On Tuesday, April 8, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced early findings from the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot, which show benefits for participants — including improved financial stability and reduced stress.
Preckwinkle announced the formation of an advisory committee to guide the county’s next phase of guaranteed income programming. The committee marks a key step the effort to promote economic stability and opportunity for residents.
“We launched the Promise Pilot to test a simple but powerful idea: that direct cash support helps residents live healthier, more stable lives,” Preckwinkle said. “Now, thanks to promising early results and the dedication of our partners and participants, we are ready to take the next step. This advisory committee will help us build future guaranteed income programming rooted in research, equity and dignity.”
The pilot was the largest publicly funded program of its kind in the nation. Leveraging $42 million in federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the two-year pilot provided monthly, no-strings-attached payments of $500 to 3,250 households. The final payments were distributed to participants in January 2025.
Survey findings — drawn from questionnaires sent to all participants by GiveDirectly, the pilot’s program administrator — indicate significant positive impacts for participants, including:
- 75% reported feeling more financially secure.
- 94% experienced a financial emergency or unexpected expense and used program funds to manage it.
- 73% of participants believed the payments will continue to impact them after the program ends.
- 56% reported reduced stress.
- 70% say the program had a positive impact on their mental health.
- The top reported uses of funds were food, rent, utilities and transportation.
Cook County has also engaged the Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of Chicago to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Promise Pilot. Several reports from this evaluation work will be published in the coming months, including:
- First Look Report, which examines the Promise Pilot participants and includes information about the participants’ needs and priorities as they began the pilot.
- Process Evaluation, which documents administrative aspects of the pilot and makes recommendations for future programs.
- Economic Impact Report, which assesses the increased economic activity due to additional household spending by Promise Pilot participants.
In addition to these reports, quantitative and qualitative research findings from the Inclusive Economy Lab’s evaluation will be published in fall 2025.
One of the First Look Report’s findings is that the most common priority among participants at the beginning of the pilot was to be able to pay their bills, with the second most common priority being the ability to pay off debts. Survey data provided by GiveDirectly have borne that out, with 45% of participants indicating they were able to avoid debt due to the Promise Pilot and 31% reporting being able to reduce debt.
Further, preliminary findings from the Economic Impact Report show that of the $19.5 million distributed annually, about $11 million was used for household spending, with over $8 million spent at businesses in Cook County. Spending was concentrated in retail, arts and entertainment, food services and generated about $286,000 annually in state and local sales tax revenue.
Another unique aspect of the Promise Pilot was the offering of optional financial counseling to a portion of the participants.
The advisory committee will be composed of experts in public policy, human services, cash assistance, economic research and more, including those with lived experience.
The advisory committee will convene its first meeting in spring 2025 and be supported by working groups, with an initial group focused on program design options for a future county program.
“Getting those checks was like I jump-started adulthood. For the first time, I could budget, fix my car, and take a job that was a better fit for me at the time. I even threw a birthday party for my son without sacrificing anything,” said Nikita Smith Jr., a Promise Pilot participant and member of the storytelling cohort.
Cook County received more than 230,000 applications during the 2022 application period, reflecting the immense demand for economic relief. Cook County will continue to share updates as the advisory committee convenes and additional evaluation results are released. For more information about the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot, visit: arpa.cookcountyil.gov/promise-guaranteed-income-pilot-program.