Fiscal Note
Pending
Title
Accepting the report of the UPenn Center for Guaranteed Income Research on the ‘Madison Forward Fund’ Program and Adjourning Sine Die the Madison Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Advisory Task Force (Citywide)
Body
WHEREAS, In the Summer of 2020, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway became a member of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a collaborative effort between former Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs and the Economic Security Project; and
WHEREAS, RES-20-00537 - “Calling for Emergency Money to the People to provide critical relief to American families during the COVID-19 crisis and until our economy recovers; and calling on Congress to support and pass ongoing, direct cash payments” was enacted by the Madison Common Council on August 7, 2020; and
WHEREAS, RES-21-00157 - “Creating the Madison Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Advisory Task Force to provide community-sourced input, guidance, and expertise in assisting the management of Madison’s Guaranteed Income Pilot Program” (“Task Force”) established a City-housed task force to assist in advising the Madison Forward Fund Program; and
WHEREAS the Task Force convened eighteen (18) times between June 2021 and October 2023, and assisted with making decisions on program design, eligibility, and rollout; and
WHEREAS, the Madison Forward Fund operated from September 2022 - August 2023 and provided $500/mo for 12mo to 155 household in Madison, WI; and
WHEREAS, UPenn Center for Guaranteed Income Research published a report on the Madison Forward Fund in April 2025, ‘The American Guaranteed Income Studies: Madison, Wisconsin’ that illustrated positive effects for Madison Forward Fund Program recipients, including:
- Income: Six months after the Madison Forward Fund ended, Madison Forward Fund participants annual income was significantly higher than that of the control group, who did not receive a guaranteed income from the program
- Financial Resilience: At the start of the program, Madison Forward Fund...
Click here for full text