Applications for the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot Open Thursday, October 6

(COOK COUNTY, IL) — Today, President Toni Preckwinkle reminded residents that the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot will be opening its application portal later this week. Eligible Cook County residents will be able to apply for the pilot beginning Thursday, October 6 by visiting promisepilot.cookcountyil.gov. The application portal will remain open until October 21. There is no benefit to applying early; after the application window closes, final participants will be selected at random.

“After months of hard work, Cook County is proud to be launching the application portal for the largest publicly-funded guaranteed income pilot in American history,” President Preckwinkle said. “We estimate that nearly 36% of Cook County residents will be eligible to participate, and I encourage everyone who meets the requirements to apply.”

Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the $42 million Promise Pilot will send monthly payments of $500 to 3,250 residents for two years. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age, a resident of Cook County, and have a household income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level.

The pilot is open to Cook County households regardless of immigration status, and applicants will not be asked to disclose their citizenship status. Households that are already participating in another guaranteed income pilot, such as the Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot or Evanston’s Guaranteed Income Pilot, are not eligible to apply. Cook County employees are also ineligible for the program.

Cook County has contracted with the non-profit organization GiveDirectly and their technology partner AidKit to run the application portal. The application will need to be completed via computer, tablet, or smartphone with access to the internet. Applicants will also need to have their own email and/or mobile phone number to apply and be contacted by GiveDirectly for follow up.

“GiveDirectly’s goal is to create an easy, low-barrier process so that every eligible Cook County resident can apply to be part of this historic initiative. We are excited to partner with AidKit, our tech platform partner, to create a seamless and positive experience for all applicants,” said Sarah Moran, GiveDirectly US Country Director.

Individuals in need of assistance to complete the application, or who need access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, will be able to access in-person and virtual support during the application window in locations across the County. Information about assistance options can be found at www.engagecookcounty.com/promise. Support is available in English, Spanish, French, Polish, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Tagalog and Vietnamese.

Cook County will hold a public webinar for residents interested in applying for the Promise Pilot on October 11, 2022 at 5pm CT. Interested residents can join the webinar by visiting bit.ly/PromisePilot. The County also recently hosted a webinar for community groups and organizations on how best to assist residents in applying for this opportunity. View the recording and presentation slides here.

Payments to program participants are expected to begin December 2022. For more information about the Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot please visit www.engagecookcounty.com/promise.