Guaranteed Income (GI)

Baltimore Young Family Success Fund

In 2021, the CASH Campaign of Maryland was selected to be the nonprofit administrator for Baltimore City’s guaranteed income program: The Baltimore Young Family Success Fund (BYFSF). 200 participants received $1,000 of unrestricted funds monthly for 24 months. The first payment was in August 2022 and the last payment was July 2024.

This pilot targeted young parents between the ages of 18-24, who had full or partial care-taking responsibilities for children, income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level and a Baltimore City resident.

What is Guaranteed Income?

Guaranteed Income (GI) provides recurring, unconditional cash payments to a targeted group of people and creates a “floor” of basic income to close the gap created by low wages. It (1) provides resilience (2) promotes self-determination, and (3) preserves dignity.

GI is not a new idea. Leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1967 book, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, stated that “the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income.”

Baltimore City’s guaranteed income program was motivated by the belief that the best investment the city can make is in its people. BYFSF empowered its recipients financially and showed that poverty is a systems failure, not a personal one.

How Guaranteed Income Strengthens Communities

Read about how GI programs helps participants become connected to their communities.

Research

Abt Global evaluated 130 participants in the Treatment Group. This group received the $1,000 a month payments. 70 participants were in the Storytelling Cohort. This group also received $1,000 a month but was not in the evaluated research. These participants shared their experiences with receiving payments with CASH and the media.

An additional 158 participants were in a control group and did not receive the monthly payments.

Read Mayor Scott’s press release, “Baltimore’s Young Families Success Fund Final Report Shows Increased Financial Stability, Greater Food Security, Less Household Chaos And Higher Enrollment In School“.

Baltimore City's Final Guaranteed Income Report

Read Abt Global’s final evaluation on Baltimore’s GI program.

Media Bank Interviews

CASH partnered with Wide Angle Youth Media to capture a series of stories from the Storytelling Cohort. These stories highlights our participants’ experiences both before and during the program and the significant impact GI had on their lives.

Check out the full Media Bank Playlist on Youtube.

Become an Advocate Today!

The CASH Campaign of Maryland engages in advocacy at the local, state, and federal levels. Our goal is to elevate the voices of those we serve.

Stay in Touch!

The CASH Campaign of Maryland works with a network of state policy groups from around the country as part of Prosperity Now!

Check out the 2023 Prosperity Now Scorecard.

For more information on advocacy and research from CASH Campaign of Maryland, please contact Tonaeya@cashmd.org