For nearly a year, Dejah Grimes received a $50 deposit every Wednesday, which she used for various personal and family expenses. This support greatly eased her family’s financial burden. Building on promising early results, New Orleans is expanding a similar initiative, the “$50 Study,” which began in 2020 with 20 students at The Rooted School. This groundbreaking program, funded by a $1 million investment from the city, will now provide $50 weekly to 1,600 high school seniors across New Orleans over the next three years. The study aims to assess the impact of universal basic income on youth, tracking their academic and financial progress.
