Chicago Approves Guaranteed Basic Income Pilot Project

Published: November 4, 2021 | Updated: April 21, 2022

Boy and father elbow-bumbing an older neighbor at her front door

April 2022 update: Applications open on Monday, April 25 for the Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot, a guaranteed basic income program.

February 2022 update: The City of Chicago Department of Familiy and Support Services has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking proposals from agencies who can act as a lead agency to fulfill the outreach and recruitment function for the Chicago Resilient Communities Monthly Cash Assistance Pilot. The applications are due on February 18.

The Chicago City Council has passed a 2022 budget that includes a guaranteed basic income pilot program. This program will provide 5,000 Chicago households with $500 a month for a year. The program’s funding comes from $2 billion in COVID-19 relief money allocated to Chicago via the American Rescue Plan. This program, one of the nation’s largest, aims to relieve financial burdens on families hard-hit by COVID-19.

Read more about the pilot program in these articles from Business Insider, the Black Wall Street Times, and NPR/Illinois Public Media.

Learn more about research on guaranteed income from the Center for Guaranteed Income Research at the University of Pennsylvania.