Home state vice presidential candidate Tim Walz developed a guaranteed income program, and now 25 other artists can earn $500 monthly payments with no strings attached.
Minnesota’s Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists said Tuesday the program will be extended to five years. It is one of the longest-running guaranteed income pilot tests in the country and “aims to produce robust research that demonstrates impact and has the potential to drive policy changes that could impact future government-run and funded programs,” according to Springboard for the Arts, the nonprofit that operates the program.
The program currently supports 75 artists, and will now receive direct payments for five years, beyond the 12 to 18 months that most guaranteed income programs allow, the nonprofit said.
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The original pilot was available to artists in rural Otter Tail County and St. Louis. With 25 new village artists eligible for the program, the number of participants has reached 100.
“Our program is emerging as a national model, showing how guaranteed income can transform the lives of artists, build community resilience, and strengthen local economies,” said Laura Zabel, executive director of Springboard for the Arts, in a statement.
“We’re not just defying political headwinds—we’re changing the narrative with data, artwork, and meaningful stories of impact. When artists can focus more on work, family, and community instead of worrying about basic needs, everyone benefits.” she said.
Through the program, participants receive a monthly payment of $500 that they can spend on anything they choose. In addition, participants are now eligible for “wrap” services, which include personal financial counseling, student loan assistance and housing counseling.
The program was launched in 2020, and so far most of the money is for basic needs. Data shows that 36 percent of the money goes to “essential purchases,” 30 percent to food, and 10 percent is dedicated to housing, Springboard for the Arts said.
Tori Hanna, who is one of the program’s participants, said the monthly support has given her a “crucial safety net.”
“It allowed me to pay off my credit card debt, improve my credit score, and even save for a down payment on my house,” Hanna said in a statement.
He also managed to buy a house with his daughter in Otter Tail County.
“Knowing that $500 is going into my account every month makes financial planning a lot easier,” Hanna said. “It covers unexpected expenses like car or house repairs, giving you peace of mind.”
Springboard for the Arts, which is funded by a private foundation, plans to conduct further research on how guaranteed income will affect participants in the next few years with the new expansion.
“Individual artists and cultural workers do not have a reliable safety net,” Springboard for the Arts said in the release. “Many work as freelancers or gig workers, which leads to unpredictable income. This problem is exacerbated for artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA +, disabled, or live in rural or urban areas with less investment.”
Springboard previously said 70 percent of recipients are Black, Indigenous and people of color; LGBTQ+ artists; artists from the countryside; and disabled artists.
St. Paul has at least three different universal income programs since 2020. The first one, the People’s Prosperity Pilot, is similar to the Guaranteed Income for Artists program that offers $500 per month to 150 families.
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, said the artist program has drawn negative attention from people who don’t think artists should qualify for no-strings-attached payments. But it is also an innovative program in itself, he added.
“It’s a fascinating program that really sets Minnesota apart from the rest of the state,” Beene said Newsweek.
“It can certainly attract negative headlines, because some will say that Minnesota should be giving funding to areas other than the arts, but there are many states where the arts are dramatically underfunded,” he said. “This relatively small amount each month not only helps those in the field, but also provides an artistic community base in areas that have not been a reality in the past.”
