Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) (Stockton, California, 2019–2021)

  1. SEED is announced as Stockton pilot concept

    Labels: SEED, Stockton City

    Stockton officials announced plans to test a city-led guaranteed income pilot later named the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED). The announcement framed the project as a practical experiment to learn how predictable, no-strings cash might affect economic stability for residents.

  2. Monthly payments begin for selected residents

    Labels: Michael Tubbs, SEED

    SEED launched in February 2019 under Mayor Michael D. Tubbs. The program provided $500 per month for 24 months to 125 randomly selected adult residents, with payments described as unconditional (no work requirements or spending rules).

  3. Recipients are drawn from lower-income neighborhoods

    Labels: Low income, Randomized controlled

    Eligibility was based on being at least 18, living in Stockton, and living in a neighborhood with a median household income at or below $46,033 (Stockton’s city median at the time). Households were recruited by mail, and selection into the payment group and control group was randomized as part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

  4. Program uses prepaid debit cards and mid-month deposits

    Labels: Focus Card, Payment delivery

    Payments were delivered through a prepaid debit card (“Focus Card”) to improve access for residents who were unbanked or underbanked. The project aimed to deposit funds around the middle of the month based on community feedback about when financial stress was highest.

  5. SEED works to reduce risk of benefit loss

    Labels: Hold Harmless, Benefits counseling

    Because extra cash can sometimes reduce eligibility for certain public benefits, SEED pursued waivers where possible and offered benefits counseling during onboarding. The project also created a “Hold Harmless Fund” to reimburse participants for unexpected benefits losses linked to the payments.

  6. Independent evaluation plan is published

    Labels: Pre analysis, Independent evaluation

    SEED published a pre-analysis plan laying out the study design before results were known. Pre-analysis plans are used to document what researchers intend to measure and how, which helps reduce bias when findings are later reported.

  7. Mayors for a Guaranteed Income is founded

    Labels: Mayors for, Michael Tubbs

    In June 2020, Mayor Michael D. Tubbs helped found Mayors for a Guaranteed Income (MGI), a coalition promoting local guaranteed income pilots and using research evidence to support broader policy discussions. SEED’s experience in Stockton was widely cited as a major early example informing the coalition’s work.

  8. Tubbs concedes Stockton mayoral reelection race

    Labels: Michael Tubbs, Stockton mayoral

    Michael Tubbs lost his bid for reelection and conceded the race in mid-November 2020. SEED continued to be discussed nationally even as Stockton’s local political leadership changed.

  9. Penn and MGI launch Center for Guaranteed Income Research

    Labels: Center for, University of

    In November 2020, Mayors for a Guaranteed Income partnered with the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice to establish the Center for Guaranteed Income Research (CGIR). The center was created to support consistent research methods across city pilots and to consolidate evidence from multiple sites.

  10. SEED monthly payments conclude after 24 months

    Labels: SEED, Payment conclusion

    SEED’s two-year payment period ran from February 2019 through January 2021, completing the planned 24 months of $500 monthly transfers. This end point marked the transition from implementation to longer-term analysis and synthesis of outcomes.

  11. First-year spending summary highlights essential purchases

    Labels: Spending report, Prepaid card

    In SEED’s first-year analysis, tracked spending on the prepaid card showed the largest shares going to food and household needs such as utilities and transportation/auto care. The report also noted that less than 1% of tracked purchases were for alcohol and tobacco.

  12. First-year analysis reports employment and health patterns

    Labels: First year, Employment outcomes

    SEED’s first-year findings reported improvements for recipients compared with the control group, including higher full-time employment and better self-reported wellbeing (such as less depression and anxiety). The report presented these as preliminary findings from the first year of the experiment (February 2019–February 2020).

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Last Updated:Jan 1, 1980

Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration (SEED) (Stockton, California, 2019–2021)