Guaranteed Income Pilot Project

Calling all artists - help us tell participant stories!

We're looking for artists to provide interactive, civic practice storytelling activities for community members participating in Elevate Boulder. The full RFQ and submission instructions can be found below.

Project Overview

Elevate Boulder is the City of Boulder’s guaranteed income pilot project that will provide 200 low-income Boulder households with $500 per month for two years. This assistance is unconditional and unrestricted; that means it can be used how participants choose, and they won’t have to do anything in return. The city is allocating $3 million from its American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project.

More background information on the Elevate Boulder guaranteed income pilot project is available in English and in Spanish.

The Elevate Boulder application process closed on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. All selected participants are now enrolled. Applications are no longer being accepted. The project will not take new applicants in 2025.

Call for Artists - Elevate Boulder Storytelling

The City of Boulder has issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) for artists to provide interactive, civic practice storytelling activities for community members participating in Elevate Boulder. The full RFQ and submission instructions can be found at the link below.

This RFQ is open to artists working in creative writing, video, monologue or other form of oral storytelling and the city intends that finished results or products will be shared publicly. Activities should be designed to position Elevate Boulder participants as storytellers themselves, rather than as subjects of an artist’s personal project.

Submissions will be accepted through Saturday, May 31 at 5 p.m.

View the Elevate Boulder Storytelling RFQ

Project Evaluation and Impacts

On December 12, 2024, the city released the Elevate Boulder Interim Evaluation Report compiled by the OMNI Institute, our project evaluation consultants. Participants who responded in an 8-month survey and 10-month focus groups reported significant improvements in food security; ability to pay housing and utility expenses; positive mental health; closer relationships with family members and community.

Read the Elevate Boulder Interim Evaluation Report

Other participants have already shared how participating in Elevate Boulder is impacting their lives.

"Before I was accepted into this program I was struggling really hard to make ends meet. The extra $500 per month has changed my life for the better in ways that are impossible to describe. Sometimes the payment lands at that point between paychecks where I am struggling for groceries or gas, and it’ll see me through until the next payday. Or I’ve used it when the car desperately needed an oil change and I didn’t have it in my weekly budget from my wages. My daughter and I are doing so much better with this little boost in our lives."

"As a single mother, I've struggled with financial problems in life. Last year, my daughter was suffering from depression at a young age. Elevate Boulder helped me pay for after-school and summer camp programs, and get her the orthodontic services she needs. This support has given me the peace of mind to cover essential expenses, from medical bills to enriching my child's education, making a real difference in our daily lives."

"I turned 40 this year, and because of this program, I have been able to contribute to a retirement account. Being able to plan for my future for the first time in my life, makes me feel more stable and secure than I ever have."

Information for Selected Participants

Visit the Elevate Boulder Participant Information page for project information and updates.

Participant Information

How can you support Elevate Boulder?

Community members, businesses and organizations can donate to the Elevate Boulder Fund, in partnership with the Community Foundation Boulder County. Funds raised will help ensure that:

Applicants receive culturally-centered assistance from diverse, professional staff
The evaluation process is inclusive, robust and can help ensure project sustainability
Project participants can receive a higher direct cash assistance amount, or other resources to help them achieve financial stability

Contributions to the Elevate Boulder Fund will also help city staff determine the potential for ongoing, collective community support to extend the project after the pilot phase is complete.

Donate to the Elevate Boulder Fund