UpLift – The Central Iowa Basic Income Pilot
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.
Guaranteed Income, Randomized Controlled Trial, Multi-County Pilot, Urban-Suburban-Rural, Central Iowa, University Research Partnership
Headquarters
- Organization Name
- Mid-Iowa Health Foundation
- City
- Des Moines
- State / Province
- Iowa
- Country
- United States
Contact
- Phone
- +1 515 277 6411
- Social media links
Status & Funding
- Organization status
- Active
- Program status
- Inactive
- Application status
- Timed
- Number of recipients
- 110
- Funding type
- Government, Nonprofit, Philanthropic, Corporate, Research Pilot
Benefits
- Currency Type
- Fiat
- Currency
- USD
- Total Amount
- 12,000 USD
- Avg. Per Month
- 500 USD
- Payment frequency
- Monthly
- How long the program lasts
- 24 months
- Distribution Type
- Pre-paid debit card (per seed data, not independently verified via official project sources during this research)
- Benefit details
Selected participants received an unrestricted $500 cash stipend each month for 24 months (total of $12,000 per participant), with no restrictions on how funds could be spent. Payments began May 15, 2023. A comparison group of 140 individuals in the same counties did not receive payments as part of the study's randomized controlled trial design.
Eligibility
Geography
- US states covered
- Iowa
- Countries covered
- United States
- Counties covered
- Polk, Warren, Dallas
- Residency of Target Geography
- Yes
Participation
- Research / data sharing
- Required
- Research / participation requirements
Research is conducted 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; project implementation is coordinated by The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Civic Engagement at Drake University. Researchers track how participants use the stipend and compare health, employment, and well-being outcomes between recipients and the 140-person control group. Findings are intended to inform future poverty-reduction policy and funding decisions in central Iowa; per seed data, a final evaluation report is expected around June 2026 (not independently located/confirmed as published during this research, conducted July 23, 2026).
Application Process
- How to apply
Applications were accepted only during a defined recruitment window (February 17-27, 2023) via the UpLiftIowa.org project website; the program is no longer accepting new applicants as recruitment and disbursement have concluded.
- Selection process
Eligible applicants from Polk, Warren, and Dallas Counties were randomly selected (lottery-based) to receive the monthly stipend as part of a randomized controlled trial; a separate randomly selected group of 140 individuals served as an unpaid control group for comparison.
