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Is Madison's guaranteed-income pilot program funded by taxpayers?

By Hope Karnopp
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NO

Madison's guaranteed income pilot program is funded entirely by private donations, not taxpayers, according to the city's website.

The program's donors include UW Health, Madison Gas & Electric Foundation and Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of mayors advocating for the policy.

The $930,000 Madison Forward Fund began distributing $500 monthly payments to 155 families in September chosen randomly from nearly 3,000 families who applied.

Research centers at the Universities of Wisconsin-Madison and University of Pennsylvania will survey participants after the 12-month pilot concludes to gauge the impact of a guaranteed income.

Other pilot programs have found that participants spend the payments on basic needs like food and transportation.

Wausau passed a resolution supporting a program in 2021, but the city has not yet started a pilot.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he was open to the idea, but said the city could currently not afford it.

See a full discussion of this at Wisconsin Watch
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
City of Madison Madison Forward Fund Providing Direct Assistance to Low-Income Pilot Program Recipients
Mayors for a Guaranteed Income About
Madison Forward Fund Madison Forward Fund
The Cap Times Madison Forward Fund provides direct assistance to low-income families
Wausau, Wisconsin Finance Committee Minutes
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Mayor Cavalier Johnson is open to the idea of guaranteed income, but says the city can't afford it right now
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.