US County Launches Two-Year Guaranteed Income Pilot Program, Plans To Hand Out $504,000 for Free With No Strings Attached

One county in the United States is launching a guaranteed income pilot program that will hand out a total of $504,000 to low-income residents.

Two nonprofits – Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation (BTCF) and Greater Hudson Promise Neighborhood (GHPN) – have partnered to hand out $500 a month to single parents or caregivers of children aged six and younger who are living in New York’s Columbia County.

The two-year pilot program aims to increase the financial stability of 42 participants, two from each of Columbia County’s 21 towns.

Says BTCF,

“Research on guaranteed income consistently shows particularly strong outcomes for single mothers, who make up most single-caregiver households, and their children. When they receive direct, unconditional financial support, the benefits ripple outward: children are healthier, happier and more prepared for school and life in general.”

Participants will be selected by a lottery that people can enter until it closes on July 1st.

To qualify, residents must have household incomes below 80% of the 2025 Area Median Income (AMI) for Columbia County, which for one single parent with a child is $72,150.

Says BTCF,

“Many families in Columbia County are struggling to meet basic needs, especially single-caregiver households with young children…

259 households in Columbia County are led by single mothers living below the poverty line, and over 700 households receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits…

The median income for single-mother households is $35,268, compared to $120,828 for married-couple families, an $85,000 income gap that constrains opportunity for children growing up in these households…

A renter earning the local average wage of $13.10/hour would need to work 70 hours per week to afford even a modest two-bedroom unit…

The average monthly cost of infant care is $1,999, rivaling rent as one of the largest expenses for working families with young children.”

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