City of Alameda Guaranteed Income Pilot Program

Program Description

The City of Alameda (City) is developing Rise Up Alameda, a guaranteed income pilot program that will provide $1,000 per month to 150 low-income Alameda households over a two-year period. The Alameda City Council directed the use of $4.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding for Rise Up Alameda and program launch is anticipated for summer  2023. The goals of Rise Up Alameda are to reduce economic instability for program participants, help to change local narratives and perceptions surrounding poverty and the provision of public benefits, and help to support and inform the larger discussion regarding public benefits and anti-poverty policies.

The administrative structure for the City’s GI Pilot Program involves five main components:

• City Sponsor: As the anchor for the community, the City will assist in the development and implementation of the Rise Up Alameda, provide oversight of the program partners, and support in the promotion of the program.
• Implementing Partner: Operation Dignity is the Implementing Partner for Rise Up Alameda and is responsible for administering the program. Responsibilities will include: program support, collecting applications from potential recipients, selection and enrollment of recipients, and collaboration with other partners (e.g. the City) on outreach and communication efforts.
• Research Partner: Abt Associates is Rise Up Alameda’s Research Partner and is responsible for designing, in collaboration with other program partners, the research component of Rise Up Alameda. A research component is important to secure benefits waivers so that Rise Up Alameda participants do not risk losing benefits from other assistance programs. For instance, the State of California will not grant an income waiver for programs such as CalWORKs or CalFresh without an approved research component. A research component will also inform how Rise Up Alameda may lead to creating financial stability for its recipients. In addition, the information will contribute to the knowledge obtained regarding guaranteed income programs as an anti-poverty policy tool.
• Financial Partner: The Financial Partner will be responsible for administering the financial components of the program including the distribution of monthly payments funded by the City.
• Advisory Board: An Advisory Board has been formed to support Rise Up Alameda. The Advisory Boards is composed of community and advocacy organizations, individuals with lived experience (i.e. low-income persons), and City staff will be created to help inform decision-making on key programmatic elements.
• Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI): MGI was formed by former Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs and the staff involved in creating Stockton’s first-of-its-kind pilot program (SEED). MGI is funded philanthropically and provides its expertise and guidance to local governments free of charge. By joining MGI’s coalition, Rise Up Alameda is able to receive technical support and recognition. MGI brings extensive experience to Rise Us Alameda and continues to draw upon the dozens of pilot programs with which it has been involved.  

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is the status of the selection process for Rise Up Alameda?
  • We are still in the process of finalizing who will be a part of Rise Up Alameda.  Those who have not been randomly selected to participate in the program will be notified by email by the end of January 2024.  
• The 12 week period is now closed. All 150 participants have been randomly selected and fully onboard. Thank you for your interest in the program.

For more information about the Rise Up Alameda, please visit the website or contact Operation Dignity at riseupalameda@operationdignity.org.