Paterson Guaranteed Income Pilot Program
The Paterson Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, administered by the City of Paterson, provided $400 monthly unconditional cash payments to 110 low-income residents from July 2021 to June 2022. The pilot was funded through private sources as part of the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI) coalition and Guaranteed Income Community of Practice (GICP). Research and evaluation were conducted by the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice and its Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR).
MGI member pilot, GICP, Guaranteed Income, Passaic County, Prepaid Debit Card
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Paterson
- City
- Paterson
- State / Province
- New Jersey
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Website
- https://www.patersonnj.gov/
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 110
- Funding type
- Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 4,800 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 400 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 12 months
- Distribution Type
- Direct Deposit, Prepaid Debit Card
- Benefit details
Participants received $400 per month for 12 months, disbursed via direct deposit onto a prepaid debit card, totaling $4,800 per participant over the course of the pilot. Payments were unconditional, with no work requirements or restrictions on how funds could be used. Aggregate participant spending was concentrated in food and groceries (37.7%), retail sales and services (36.3%), and housing and utilities (8.9%). A separate expansion launched in October 2023 added 200 new recipients funded entirely by American Rescue Plan dollars, outside the scope of this original 110-participant private-funded pilot.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Eligible participants were Paterson residents aged 18 or older with an annual household income of $30,000 or less for individuals, or $88,000 or less for families. The 110 recipients (both individuals and families) were selected from a pool of qualifying applicants. No citizenship, employment, or education-level requirements were identified in available sources. Although Passaic County Community College is listed as an affiliated partner, no formal student-targeted eligibility criteria or PCCC-specific enrollment mechanism was found; one identified recipient happened to be a PCCC staff member, but this does not indicate a program restricted to students.
Demographics
- Minimum age
- 18
Financial
- Income limit (annual household)
- $88,000
Geography
- US states covered
- New Jersey
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Paterson
- Counties covered
- Passaic
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
The pilot was evaluated by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) in collaboration with the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR), who set up a control group and tracked treatment group participants' income, employment, financial stability, housing, mental health, and community engagement through 12 months of payments and 6 months post-pilot. Findings were released in a February 2024 report and included statistically compared outcomes against a non-recipient control group.
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted from qualifying Paterson residents during a defined enrollment window in 2021 through the City of Paterson; specific application steps beyond meeting the age/income criteria were not detailed in available sources.
- Selection process
110 recipients (individuals and families) were selected from the pool of qualifying applicants; sources describe recipients as randomly selected, though full lottery methodology was not detailed.
