March 2023 and has run three roughly 20-person cohorts through fall 2024, reaching about 60 participants total. It is funded entirely through private philanthropy.

United States

A city-backed guaranteed income pilot providing 110 single mothers and caregivers in Birmingham, Alabama with no strings attached. Launched in February 2022 by Mayor Randall Woodfin in partnership with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), the program targets women heading households with at least one dependent child — reflecting that nearly 60% of Birmingham households with children are led by single women.

Tuvalu

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Tuvalu introduced an Emergency Basic Income, an unconditional monthly cash payment of AUD 40 to every citizen of Tuvalu, including children, for the duration of the country's State of Emergency declared in March 2020. Distinct top-up allowances were also provided to overseas Tuvaluan students, stranded civil servants, and workers who were laid off or had reduced hours. The program was funded through Tuvalu's national COVID-19 supplementary budget (roughly 30% of GDP) together with grants from the governments of Australia and New Zealand. The World Bank's global COVID-19 social protection tracker labeled Tuvalu's scheme a 'UBI' and noted it was the only universal, population-wide program worldwide delivering temporary payments in multiple (monthly) installments rather than a single lump sum. Tuvalu recorded zero COVID-19 cases during this period, so the payments functioned primarily as broad-based economic relief for a population highly exposed to disrupted trade, tourism, and remittance flows.

Marshall Islands

Enra is the Republic of the Marshall Islands' national universal basic income program, paying a flat, unconditional quarterly cash benefit (about $200, roughly $800/year) to every Marshallese citizen residing in the country, including children. It launched officially on November 26, 2025 and is administered by the Marshall Islands Social Security Administration (MISSA), with fiscal oversight from the RMI Ministry of Finance. The program is funded from the Compact of Free Association Trust Fund for the People of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, capitalized mainly by the United States under the renewed 2023 Compact agreement - a fund whose origins are tied to the US strategic/military use of the islands, including historic nuclear testing. Recipients can receive payments by paper check, direct bank deposit, or a government digital wallet (Lomalo) holding a US Treasury-backed stablecoin (USDM1), designed to reach unbanked residents on remote atolls.

Norway

NAV Trondheim (the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration's local offices), together with the national Labour and Welfare Directorate and the Ministry of Labour and Social Inclusion, is launching a pilot benefit called "aktivitetspenger for unge" for Trondheim residents aged 18-29 who are out of work and education. It replaces several overlapping benefits (work assessment allowance, qualification benefit, unemployment benefit, participation money, social assistance) with one payment that does not require proof of illness, paid monthly and set at 66% of prior income with a guaranteed minimum floor. The trial is funded by the Norwegian state budget (NOK 17 million allocated for 2026 start-up) with a municipal cost offset, and is due to start November 1, 2026, running for up to four years while being evaluated by Oslo Economics and the Frisch Centre for Economic Research.

Namibia

An emergency, unconditional cash transfer launched in September 2013 by the United Church Council of Namibia Evangelical Lutheran Churches (UCC-NELC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) and the ACT Alliance, in response to Namibia's worst drought in decades. Explicitly modeled on the 2008-09 Otjivero-Omitara Basic Income Grant pilot, it paid N$100 (about US$10) per registered person per month for nine months (September 2013-May 2014) via NamPost debit cards to residents of four hard-hit rural communities: Ongongo (Kunene), Onangholo (Omusati), Ncaute (Kavango East) and Amperbo (Hardap). About 5,663 people were registered across the four communities (roughly 4,859 direct individual beneficiaries), and the grant was locally nicknamed "Tumbutumbu" ("From Nothingness"). An independent impact assessment (Haarmann & Haarmann, 2015) found households used the grants mainly for food security, healthcare, school fees and small livestock/farming investments.

United States

The Evanston Equitable Recovery Fund is a seed-sourced entry describing a small guaranteed income pilot reportedly run in Evanston, Illinois via UpTogether (formerly Family Independence Initiative/FII-National), a national nonprofit that partners with cities and community organizations to deliver unrestricted cash to families experiencing financial hardship. UpTogether's own 2021 Impact Report confirms it launched multiple city-level funds in the Midwest region in 2021 and lists Northwestern University and the City of Chicago among its 2021 donors, but no page on UpTogether's site independently names an 'Evanston Equitable Recovery Fund' or confirms partners 'Evanston City Council' or 'Economic Security Illinois.' Funding is described in seed data as private/philanthropic. This entry should be treated as unconfirmed pending direct verification.

United States

Excel was a guaranteed income pilot launched in March 2022 by the City of Durham and nonprofit StepUp Durham, providing 109 formerly incarcerated Durham residents with $600 per month in unconditional cash for 12 months. Funding came primarily from a $500,000 gift from Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (through his #startsmall initiative) and additional private donors, with the City of Durham covering roughly $100,000 in administrative costs. The pilot was evaluated as a randomized controlled trial by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania, as part of the nationwide Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) cohort. Disbursements ran from March 2022 through February 2023, and CGIR released its final evaluation report in early 2025.