Elevate Boulder

Elevate Boulder image

An estimated one in four Boulder households does not have enough income to meet basic needs. This is true even for people who work and receive food, healthcare and housing benefits. COVID-19 and rising costs of living disproportionately affects low-income community members.

To address this problem, the City of Boulder Elevate Boulder guaranteed income pilot project will provide 200 low-income Boulder households with $500 per month in direct cash assistance for two years, no strings attached.

Boulder City Council approved $3 Million to design and implement the project as part of the city's American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. Of this, $2.4 Million will be directly distributed to project participants.

Your support 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

This fund is hosted by Community Foundation Boulder County. All donations to the fund will support the Elevate Boulder pilot.

Through this project the city hopes to improve the financial stability of participants' households; enable additional outcomes such as improved food security and mental health; and generally improve quality of life for low-income community members. Immediate outcomes for participants may include:

  • Increased ability to meet basic needs (housing, childcare, food, transportation, healthcare)
  • Decreased debt (paying down/eliminating) or reduction in taking on additional debt
  • Decreased stress, worry, anxiety, etc. over immediate expenses

By the end of the two-year pilot project we hope that participants will also experience improved financial stability; increased savings; reduced food insecurity; improved mental well-being and improved feelings of self-determination.

Learn more about this transformative project on the Elevate Boulder website. For more information, contact Elizabeth Crowe at crowee@bouldercolorado.gov or by phone at 303-441-1928.