People's Prosperity Pilot
The People's Prosperity Pilot was a guaranteed income program run by the City of Saint Paul's Office of Financial Empowerment, providing $500 per month to 150 families for 18 months (October 2020-April 2022). It was offered to families enrolled in CollegeBound Saint Paul who had been financially impacted by COVID-19. Funding came primarily from philanthropic dollars held by the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation, supplemented by City CARES Act funds and a Minnesota Department of Human Services grant. It was the first guaranteed income pilot run inside U.S. city government using public funds since the 1980s and the first Mayors for a Guaranteed Income pilot. Results were evaluated by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania.
COVID-19 response, first city-government-funded GI pilot since 1980s, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income founding pilot, children's savings account bundling
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- City of Saint Paul, Office of Financial Empowerment
- City
- Saint Paul
- State / Province
- Minnesota
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 651-266-8680
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 150
- Funding type
- Government, Philanthropic
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 9,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 18 months
- Distribution Type
- Prepaid Debit Card
- Benefit details
Participants received $500 per month for 18 months, loaded onto a U.S. Bank/Visa prepaid debit card, for a total of roughly $9,000 per household over the course of the program. Cash was unconditional, with no restrictions on use. Enrolled children also received a separate $10 monthly bonus deposit into their CollegeBound Saint Paul college savings account, on top of the initial $50 seed deposit all CollegeBound children receive.
Eligibility
Overview
- Eligibility details
Participants had to be Saint Paul residents enrolled in CollegeBound Saint Paul, meaning they were the parent/guardian of a child born to a Saint Paul resident on or after January 1, 2020. Families also had to have been financially impacted by COVID-19. 150 families were selected from the eligible CollegeBound Saint Paul pool; more than 80% of participating families identified as people of color and nearly half lived on the city's East Side.
Family
- Family Status
- Parent
- Number of dependents (minimum)
- 1
Health
- Health conditions
- COVID-19 (financial impact)
Geography
- US states covered
- Minnesota
- Countries covered
- United States
- Cities covered
- Saint Paul
- Counties covered
- Ramsey
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Complementary program enrollment required
- CollegeBound Saint Paul
- Research / participation requirements
The pilot was evaluated by the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR) at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Social Policy & Practice using mixed methods, including periodic surveys and qualitative interviews, with final findings published in a November 2023 report. Key findings included employment rising from 49% at baseline to 63% six months after payments ended, self-reported 'high hope' increasing from 15% to 22%, and a 7% increase in participants moving to higher-quality housing during the program; savings gains made during the pilot largely were not sustained once payments stopped.
Application Process
- How to apply
Enrollment was not a general open application; the 150 participants were selected from among families already enrolled in the CollegeBound Saint Paul children's savings account program who had been financially impacted by COVID-19. No public rolling application process is documented for this pilot.
- Selection process
The City drew participants from the pool of CollegeBound Saint Paul families (children born to a Saint Paul resident on or after January 1, 2020) who reported financial impact from COVID-19, selecting 150 households to receive guaranteed income for the 18-month pilot period.
