Salem's $500 'Basic Income' Pilot Program In The Spotlight

SALEM, MA — An ambitious Salem program to deliver "guaranteed income" of $500 per month to 100 city residents — which drew more than 350 applicants in just 24 hours in 2024 — will be the subject of an upcoming Salem State University panel discussion on the program's merits.

City officials and researchers with Salem State's North Shore Policy Lab and sociology department will share insights from the program at a panel titled "Restoring Dignity and Quality of Life through Guaranteed Basic Income Programs."

The event will be held in the Ellison Campus Center on North Campus, 352 Lafayette Street, on March 25 from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the discussion.

Uplift Salem was the pilot program that the city ran in collaboration with UpTogether, aimed at helping make Salem "an affordable place for everyone."

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The program cost of $685,000 was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and a private contribution to UpTogether.

Residents were able to spend the $500 a month in cash payments on whatever they chose.

"The data from the SSU research partners demonstrated that programs like Uplift Salem provide a broad community benefit: When neighbors have more consistent access to supports like healthcare, childcare, and transportation, it improves the community overall," Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo said. "It increases employment, strengthens our economy, and helps children thrive in school.

"These are investments in the integrity and strength of our community as a whole."

The application process opened in October 2024 and was set to remain open for two weeks or until 350 applications were received. About 24 hours later, the overwhelming response closed the process to new applications.

Housed and unhoused Salem residents were eligible, with income eligibility limited to being at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level based on household size.

"One thing we saw again and again in this pilot was that when people are living in chronic poverty, the persistent needs of getting through the day make it incredibly difficult to focus on your own needs," said Sarah Roy, director of the Salem Children's Alliance and team lead on Uplift Salem. "When people have a little breathing room, they say, 'I can use this to make choices for me — to get a bus ticket or get my car repaired, so I can go to the grocery store.'

"That ember of hope has a huge impact on everything —the economy, health care, childcare, domestic violence support."

The panel is cosponsored by the North Shore Policy Lab, the politics, policy and international relations department, and the sociology department. It is part of the Bates Center for Public and Global Affairs Spring 2026 Public Policy Series.

"Uplift Salem was an opportunity for us to add to the body of work demonstrating the efficacy of these programs," Pangallo said. "We will continue to advance the conversation at both the state and national level as well, demonstrating how positive an impact these programs have had."