We Will Thrive: Artist Guaranteed Income Pilot Program

Income inequality

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

A 2025 study by Otis College of Art & Design reports art is the second largest job sector in LA County. However the nature of freelance work, inconsistent pay rates, the rise of AI, and the devaluation of creative employment means artists often live in precarity. 37% of artists in the Level Ground community make less than $26,000 a year, and almost half of our artists have been financially displaced from LA since 2019.
Income inequality is a serious threat to LA artists, particularly those who are Black, Indigenous, trans, immigrant, and/or disabled. We know artists are integral to movement work and can, when properly supported, provide containers for building the world we desperately need. We envision a world where artists are able to imagine and create a future we can all enjoy. Our artist guaranteed income and financial education program will demonstrate that reliable resources, regardless of the amount, can change our creative and communal lives for the better.

Utilizing our curatorial rubric, Level Ground will identify 10 artists from our community to support during this year-long pilot program. 83% of our artist community is BIPOC, 63% are queer, 40% are trans or non-binary, and 37% are Black. Those supported by this program will reflect the diversity of our community. We will prioritize artists who lack access to other financial education resources, and whose artistic practice centers community collaboration, care, experimentation, and cultural stewardship. 
Artists will receive $500 monthly payments, as well as a financial advisor who will meet quarterly with the group and with artists one-on-one to focus on personal and professional financial goals and strategies. Monthly surveys will be conducted with each artist to track outcomes and understand the effectiveness of providing this service.
This program is not without precedent. Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration delivered $500 monthly payments to residents for 24 months in 2019-2020. Their program found compelling results:
Guaranteed income reduced income volatility, or the month-to-month income fluctuations that households face. 
Unconditional cash enabled recipients to find full-time employment. 
Recipients of guaranteed income were healthier, showing less depression and anxiety and enhanced wellbeing. 
The guaranteed income alleviated financial scarcity creating new opportunities for self-determination, choice, goal-setting, and risk-taking.

Artists are a cornerstone in LA, providing both a reflection of our current world, and the imagination for building the future. Level Ground envisions a world where freedom, rooted in liberation, sovereignty, and inclusion, is here and global. A world where artists are connected to their purpose, are resourced, and are able to take care of themselves and their people as respected, contributing, and vital members of the economy. 
After this pilot, we hope to replicate and expand the program year over year, tracking longitudinal data and creating a strong analysis for why artist guaranteed income programs are necessary to survive and build the future. We believe the program will reveal what we already know: artists are integral to a community’s health and vitality, and their labor deserves stability. Our ultimate dream is to share our findings with LA County, who can use them as a resource to design and implement their own guaranteed income programs on a permanent, county-wide scale.