UBI Programs

United Kingdom

A proposal, developed by the UK think tank Autonomy and Northumbria University with two local 'Big Local' community partnerships, for an unconditional basic income micro-pilot paying 15 residents of Central Jarrow (North East England) and 15 residents of the Grange area of East Finchley (London) £1,600/month for 24 months, plus a control group. Announced with a June 2023 report, it received extensive UK media coverage and in-principle support from the Mayor of London, but the estimated £1.64-1.66 million never secured full funding. As of 2026 no payments have been made and Grange Big Local (the East Finchley sponsor group) wound down in 2025 without the trial launching.

United States

Jubilant Birth Albany is a guaranteed income pilot launched in November 2024 by United Way of the Greater Capital Region (UWGCR) that provides $1,000 per month for 12 months, plus optional prenatal/postnatal support from community health partners, to 28 low-income pregnant residents of Albany County, NY. It is funded through a public-private mix of Albany County government funds, a foundation grant, and corporate/credit union sponsorships. The program is designed to reduce financial stress during pregnancy and address racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes, particularly for Black and Brown birthing people. Applications opened March 8, 2025 and are now closed.

United States

Just Income is a guaranteed income program run by Community Spring, a Gainesville, Florida nonprofit founded and led by formerly incarcerated people, providing unconditional monthly cash payments to justice-impacted residents of Alachua County. Cohort 2 provided payments to 22 participants beginning January 2024, disbursed via GiveCard prepaid/digital debit cards. The program built on a 2022-2023 pilot cohort (Cohort 1) that was studied via a randomized controlled trial by the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research. Funding comes from private philanthropic supporters rather than government sources.

United States

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.

United States

Just Income is a guaranteed income program in Alachua County, Florida, created and led by formerly incarcerated people through the nonprofit Community Spring. Cohort 4, launched in early 2026, selected 15 participants by random lottery from over 200 applicants to receive $800/month (paid as two $400 installments) for 12 months via GiveCard. The program is funded by private donors/foundations and has distributed over $1 million since its 2022 launch. A randomized controlled trial with UPenn's Center for Guaranteed Income Research found the pilot cohort's recidivism dropped 31% versus a control group. This is the fourth annual cohort of the ongoing program.

United States

Just Income GNV, run by the Gainesville nonprofit Community Spring, provided unconditional guaranteed income to people returning home from incarceration in Alachua County, Florida. Cohort 1 randomly selected 115 justice-impacted individuals to receive $1,000 in the first month followed by $600 per month for eleven more months, disbursed via the Steady platform through direct deposit or a prepaid debit card. The program was designed and administered by formerly incarcerated staff and privately funded, with no government funds used. It ran as a randomized controlled trial in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Guaranteed Income Research. The pilot began January 2022 and concluded around February 2023.

United States

The Kahua Card Program, run by Maui-based mutual aid nonprofit Maui Rapid Response (MRR), provides $700 per month on a prepaid Mastercard for 12 months to Lahaina wildfire survivors who were excluded from traditional fire relief programs. It is funded by more than 4,000 small-dollar donors (gifts of $5 or more) and aims to serve 100-150 'ohana across three sequential cohorts. The program grew out of an 18-household, six-month pilot that gave up to $1,100/month scaled to family size. As of March 2026, 69 households had been enrolled across the first two of three planned cohorts, with the current round having begun in December 2025.

Haiti

Klere Chimen is Haiti's flagship unconditional cash transfer safety net program, launched in 2021 by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) with World Bank (IDA) financing under the PSARA (Projet de Protection Sociale Adaptative pour une Résilience Accrue) project. It provides monthly cash transfers, delivered mainly via mobile money, to the most vulnerable households identified through the national social registry (SIMAST) in Grand'Anse and, since 2024-2026, in the South department. Eligible households include those with a child under 5, a pregnant or breastfeeding woman, and/or a person with disability. The program is implemented in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) and supported by the World Bank and Swiss Cooperation, and includes complementary measures on health, nutrition, hygiene, and financial inclusion.

Austria

Klimabonus was Austria's universal, unconditional annual climate-dividend payment that returned CO2-pricing/carbon-tax revenue directly to every resident, regardless of income, age, or citizenship. Administered by Austria's federal climate ministry, it paid a flat base amount plus a regional top-up (higher for residents of areas with limited public transport) via automatic bank transfer or mailed vouchers, with minors receiving half the adult amount. It was funded entirely by government CO2-pricing revenue and required no application. The program was legislatively limited to tax years 2022-2024 and discontinued starting 2025 as part of federal budget consolidation, though late claims for those years remain payable through December 2027.

Kuwait

By Amiri decree, the Government of Kuwait has periodically issued one-time cash 'grants' (منحة أميرية) to every Kuwaiti citizen, funded from state oil-revenue reserves, to mark national anniversaries. The largest and best-documented instance, ordered in January 2011, paid KD 1,000 (about $3,572) to each of Kuwait's roughly 1.12 million citizens plus free basic food staples for about 13-14 months, commemorating the 50th anniversary of independence, the 20th anniversary of liberation from Iraqi occupation, and the 5th anniversary of Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah's accession. A smaller precedent grant of KD 200 was paid in 2006. Grants are disbursed automatically to all citizens with no application, income test, or means test, funded entirely from the state treasury/general reserves (oil wealth). Foreign residents, who make up roughly two-thirds of Kuwait's population, are excluded.

Angola

Kwenda is Angola's flagship government cash transfer and social protection program, run by the Social Support Fund/Local Development Institute (FAS-IDL) under the Ministry for Social Action. It delivers direct, digitally-enabled cash transfers plus productive-inclusion training and human development services (ID registration, health/education referrals) to poor and vulnerable households, mostly in rural areas, with over 70% of payments going to women. The program is financed by a $320 million World Bank loan and $100 million from the Angolan government treasury, and aims to reach 1.6 million low-income families nationwide. Launched in 2020 in response to COVID-19 and falling oil revenues, it has since expanded into a second phase focused on human capital and resilience.

United States

The Left Behind Workers Fund (LBWF) was a coalition-led, one-time cash assistance program launched in Denver in April 2020 to support workers excluded from federal COVID-19 relief, primarily undocumented immigrants. It was incubated and fiscally hosted by the nonprofit Impact Charitable, with critical partnership from Social Venture Partners Denver, the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, and the Village Exchange Center. Funding combined public dollars from the City of Denver and later the State of Colorado with private philanthropic contributions. Eligible individuals received a one-time $1,000 grant, and the fund ultimately distributed tens of millions of dollars statewide before evolving into new state-level initiatives.

United States

Let's GO DMV! is a guaranteed income pilot that provides $1,000/month in unconditional cash to hospitality workers in the greater Washington, DC region who lost jobs due to COVID-19. It was sparked by ROC-DC worker leader Venorica "Vee" Tucker and is led by a funder collaborative ("The Table") including iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility, Restaurant Opportunities Center-DC, Amalgamated Bank and Foundation, and Greater Washington Community Foundation (fiscal sponsor). Cash payments began in March 2022 to 69 workers and were funded through private philanthropic grants, donations, and impact investments. Originally planned for five years, the cash-payment phase was shortened to three years (36 months) due to fundraising difficulties. Capital Area Asset Builders served as the cash-distribution partner.

United States

LEVEL UP is a guaranteed income pilot launched in 2022 by the City of Mount Vernon, NY, providing 200 low-income residents with $500 per month for 12 months via a prepaid debit card. The roughly $1.2 million program was funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars administered by the city. It was launched in partnership with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) and evaluated through a randomized controlled trial led by research firm Abt Associates. Applications opened in July 2022, and monthly disbursements ran from approximately April 2023 through March 2024, with the pilot concluding in 2024.

Saint Kitts and Nevis

LIFT (Livelihood Improvement for Family Transformation) is the national conditional cash transfer programme of Saint Kitts and Nevis, administered by the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs with technical support from UNICEF. It replaced the earlier Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) starting in 2024, adding case management, self-development training, and shock-responsive emergency support to a direct monthly cash transfer. LIFT prioritizes unemployed and low-income households, single parents, persons with disabilities, and seniors earning below a set monthly income threshold. As of March 2025 the programme had reached more than 4,390 households across the federation. It is funded through the Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis' national budget.

United States

Little Seeds Fund is a place-based cash assistance pilot for expectant mothers in North and East Tulsa, run by Elevate East, a neighborhood initiative founded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) in 2022. Modeled on Michigan's Rx Kids program, it provides 83 households with $500 monthly payments over 18 months ($9,000 per household; $840,000 total investment). Participants are identified through referral partners such as the Parent Child Center of Tulsa's Family Connects program and El Centro rather than open application. Funding is private/philanthropic, led by GKFF.

United States

The Long Beach Pledge (Phase 1 / Cohort 1) was a guaranteed income pilot administered by the City of Long Beach's Department of Economic Development that provided 250 single-parent households with children in the 90813 zip code $500 per month for 12 months, from May 2023 through April 2024. It targeted very low-income, single income-earner families living below the federal poverty line, with eligibility criteria designed by a Community Working Group to concentrate impact in the Long Beach neighborhood hardest hit by COVID-19. The program was funded through the Long Beach Recovery Act (American Rescue Plan Act dollars) and implemented in partnership with the Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI), which ran the application, payment, and enrollment platform. It was evaluated through a randomized controlled trial led by the California State University, Long Beach Research Foundation. It was affiliated with Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and was later followed by a second, separately funded 2024 cohort.

United States

The Long Beach Pledge Cohort 2 (Phase 2) is a guaranteed income pilot run by the City of Long Beach's Economic Development Department, providing $500 a month for 12 months to 200 low-income households with dependent children in five Long Beach ZIP codes (90802, 90804, 90805, 90806, 90810). It expanded on the original 2022 Long Beach Pledge cohort and was funded with $1.2 million from the City's local homelessness emergency proclamation as an upstream homelessness-prevention strategy. Fund for Guaranteed Income (F4GI) administered applications, enrollment, and payments, while California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) Research Foundation conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluation.

India

An 18-month unconditional basic income pilot (June 2011-Nov 2012) run by SEWA (Self Employed Women's Association) with funding and backing from UNICEF, testing unconditional monthly cash transfers to every man, woman, and child in eight rural villages of Madhya Pradesh, compared against 12 control villages. A parallel 12-month tribal-village pilot (2012-13) covered one additional treatment village against one control village. In total, over 6,000 individuals across nine treatment villages received the grants. Results showed improved nutrition, sanitation, school attendance and performance, reduced debt, higher savings, and a rise in new small businesses and self-employment.

United States

The Magnolia Mother's Trust (MMT), run by the Jackson, Mississippi nonprofit Springboard To Opportunities, gives extremely low-income Black mothers living in federally subsidized/affordable housing $1,000 a month for 12 months with no restrictions on use, plus a one-time $1,000 deposit into a 529 college savings account for each child. Launched in 2018, it is the longest-running privately funded guaranteed income program in the United States and is funded by philanthropic foundations and private donors. Cohort 3 served 100 mothers from April 2021 through March 2022, spanning the COVID-19 pandemic. As of the latest data the program is active and has launched its seventh cohort, having served over 550 mothers total.

United States

Magnolia Mother's Trust Cohort 1 was the pilot round of a guaranteed income initiative run by Springboard To Opportunities, in partnership with the Economic Security Project (via the Guaranteed Income Community of Practice), providing 20 low-income Black mothers in Jackson, Mississippi with $1,000 per month, no strings attached, for 12 months (December 2018-November 2019). It was privately/philanthropically funded and was the first US guaranteed income pilot to specifically target extremely low-income, Black mother-headed families living in affordable/subsidized housing. Participants were drawn from residents of Springboard's partner affordable housing communities and could also access optional peer support, coaching, and leadership programming.

United States

The Magnolia Mother's Trust is a guaranteed income pilot run by the nonprofit Springboard To Opportunities that provides extremely low-income mothers living in federally subsidized affordable housing in Jackson, Mississippi with $1,000 a month, no strings attached, for 12 months. Cohort 2 was the second round of the program, scaling from Cohort 1's 20 participants up to about 100 mothers, with payments beginning in March 2020 just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The program is privately/philanthropically funded and each participating child also received a $1,000 deposit into a 529 college savings account. Springboard released its final evaluation report on Cohort 2 on May 10, 2021.

United States

Magnolia Mother's Trust Cohort 3 was the third round of Springboard To Opportunities' guaranteed income program for extremely low-income Black mothers living in federally subsidized/affordable housing in Jackson, Mississippi. It provided 100 mothers, selected by lottery, with $1,000 per month for 12 months with no strings attached, plus a $1,000 deposit in a 529 college savings account for each of their children. The cohort ran from April 2021 through March 2022, spanning the Delta and Omicron COVID-19 surges. The program was privately funded by philanthropic donors, and its evaluation was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Magnolia Mother's Trust is part of the Guaranteed Income Community of Practice (GICP).

United States

The Magnolia Mother's Trust is a guaranteed income pilot run by the nonprofit Springboard To Opportunities that provides extremely low-income Black mothers living in federally subsidized affordable housing in Jackson, Mississippi with $1,000 a month, no strings attached, for 12 months. Cohort 4, also referred to by Springboard as the '2022-2023 cohort,' began with first payments in May 2022 and ran 12 months through approximately April 2023, matching the seed data's end date. Official Springboard/Social Insights Research evaluation materials report the cohort served 88 mothers (87 completed the full program year), though contemporaneous 2022 press coverage estimated 'about 100' mothers for this cohort. The program is privately/philanthropically funded, and each participating mother's child also received a $1,000 deposit into a 529 college savings account.

United States

The Mecklenburg THAP-IN is a Point Source Youth "Cash+" pilot delivering one-time, unconditional direct cash assistance to roughly 50 youth ages 18-24 at imminent risk of losing housing in Mecklenburg County, NC. Time Out Youth, a Charlotte-based LGBTQ+ youth services nonprofit, is the lead community-based organization reviewing housing plans and distributing funds. Payments average about $3,000, delivered on a debit card within 24-48 hours of housing plan approval, alongside up to three months of supportive programming. The pilot is funded by $150,000 from the Leon Levine Foundation and $50,000 from the City of Charlotte's Emergency Solutions Grant program, for a total of $200,000. It is presented by Point Source Youth in partnership with the Leon Levine Foundation, making Charlotte the fifth city nationally to host a THAP-IN chapter.