Vice presidential candidate Tim Walz‘s home state is expanding a guaranteed income program, and now 25 more artists can get the $500 no-strings-attached monthly payments.
Minnesota’s Guaranteed Income Pilot for Artists said Tuesday the program would be expanding to five years. It has been one of the longest guaranteed income pilot tests in the nation and “aims to produce robust research demonstrating impact and potentially driving policy changes that could lead to government-run and funded programs in the future,” according to Springboard for the Arts, the nonprofit that operates the program.
The program currently supports 75 artists, and they will now receive the direct payments for a full five years, exceeding the typical 12 to 18 months that most guaranteed income programs have permitted, the nonprofit said.
Minnesota Governor and vice presidential candidate Tim Walz speaks at the Human Rights Campaign’s national dinner in Washington, D.C., on September 7. Walz’s home state has expanded a guaranteed income program for artists.
ALLISON BAILEY/AFP via Getty Images
The pilot was originally available to artists in rural Otter Tail County and St. Paul. With 25 new rural artists eligible for the program, the number of participants goes up to 100.
“Our program is emerging as a national model, demonstrating how guaranteed income can transform artists’ lives, build community resilience, and strengthen local economies,” said Laura Zabel, Springboard for the Arts’ executive director, 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 their work, families, and community instead of worrying about basic needs, everyone benefits,” she said.
Through the program, participants receive $500 monthly payments that they can spend on whatever they choose. In addition, participants are now eligible for “wrap-around” services, which include personal finance counseling, student debt assistance and housing counseling.
The program was launched in 2020, and so far most of the money is going toward basic necessities. Data shows that 36 percent of the money went to “essential purchases,” 30 percent went to food, and 10 percent was devoted to housing, Springboard for the Arts said.
Tori Hanna, who is one of the program’s participants, said the monthly support has offered a “crucial safety net.”
“It allowed me to pay off credit card debt, improve my credit score, and even save for a down payment on a house,” Hanna said in a statement.
She’s also been able to purchase a home with her daughter in Otter Tail County.
“Knowing that $500 will hit my account each month has made financial planning so much easier,” Hanna said. “It covers unexpected costs like car or home repairs, giving me peace of mind.”
Springboard for the Arts, which is funded by private foundations, plans to do further research on how the guaranteed income will affect participants several years down the line with the new expansion.
“Individual artists and culture workers have little to no safety net to rely on,” Springboard for the Arts said in its release. “Many work as freelancers or gig workers, leading to unpredictable income. This issue is exacerbated for artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, or live in rural or underinvested urban areas.”
Springboard previously said 70 percent of its recipients were Black, Indigenous and people of color; LGBTQ+ artists; artists from rural areas; and artists with disabilities.
St. Paul has had at least three different universal income programs since 2020. The first one, the People’s Prosperity Pilot, was similar to the Guaranteed Income for Artists program in that it offered $500 per month to 150 families.
Alex Beene, a financial literacy instructor at the University of Tennessee at Martin, said the artists program has drawn negative attention from those who do not think artists should qualify for no-strings-attached payments. But it’s also an innovative program in its own right, he added.
“It’s a fascinating program that really sets Minnesota apart from other states,” Beene told Newsweek.
“This undoubtedly can draw negative headlines, as some will say Minnesota should be allocating funding to areas other than the arts, but there are plenty of states where the arts are dramatically underfunded and underserved,” he said. “This relatively small amount each month not only helps those in the field but also can provide the basis for an artistic community in areas where that hasn’t been a reality in the past.”
