Guaranteed Income - Springboard For The Arts

Guaranteed Income Building a stronger safety net for artists. Springboard’s Guaranteed Income for Artists pilot explores the impact of guaranteed income on artists, culture bearers and creative workers at a neighborhood level and provides a national model for the inclusion of artists in policies that address economic inequity. About Guaranteed Income Originally launched in 2021 as a “sidecar” to the City of St. Paul’s People’s Prosperity Pilot, Springboard’s pilot has grown to support 100 artists across Minnesota, including 50 in Otter Tail County, and 50 in the Frogtown/Rondo neighborhoods for a total of 5 years, making it one of the longest running pilot programs in the nation. Springboard’s Guaranteed Income pilot includes a collaboration with LSS Financial Counseling to provide Minnesota artists with no-cost financial, student loan debt, and housing counseling. Alongside our pilot, we also run Artists Respond: People, Place, and Prosperity, an artist-led cohort that generates narrative change projects inspired by guaranteed income and economic justice. Springboard is engaged in deep research in partnership with the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Guaranteed Income Research, conducting comprehensive studies to chart our pilot’s impact. “Our program is emerging as a national model, demonstrating how guaranteed income can transform artists’ lives, build community resilience, and strengthen local economies. We’re changing the narrative with data, art, and meaningful stories of impact. When artists can focus more on their work, families, art and their community instead of worrying about basic needs, everyone benefits.” – Laura Zabel, Executive Director. The Guaranteed Income for Artists pilot now supports 100 artists in Saint Paul and Otter Tail County with restriction-free payments of $500 per month for 5 years. Header Image Credit: Artists participants across various Springboard Guaranteed Income activities and community events in Saint Paul. Photos by Thaiphy Phan-Quang. Frequently Asked Questions What is Guaranteed Income? A guaranteed income is a monthly, cash payment given directly to individuals. It is unconditional, with no strings attached and no work requirements. A guaranteed income is meant to supplement, rather than replace, the existing social safety net and can be a tool for racial and gender equity. Why is Springboard doing this? Individual artists and culture workers have little to no safety net to rely on. Many work as freelancers or gig workers, leading to unpredictable income. This issue is exacerbated for artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, or live in rural or underinvested urban areas. The pandemic exposed these challenges, prompting Springboard to expand its emergency relief fund to assist over 2,500 artists and help 80 communities nationwide establish local emergency funds. While we are proud of our emergency response efforts, we recognize that such measures are not a long-term solution. Systemic change and bigger policy ideas are crucial. Guaranteed income policies offer a promising approach to addressing systemic poverty at both local and national levels. We advocate for including artists in these economic justice movements, both as beneficiaries and as key allies in driving systemic change. Inspired by the People’s Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot led by the City of Saint Paul, we are excited to advance direct, unrestricted, noncompetitive financial support for artists and culture workers. Are you using public money to fund this pilot? We are collaborating with private funders at local, regional, and national levels to advance this initiative, without utilizing any public funds. We deeply appreciate the McKnight Foundation’s generous support for this phase of our program expansion. Additional Learning Resources Mayors for Guaranteed Income: https://www.mayorsforagi.org/ Guaranteed Income Pilots Dashboard: https://guaranteedincome.us/ Stockton Demonstration Project findings: https://www.stocktondemonstration.org/ Peoples Prosperity Guaranteed Income Pilot in St. Paul: https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/financial-empowerment/peoples-prosperityguaranteed-Income-pilot Guaranteed Income Pilot in Rural Georgia: https://dailyyonder.com/guaranteed-income-initiative-to-focus-on-rural-black-women-in-georgia/2022/05/23/ Other guaranteed income pilots working with artists: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA/Bay Area:https://ybca.org/guaranteed-income-pilot/ Creatives Rebuild New York: https://www.creativesrebuildny.org/ Power of Cash Narrative Change Fellowship: https://www.economicsecurityil.org/fellowship Related Stories Newsweek: Tim Walz’s Home State Is Expanding Its Guaranteed Income Program By Newsweek Fast Company: How 2 guaranteed income programs have taken hold in Minnesota By Fast Company Salon: What “Universal Basic Guys” gets wrong about basic income – and why it matters By Salon More Info Latest Stories Contacts Wone Vang Economic Opportunity Director [email protected] Help Artists Thrive Donate