Early results from a guaranteed income program for artists across New York State suggest that such efforts can play an important role in strengthening artists’ financial security, professional growth, and personal well-being.
Although a fuller report is expected at the end of the year, the preliminary findings indicate that artists who receive guaranteed income typically use it to cover overdue debt, pay bills, and build their savings. The payments also appear to give them more flexibility to devote time to their artistic practice and caregiving responsibilities.
The report was produced by Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY), a $125 million guaranteed income and work opportunity initiative launched in 2021 and primarily supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. Through the program, CRNY gave 2,400 artists across New York unconditional monthly payments of $1,000 for 18 straight months, focusing on people who are especially affected by institutional barriers to financial security because of their race, physical ability, sexual orientation, citizenship status, and caregiving duties.
According to the survey, artists on average used 17% of the monthly payments to reduce debt, mainly credit card balances, loans, and mortgages. They also saved about $150 more each month and directed nearly $140 of the funds to necessities such as rent and utilities. Participants additionally reported better mental and emotional health than those who did not receive the monthly payments.
CRNY’s report also features short statements from both named and anonymous artists in the program, offering a closer look at how financial pressure continues to shape their work and daily lives. “Going through a breast cancer diagnosis during a pandemic was the most difficult experience of my life,” said one anonymous participant, who noted that even after public spaces reopened following the COVID-19 pandemic, their career “was still at a standstill” after a two-year fight with cancer.
“Guaranteed Income gave me the support I needed to slowly build my life back, become strong and healthy again, and has truly led me back to this industry feeling safe, valued and supported,” the participant wrote. In an interview with Hyperallergic, Maura Cuffie-Peterson, CRNY’s director of strategic initiatives, said critics of guaranteed income programs often “claim that they disincentivize work.”
“Critics would say that people don’t work when they receive guaranteed income and that they feel less accountable to their communities,” Cuffie-Peterson said. “Our report shows that not only are artists working with a guaranteed income, but they’re really shaping work that is meaningful to them and in their community life.” The findings build on survey results CRNY released this summer showing that a majority of NY artists are in precarious financial positions and earning far below living wage standards.
“When done ethically and in collaboration of those who are directly impacted, research can lead us to better designed programs and even policy solutions,” Cuffie-Peterson said, adding that guaranteed income programs could be even more effective if they ran longer. As one example, she pointed to Minnesota arts organization Springboard for the Arts’s recent announcement that it is extending its guaranteed income pilot for artists to five years and adding financial counseling services.
“It’s less what should be researched next, but more how these things that are all being researched are building up into something bigger, more impactful, and more meaningful to more people,” Cuffie-Peterson said.
