Creatives Rebuild New York founded the New York State Cash Alliance alongside over 20 member organizations collaboratively leading the way for unrestricted cash policies across the state.
Officially launched in the fall of 2024, the Cash Alliance is the first coordinated cross-coalition and multi-constituency group in New York to develop messaging, build community power, nurture political champions, and deploy a campaign strategy to move guaranteed income policies forward.
The cash policies that the Cash Alliance advocates for will provide economic stability, freedom, flexibility, and dignity to families and individuals who are living in economic precarity and poverty. Over the next three years, the Cash Alliance will embark on a mission to secure financial assistance for families and individuals across the state. By supporting legislation that delivers cash efficiently to New Yorkers and advancing a movement narrative centered on dignity and deservedness, the Cash Alliance will organize New Yorkers for lasting change.
The Cash Alliance will advocate on behalf of New York State residents – its families, caregivers, creative and cultural workers, gig workers, low-income workers, and all who need a stronger income floor to thrive where they live.
Why cash?
The case is clear: Artists and creative workers in New York are struggling, and they are not alone. People holding multiple jobs still can’t make ends meet and homelessness rises. The overwhelming evidence from guaranteed income demonstrations across the US, including from CRNY and others in New York, show that unconditional cash helps people to work, advance economically, and plan for the future; builds strong and resilient families; supports people providing care to loved ones during times of crisis; and strengthens community ties. There are more than 100 pilot programs operating across 35 states in the US, with nearly 60,000 people receiving unconditional cash. Government leaders from across the political spectrum are embracing guaranteed income as a critical part of public policy to promote economic mobility, support family integrity, and move people out of homelessness.
The need for coordination and community is strong, making the NYS Cash Alliance a powerful entity to seed real change.
The formation of the NYS Cash Alliance builds on Economic Security Project’s blueprint to develop cash coalitions that advance state-level legislative wins that serve as pathways for federal policies – and ultimately, a nationwide guaranteed income. The NYS Cash Alliance joins other cities and states such as New Mexico, Washington DC, and Colorado who are organizing coalitions for cash and guaranteed income policies. As CRNY wound down operations, we seeded the NYS Cash Alliance with a three-year $100,000 investment for the coalition to implement its roadmap.