Our August list of organizations is highlighted as part of our 50th Anniversary Celebration of E.F. Schumacher's Small is Beautiful
The first task of any society is surely to avoid the extremes of misery and frustration.
— E.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful
The intent of our 2023 “Schumacher Conversations” series is to inspire audiences of various backgrounds and interests to “start where you are,” to join in ushering forward a more just and regenerative economy. Alongside each monthly conversation, we’ll be shining light on aligned organizations and initiatives that are championing social and economic transformation in their respective fields. In curating these groups, we intend to provide inspired listeners with conduits to action, connecting individuals looking to support or join in with those already doing the work.
August's theme is "Implementing U.B.I.: Meeting Needs Unconditionally. The organizations highlighted below represent pioneers in thought and action for redistributive systems that help users meet basic needs.
- Basic Income Today
- Circles
- Collective Capital
- Democracy Earth Foundation
- Denver Basic Income Project
- Economic Security Project
- Humanity Forward Foundation
- Jain Family Institute
- Mayors for Guaranteed Income
- Multicultural Bridge
- The Spark of Hudson
Basic Income Todayis a universal basic income (UBI) news hub. Its founder and leading editor, Scott Santens, created Basic Income Today to provide news and information and to further the discussion and debate about UBI. There are six primary topics that Basic Income Today covers: Income Inequality; Pilots & Experiments; The Social Debate; Success Stories; The Basics of UBI; and Workforce Animation.
Basic Income Today’s plethora of articles are all free and readily available on its website. There is also a tailored collection of articles selected by Scott Santens, located in the “Editor’s Picks” section of the website. There you can find a wide range of stories from “Basic Income for Transition-age Foster Youth in New York to “Artificial Intelligence can generate enough wealth to pay each adult $13,500 a year.”
Circles is an alternative currency where communities can give each other a basic income without waiting for the state. The value of the basic income that one can have with Circles depends on the community it serves and how it is used. In the beginning, Circles may be implemented as an act of solidarity, care, and support. As its usage grows and the community becomes stronger, Circles can evolve into a living democratic economy, which creates more stability for communities and individuals.
In October of 2020 Circles Coop was founded in Berlin to provide empowerment and backup support to all groups around the world who use Circles or would like to get organized with the technology and to build up a flagship pilot in Berlin. The flagship pilot was created as a political and research case study to test and show how Circles as a community complementary currency can work.
Both individuals and businesses can join the Circles community by signing up on their website. There you can be a part of their international assemblies, join the open source community that is working to develop Circles on Github, or, if you are a business, get on-boarded to begin accepting Circles. In addition, to learn more about Circles you can visit their blog, where everything that goes on at Circles is posted, through the website.
Collective Capital is an organization based in the Netherlands dedicated to tackling the problem of subsistence insecurity at its roots. They envision a society in which everyone can build a secure life and that starts with a sufficient income. Collective Capital started their work in 2020 with a simple action: collecting money and redistributing it to people who are insecure.
Collective Capital collects money via donations from people all over the Netherlands. Of those donations, 75% go into a collective pot. From this pot Collective Capital gives five individuals in every city their organization is active in 1000 euros each month for an entire year. All of this is done on the basis of trust, which is at the heart of everything Collective Capital does.
On their website you can find Collective Stories, which include a number of research and news articles, podcasts, and more, all of which shed light on the work and ideas of Collective Capital.
Democracy Earth Foundation Creates censorship resistant, free and open source software that can deploy democracies anywhere there is an internet connection. The foundation has developed universal basic income (UBI) on Ethereum—a decentralized block chain—and contributed to the proof of humanity project that verifies human beings using a decentralized network.
Democracy Earth Foundation’s UBI program was created with the mission to eradicate poverty via decentralization. It is a UBI smart contract that works as a utility that helps every human registered via Proof of Humanity to accrue tokens over time. UBI works as an Ethereum compatible token and can be used to make all kinds of blockchain-enabled transactions. UBI tokens are accrued at the rate of 1 UBI per hour. This program has become the most widely used program of UBI built on the blockchain.
To learn more about Democracy Earth Foundation’s founders and programs visit their website. There you will find links to each program’s very own website. Through the UBI website you can verify yourself as a human to start receiving UBI, propose ideas to improve UBI and engage with other users to build a marketplace, and more.
The Denver Basic Income Project is studying the impact of providing direct cash assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness. A direct cash transfer system is a powerful and immediate way to reduce wealth inequality and begin to build a healthier society grounded in social justice and centered around improving human thriving. It shortens the path to stable housing, reduces income volatility, and provides opportunity for stable employment.
The Denver Basic Income Project’s participant pool is designed to mirror the demographics of those that experience homelessness in Denver and reflects the project’s mission of having an equity-centered approach to outreach and selection. With more than 32,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in Denver Metro alone, the learnings from this program will be invaluable in informing the future strategies and policies that serve that community.
For those living in the Denver Metro Area who are homeless or in poverty, the Denver Basic Income Project has a list of valuable resources on their website. There, you will also find further information on the nature of their project and research.
The Economic Security Project advocates for ideas that build economic power for all Americans. Their team disburses grants, runs issue campaigns, develops creative interventions and research products, and convenes the field to advance issues and turn bold ideas into reality.
The Economic Security Project’s work falls under three main categories: Cash Tax Credits, Anti-Monopoly, and Guaranteed Income. When it comes to Guaranteed Income, they believe in an America in which all families have the economic security and freedom needed to thrive. However, on account of special interests and decades of disinvestment in public goods and services, too many Americans are unable to make ends meet. The Economic Security Project’s solution: give people cash, no strings attached. Their team has supported two groundbreaking programs, the Stockton Empowerment Demonstration and the Magnolia Mother’s Trust, both of which prove that guaranteed income works.
To learn more about these two programs and the Economic Security Project’s other work you can visit their website. There, you will also find a variety of resources, from events, reports and research, and videos to talking points, fact sheets, and polling.
The Humanity Forward Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, that conducts and funds programs to inform on innovative ideas, explore collaborative solutions, and strengthen families and communities in America. They are committed to promoting awareness and education around Universal Basic Income and to delivering cash relief to Americans most in need.
Most recently, the Humanity Forward Foundation has been dedicated to providing direct cash assistance to those most severely impacted by the ongoing pandemic & economic crisis. In addition to its emergency relief fund, the Humanity Forward Foundation is working to develop additional UBI pilots across the U.S. For example, HudsonUP, a UBI pilot being funded by the Humanity Forward Foundation and the Spark of Hudson, is giving $500 a month to 25 randomly-selected Hudson residents over the course of five years.
A list of the Humanity Forward Foundation’s five programs can be found on their website. They also have a sister organization, Humanity Forward, which has its own website with tools and resources that pertain to the policy areas that are most beneficial for our communities, our nation, and our world.
The Jain Family Institute (JFI) is a nonprofit applied research organization with the mission to address pressing social problems by identifying and building high-impact interventions that translate to real world progress. A platform for research and social entrepreneurship, JFI brings global policy from theory to practice.
JFI’s current projects focus on social and governmental policy, as well as market structures in the United States and abroad. One of their initiative areas is “Guaranteed Income.” Since 2017, JFI has evaluated the feasibility of unconditional cash transfers and how they might be best situated among existing aspects of the social safety net in the U.S. and abroad. They have helped build guaranteed income pilots, conducted field evaluations on the efficacy and impact of cash programs, advised state and federal lawmakers on relevant legislative reforms, and provided expert commentary to media and advocates on the current and future state of the field.
Most recently, JFI has begun to sketch a vision for how the now myriad guaranteed income demonstrations can be translated into sustainable policy— and thereby help address the nation’s deepening inequality. By visiting JFI’s website you can learn more about the work they are doing with guaranteed income and in their other current initiatives. They also have a publications page, a collection of research papers, briefs, and memos across all four of their initiatives.
Mayors for Guaranteed Income (MGI) is a network of mayors advocating for a guaranteed income—direct, recurring cash payments—to ensure that all Americans have an income floor. Building off his first-of-its-kind guaranteed income pilot (SEED) and rooted in Dr. King’s legacy, Mayor Michael D. Tubbs (Stockton, CA) founded MGI in June 2020.
MGI, along with Counties for Guaranteed Income (CGI), have recently launched the groundbreaking Guaranteed Income Works National Tour. This campaign aims to build a movement, raise awareness, and foster persuasion through a series of events, including panel discussions, film screenings of their “It’s Basic” documentary, and community conversations. This nationwide tour will amplify the voices and stories of guaranteed income pilot recipients, sharing their experiences and shedding light on the benefits and existence of such programs in cities and counties throughout the country.
You can learn more about MGI’s National Tour through their website. There, you will also find their Resources page, which includes a list of all the mayors who are a part of the MGI network with a corresponding national map. In addition, there is a plethora of informative articles and answers to frequently asked questions regarding guaranteed income.
Multicultural BRIDGE (Berkshire Resources for Integration of Diverse Groups through Education) is a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing equity and justice by promoting cultural competence, positive psychology, and mutual understanding and acceptance. BRIDGE works to identify resource gaps for members of the Berkshire community in Massachusetts who are left on the periphery and provide access to those resources.
At the heart of BRIDGE’s programming are its Women to Women initiative, an immigrant women’s support group, and Happiness Toolbox, which focuses on youth programming. Since 2020, the group has also been deepening engagement between historically disconnected groups in the Berkshires through a mutual aid food assistance program. Their plan is to advance this program into a full-fledged Universal Basic Income (UBI) pilot like that in nearby Hudson, NY, where 25 randomly-selected Hudson residents are receiving $500 each month for the next five years.
To learn more about BRIDGE and their programs you can visit their website. There, you will also have access to their virtual learning hub, New Pathways at BRIDGE. New Pathways holds resources and content, thought leadership, polls, news, information on local events and meetings, and more.
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The Spark of Hudson is a hub for learning and community development located in Hudson, NY. The Spark aims to amplify and create new opportunities for community growth and address community needs with an emphasis on partnerships and collaborations.
One of the Spark of Hudson’s biggest initiatives has been HudsonUP—the first (and longest running) U.S. small city universal basic income pilot. The Spark founded this pilot, which is giving $500 a month to 25 randomly-selected Hudson residents over the course of five years, in partnership with the Humanity Forward Foundation. There are currently 128 city of Hudson residents receiving this guaranteed monthly income.
HudsonUP has a blog, which can be accessed via their website, that offers up-to-date information on the pilot’s progress and trajectory. To get more involved with the Spark of Hudson and their work, on their website you can discover their many upcoming public events via their Events page.