Excel Pilot Program
Durham's Guaranteed Income Pilot (Excel) was championed by former Mayor Steve Schewel and launched in 2022 by Mayor Elaine O'Neal.
109
participants
$600
monthly payment
1 Year
duration
$784,800
invested in community
| Program Features | |
|---|---|
| Number of Participants | 109 individuals |
| Amount | $600 |
| Frequency | monthly |
| Program Dates | March 2022-February 2023 |
| Eligibility | Released from prison (NC State prison, a prison in another state, or federal prison) within the last 60 months (5 yrs) prior to application, returning to a Durham address (City or County), and with an income below 60% 2021 Durham-Chapel Hill AMI. |
About the Excel Pilot Program
Launched in March 2022, Durham's Guaranteed Income Pilot or Excel, provides 109 formerly incarcerated individuals with $600 per month for one year. Excel is a partnership between the City of Durham and StepUp Durham, a workforce development agency focused on employment training, placement and retention services for individuals with challenges to employment. We believe that ongoing direct cash payments can have the dual effect of stabilizing families and stimulating the local economy; that families are best positioned to know their needs and cash transfer programs that come with no strings attached give families the agency they need to address them; and that a guaranteed income is part of a wider set of policies needed in our country to address rising income inequality. The objective of Durham’s guaranteed income or Excel Pilot Program is to evaluate guaranteed income’s effects on recidivism and re-incarceration, employment, economic security, and income volatility, as well as physical functioning, mental health, stress, and coping, parenting, housing, and interactions with other institutional systems.
Pilot concluded in 2023.
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COMMUNITY FEATURES
$44,797
$38,000
Median household income
21.2%
20%
Poverty rate
37.3%
31%
Housing burden
31.2%
40%
Childcare cost burden
8.5%
8%
Unemployment rate
STOCKTON
STATE MEDIAN
Demographic Data for Study Participants
Median Annual Household income
Excel
$8,769
Durham, NC
$78,105
Annual Household Income (Mean)
$14,766
Sample Size
109
Avg. Age of Respondent
41
Avg. Children in Household
1
Avg. Household Size
3
gendermarital statuschildren in household
Male
73%
Female
26%
Other
1%
Married
26%
Single
59%
Partnered/In-Relationship
15%
Yes
42%
No
58%
race
White
11%
African American
84%
American Indian/Alaska Native
1%
Asian
1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
Latino
0%
Other/Mixed
3%
ethnicityprimary language at home
Hispanic
3%
Non-Hispanic
97%
English
99%
Spanish
0%
Other
1%
Economic Context for Pilot Participants
The guaranteed income pilot launched during a period of dynamic change and economic challenges for pilot participants. The chart below situates this pilot in the context of unemployment and inflation.
Unemployment
Inflation
Pilot Timeline
Spending Breakdown
The data in this pie chart shows aggregate spending for guaranteed income participants in Durham, NC. This includes all non-cash expenditures from the participants' bank accounts, not just those that are from the guaranteed income they received.
Spending breakdown
Retail sales and services accounted for the largest share of spending, at 43.77%, followed by Food and groceries (23.63%) and Transport related expenses (12.5%).
