Rai$e: A Guaranteed Income Program

Anyone enrolled in a Wilder program or referred by our partner organizations (Prepare + Prosper and Build Wealth MN) is eligible to participate in Rai$e. This program is geared toward people who need financial stability, which could look like living paycheck to paycheck, having a hard time saving money or paying down debt, or being unable to cover an emergency expense. There are no income restrictions to participate.

We offer benefits counseling to everyone before joining Rai$e so they can understand if other benefits they receive would be affected by the program.

This program is open to one individual per household. Participants do not need a Social Security Number or Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN).

Once enrolled in Rai$e, you do not need to continue to receive services from Wilder or a partner organization. Rai$e is available to 75 households at any given time.

Please stay tuned for updates on future rounds.

Participants will receive funds for twelve consecutive months on a debit card and do not need to do anything to continue receiving their money. We trust that families will know how to best meet their needs, and there are no spending restrictions. 

There will be four surveys to help us understand the impact of the program - at the start; after six months; at the end; and three months after the end. We also invite participants to share stories about how the extra money has impacted their lives.

Public benefits may be impacted by receiving the $500 per month through Rai$e. If you are selected for the Rai$e program, you may receive benefits counseling with a financial worker who will use an online tool to show whether additional money could change your benefits.

We want families to have as much information as they need in order to make a decision about signing up. Additionally, we are pursuing waivers for as many benefits programs as we can, which would allow program administrators to not count the additional $500 as income. All of this information will be shared with participants prior to enrolling in Rai$e.

We know that when families have enough resources, they are able to stabilize their finances and grow their opportunities. This program supports strong families and their stability – financial, mental and physical health, relationships, employment, and more. We want to learn from families how an additional $500 per month impacts their lives so we can share with policy makers and stakeholders who could create and expand similar guaranteed income programs.