ITSA Newsletter: September 2024

Here’s the latest and biggest UBI news:

‣ A huge 3-year 2-state basic income pilot released its results

‣ Denver Basic Income Project just sent out the last payments it has funding for

‣ Palm Springs plans to tighten grant rules after basic income pilot scandal

‣ Quasi-Experimental Study: UBI Increases Preventive Health-Seeking Behavior

‣ In November, Oregon will vote on implementing a UBI of $1,600 a year

‣ Could a £2-a-day basic income be the key to protecting rainforests?

ITSA News Update:

It was a busy spring and summer for us with private screening events for early Bootstraps docuseries footage in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and DC. People have been leaving these screening events with a far greater understanding and appreciation of UBI and the need for it. We hope to make a very exciting announcement in the weeks ahead that was a direct result of one of those screenings.

Help us get Bootstraps finished with a donation to Income To Support All Foundation today. Now is a great time to donate. At the end of September we will get a matching donation for everything we’ve raised so far this year. As of right now, that’s about $62,000. Help us surpass $100,000 by October with a donation this month.

Did you know that many employers have programs that provide matching donations to 501(c)(3) nonprofits? Check this link to see if your employer is one of them. It’s possible that a $1,000 donation from you could end up being a $4,000 donation to us after a match from your employer and our matching donor who is matching up to $500,000.

A huge 3-year 2-state basic income pilot released its results [link]

• Headline finding was a 2% reduction of employment and hours worked on average, which works out to a 15-minute break each workday or 8 days of paid vacation a year.

• Employment reductions were not found for childless adults or adults over the age of 30.

• Other observations include: increased entrepreneurship for Black participants and women, increased education and job training, and significant reductions in drug and alcohol abuse for men.

Denver Basic Income Project just sent out the last payments it has funding for [link]

• The project has distributed more than $10.5 million to people unconditionally since its inception. The payments sent out this week are the last payments the project currently has funding for.

• DBIP is asking for an additional $5 million from the city to finish funding a third year for its original cohort and $10 million for a full three years of a second cohort.

• They mayor has responded that “Because the data showed limited results in the first year, HOST’s proposed budget does not recommend funding in 2025 for this program.”

Palm Springs plans to tighten grant rules after basic income pilot scandal [link]

• The Palm Springs City Council plans to update how the city hands out grants in an apparent response to the alleged misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of dollars through a guaranteed income pilot program funded by the city.

• The city council approved payments of $200,000 and $500,000 to Queer Works and DAP Health for the guaranteed income pilot program.

• Queer Works paid its CEO $191,000 in 2023, the bulk of which appeared to come from city funding. In total 81.5% of all revenue received by Queer Works in 2023 went toward executive compensation and salaries, according to tax filings.

Quasi-Experimental Study: UBI Increases Preventive Health-Seeking Behavior [link]

• A newly published study looked at a $2,000 increase in Alaska’s Permanent Fund Dividend.

• The likelihood that Alaskans sought primary care increased by 6 percentage points, which was significantly greater than the same difference (2pp) observed across all other (non-UBI) US States.

• They concluded that UBI ought to be thought about as a form of health policy, as it has the potential to advance a wide range of health objectives related to preventive care.

In November, Oregon will vote on implementing a UBI of $1,6000 a year [link]

• Originally estimated to provided an annual UBI of $750, Measure 118 in Oregon is now estimated to provide an annual UBI of $1605.

• Virtually every major player in Oregon politics has come out against the proposal, but that’s no guarantee it can’t succeed.

• If passed into law by voters, it’s estimated that overall poverty would drop in Oregon by 36%, and child poverty would drop by 49%.

Could a £2-a-day basic income be the key to protecting rainforests? [link]

• A basic income pilot is being run in the Amazon by the non-profit Cool Earth with the goal of empowering indigenous communities to preserve and protect their rainforests.

• £2 a day for two years – with no strings attached – is going to 188 people across three Asháninka and Yánesha communities in Peru’s Avireri-Vraem reserve.

• The combined territory of the three communities spans 738 hectares (1,823 acres). Of that, 513 hectares are covered by forest. Tree numbers and deforestation levels will be evaluated at the pilot’s one-year and two-year points.

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Scott Santens

Founder & President, ITSA Foundation