GMI Research
Before we began, we analyzed prior Guaranteed Minimum Income study data in the United States — specifically studies at the county level.
OpenResearch Unconditional Cash Study
The largest guaranteed income experiment ever run in the USA, following 3,000 people in nine Illinois counties and ten Texas counties who received unconditional monthly cash for three years. Instead of focusing on a single metric, the project tracks dozens of dimensions of life — work, health, parenting, mobility, political attitudes, subjective well‑being, and more — using surveys, app diaries, biomarkers, interviews, and administrative data. Together, these methods ask two big questions: What actually happens when people get cash with no strings attached, and why?
A guaranteed income pilot in Georgia that followed 654 women across three communities — Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, rural Clay‑Randolph‑Terrell counties, and suburban College Park. Each woman received $20,400 over two years, either as steady monthly payments or a mix of an upfront lump sum plus smaller monthly amounts, while about 2,000 non‑selected applicants formed a comparison group. This pilot offers a “playbook” for funders and local leaders considering similar guaranteed income efforts — and hints at what unfolds when people are simply trusted with cash.
Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot
Two major guaranteed income pilots in Chicago and Cook County used federal COVID relief dollars to send no‑strings cash to thousands of low‑income residents. The city, county, GiveDirectly, and the University of Chicago’s Inclusive Economy Lab partnered to design and run the study — from outreach and application systems to benefits counseling, in‑person support, and financial coaching — and report the results.
A first-of-its-kind universal cash program for pregnant people and newborns in the Genesee County seat of Flint, Michigan, a city with very high child poverty. Learn about the effects of unconditional cash during pregnancy and a baby’s first year, and why a simple, stigma-free design might matter.
The following programs are the first three counties launched by the Rural Guaranteed Minimum Income Initiative. We hope to keep going three counties at a time until we reach all 50 states. Let’s get there together.
Mercer County, West Virginia
October 2025
The first rural county level study from RGMII. Currently in progress.
Beaufort County, North Carolina
November 2025
The second rural county level study from RGMII. Currently in progress.
Warren County, Mississippi
December 2025
The third rural county level study from RGMII. Currently in progress.