Congratulations to the 200 Boulder community members selected for the Elevate Boulder guaranteed income pilot project! Project participants are receiving bi-monthly payments of $250 ($500 per month) from January 2024 through January 2026.
Contact the project team if you have any questions. Our staff check and respond to customer support messages twice each week. Email support@elevateboulder.aidkit.org or reach out by phone at 720-713-7495.
Tiffany Boller and Mari Camacho-Carbajal provide customer support to Elevate Boulder participants. They review and respond to comments and requests for help from participants throughout the project.
"I’m honored to be a part of a government program that offers people dignity, self-determination, and trust instead of rules and hurdles. We all deserve to thrive and not just survive; I am proud to work with Elevate Boulder and all the people who believe in its purpose. Working with community members to build a better program and trust their lived experiences has been extremely rewarding and I’m looking forward to seeing the affects that this program, and others like it around the country, has in the Boulder community and beyond." - Tiffany Boller
"Elevate Boulder is hope! A piece that it is especially inspiring to see, it is that families have had opportunities to do things for their family that in the past were not able, such as: go to a concert, provide a dinner out as a family, take their children out for an event, buy an item that they really wanted but could not get otherwise for the family or child. Basically, Elevate Boulder holds the name properly by elevating opportunities to the awarded families, motivation and hope as well as prayers answered. I am honored to be working with the Spanish speaking families and have a close look at the changes they relate they are experiencing." - Mari Camacho-Carbajal
"Elevemos Boulder es esperanza! Una parte que es especialmente inspiradora, es ver que las familias han tenido oportunidades de hacer cosas para su familia que en el pasado no podían, como por ejemplo: ir a un concierto, llevar a la familia a una cena furera, llevar a sus hijos a un evento, comprar un artículo que realmente querían pero que no podían conseguir de otra manera para la familia o para sus hijos. Básicamente, Elevemos Boulder mantiene su nombre correctamente al elevar oportunidades para las familias premiadas, esperanza, motivacion y respuesta a sus oraciones. Es un honor para mí trabajar con las familias de habla hispana y observar de cerca los cambios que relatan que están experimentando." - Mari Camacho-Carbajal
Elizabeth Crowe serves as the Elevate Boulder project coordinator and manager, supporting its team of staff, consultants and community partners and helping ensure the project achieves its objectives and goals.
"I believe all people in Boulder should have the opportunity to thrive. Through Elevate Boulder we are supporting low-income community members with trust, respect and dignity, and the hope that participants and their family members will benefit for many years to come. I'm thankful to the team of thoughtful, compassionate and dedicated staff, consultants, nonprofit partners and Community Task Force members who made it possible!" - Elizabeth Crowe
Markisha Key-Hagan supported the Elevate Boulder Community Task Force and helps assess how the project is and can be aligned with the city's equity goals and framework.
"Elevate Boulder is about showing that when residents have a little more money in their budgets, they are empowered to meet their basic needs and take steps towards improving their futures – breaking the cycle of poverty for future generations. It’s an essential step towards creating a stronger, more inclusive and equitable community where everyone has the chance to succeed and thrive." - Markisha Key-Hagan
Nicolia Eldred-Skemp supported the Elevate Boulder participant verification and evaluation process and helps to review project data.
"I'm so proud to be working at an organization that values creative and meaningful ways to make Boulder more affordable and inclusive for all community members. As a mom of a young child myself, I appreciate how Elevate Boulder provides stable monthly income that can be used as families see fit and gives a little more breathing room for joy." - Nicolia Eldred-Skemp
Lyndsy Morse-Casillas leads communications efforts for Elevate Boulder and ensures that we are sharing project information in a manner that is clear, concise and inspiring.
"By providing guaranteed income with no strings attached, we trust individuals to make the best decisions for their unique circumstances, fostering dignity and self-determination. Elevate Boulder is giving participants a fair chance to thrive regardless of their background or current economic situation." - Lyndsy Morse-Casillas
Ana Nunes (she/her), PhD, is a Director at OMNI and has applied her strong methodological training as a social psychologist to design and implement complex, multi-site and multi-year evaluations, and research studies at OMNI. Ana has over twenty years of experience conducting equity research, including an investigation of housing and employment discrimination in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Direct cash assistance has the potential to be transformative for individuals and families in our communities. I'm honored to be partnering with the City of Boulder to collect important information regarding how projects such as Elevate Boulder can best support similar programs and community members." - Ana Nunes
Sara Bayless (she/her), PhD, is a Vice President at OMNI and oversees work related to Economic Mobility and Children & Families. Sara has over a decade of experience in rigorous research and evaluation with a focus on helping organizations advance their understanding of how individuals, families, and communities achieve economic security and advance well-being for all.
“We have seen the power of direct cash assistance in many communities, and this evaluation is an opportunity to understand its potential for the City of Boulder. We are grateful for people's willingness to share their experiences to help us understand critical questions like how, when, and why direct cash assistance supports families.” - Sara Bayless
Rui Wu is a Senior Project Manager at AidKit. She made sure that the Elevate Boulder application and payment process was easy to understand and use, and works throughout the project to ensure that participants receive payments efficiently and on time.
"As a member of the Elevate Boulder team, I have the privilege of witnessing the unwavering dedication each team member brings to delivering assistance with dignity. This program is truly built for the community and by the community, prioritizing the needs and voices of those it serves. It’s inspiring to imagine more cash assistance programs like this creating meaningful change." - Rui Wu
