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Homegrown

Emily Stifler Wolfe

August 05, 2020 |

Montana Free Press |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Federal funding helped local food producers expand their operations to include processing plants which enables farmers to meet the demand of Montanans who sought an alternative to the empty grocery store shelves. The lack of processing plants has caused a bottleneck in the local food supply chain, a sore point which was amplified when the pandemic disrupted international supply chains, sending shoppers to their neighborhood farms. Small operators rarely have their own processing plants and must outsource that step in order to take their products to market.

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0%-interest loan program puts economic power in hands of Detroit homeowners

Kate Roff

August 04, 2020 |

Model D |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

Homeowners in Detroit can now access home improvement capital to fix up their historic homes, many of which date back to the early 1900s. The aid is in the form of a zero-interest loan which is paid back over 10 years. The program helps homeowners fix their homes, making them safer while removing blight from the community.

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How Lithuanian farmers help preserve endangered bird

Izabelė Pukėnaitė

July 30, 2020 |

Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Lithuania, Šilutė

A Lithuanian government program pays farmers to delay working in their fields in an effort to preserve the aquatic warbler, an endangered bird species. While there are 186 farmers who participate in the program, more work could be done to protect the birds around water bodies. Once farmers are able to cut their grass, they can bring their grass to a factory to make biofuel.

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Through PIF^2's social impact mobile game platform, users are playing it forward for charity

William Bleier

July 27, 2020 |

Generocity |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

The startup PIF^2 is a “social impact mobile game platform” that partners with charities to raise money through ad revenue and in-game purchases. It hosts “game-a-thons” that target a younger demographic who can generate money for a charity by downloading and playing a game. The “game-a-thons” usually last about a week, after which charities receive a check from PIF^2 for up to 50% of the revenue that was generated. The game apps are currently created by independent developers, but the startup hopes to create its own games so that it can donate even more of the revenue proceeds to charity.

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College Food Pantries Are Reinventing Ways to Feed Students

Lela Nargi

July 27, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

University-based food pantries around the U.S. had to quickly rethink the ways they could continue to provide students with access to food during the pandemic, despite students not having the same campus access as before. Fresno City College in California expanded its hours of operations and widened access to the whole community, instead of students only. Other college food pantries in California started using appointment-based apps for students to make appointments and pick up their food. Philander Smith College in Arkansas offered ready-made food baskets and grocery gift-cards, and emergency cash.

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This is what one of the world's largest experiments in basic income looks like

Márvio dos Anjos Meaghan Tobin

July 23, 2020 |

Rest of World |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Marica

Mumbuca is a digital currency used in Maricà’s basic income program. Residents, with few eligibility requirements, can qualify for a monthly stipend to purchase goods and services using a smart phone or a card. The currency runs on the digital platform E-dinheiro and can only be spent in the city limits. Individuals cannot swap Mumbucas for national currency, but businesses can after a 48-hour waiting period and a 1% fee. Local currencies, which are popular in Brazil, help residents increase personal savings and, with increased stipends during the Covid-19 pandemic, allowed informal workers to stay home.

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The Promising Results of a Citywide Basic-Income Experiment

Linnea Feldman Emison

July 15, 2020 |

The New Yorker |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Stockton, California

Universal basic income, or UBI, was implemented in Stockton, California through a pilot program known as SEED. Each participant was given $500 with no conditions on how to spend it. The data shows that the largest expense was food, especially as the pandemic began. Participants report being able to quit second jobs and third jobs, pay off debts, and cover medical bills. A key feature of the UBI was the absence of the requirement to be employed in order to receive the money. The basic-income pilot has caught the attention of programs across the country who reached out for advice.

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The Pandemic Proved That Cash Payments Work

Annie Lowrey

July 10, 2020 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

American households were able to avoid income loss when the federal government implemented an extra $600 a week for anyone facing unemployment in addition to $1200 for those who qualified, regardless of their employment status. Despite an almost total economic shutdown, the universal payments have kept poverty rates from increasing. The money has provided a security net for households while also preventing a collapse by generating economic activity.

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U.S. town creates local currency to boost coronavirus relief

Gregory Scruggs

July 09, 2020 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tenino, Washington

Facing the economic strain from the financial fallout caused by the coronavirus crisis, Tenino is printing its own money like it once did in the wake of the Great Depression. The small town in Washington has issued at least $2,500 worth of wooden bills to exclusively be used for small businesses on Main Street. Thirteen residents have applied for the funds and $150 have been spent by residents on necessities as of June. Other small towns across the country have already sent inquiries to the mayor of Tenino, seeking to imitate Tenino's effort.

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UndocuFund SF: How San Franciscans rallied for undocumented immigrants affected by COVID-19

Annika Hom

July 07, 2020 |

Mission Local |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Community leaders led the charge in raising funds for undocumented workers, who do not qualify for stimulus and unemployment checks during the Covid-19 shutdown which has left millions of people unable to work. A collaboration of people from various groups in San Francisco formed a nonprofit, UnDocuFund SF, raising more than $1.5 million for 705 households. The critical funds were raised through a combination of public generosity, state funding for undocumented workers, a local union, and a large anonymous donation.

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