At the heart of the Group Income Program is the belief that economic security is a human right, and that communities flourish when their members are supported to thrive rather than merely survive. Our culture reflects a commitment to equity, transparency, interdependence, and mutual care, grounded in the lived experience of participants and the practical mechanics of shared income.
Community and Trust
The Group Income Program is more than a financial system — it is a living, participatory culture. Every participant contributes not only income but also attention, care, and engagement with the community. Structured interactions, such as monthly conversations between participants, reinforce connection, empathy, and understanding. These touchpoints foster trust, accountability, and shared responsibility, forming the social backbone of the program.
Affirming Autonomy and Safety
While the program encourages shared prosperity and interdependence, it is designed to respect individual autonomy. Participants may leave the program or any affinity group at any time, without penalty to funds already received. Affinity groups provide spaces for deeper collaboration and resource pooling, yet individuals retain the right to exit if the group no longer serves their well-being. This ensures participants can protect themselves from social, relational, or economic abuse, even within highly interconnected systems.
All participants, including Board members, engage under the same rules and expectations. The program is intentionally flat and equitable, offering a clear, predictable contribution percentage while allowing for voluntary additional contributions or wealth-sharing. Affinity groups may increase the shared percentage within their members, but base contributions are never reduced, and total contributions can never exceed 100%.
This inclusive structure recognizes that everyone’s life circumstances are different, and that meaningful support is both flexible and fair.
Innovation and Research
The program exists as a living laboratory for economic experimentation. By functioning under a 501(c)(3) research/education classification, the program can study income stabilization, mutual aid dynamics, and community wealth growth in real time. Affinity groups act as natural test beds, allowing experimentation with alternative income-sharing models and collective decision-making, without compromising the core program.
Research data informs:
How income sharing affects economic security and well-being.
Strategies to optimize community trust and participation.
The long-term sustainability of pooled income systems.
Global and Cross-Cultural Perspective
Equitable participation is extended beyond borders, using PPP-adjusted calculations to account for differences in local purchasing power. Our cultural ethos prioritizes global solidarity, acknowledging that economic opportunity and financial stability are unevenly distributed worldwide.
Sustainability and Growth
The Group Income Program balances immediate participant needs with long-term program health. Mechanisms like buffer funds, wealth taxes, and thoughtful debt treatment preserve stability, while affording participants agency over their finances and contributions. The culture encourages shared stewardship: participants are active guardians of the program’s longevity and integrity.
Equity – All participants are treated fairly, with transparent rules and predictable outcomes.
Interdependence – Collective well-being strengthens individual security and vice versa.
Autonomy – Individuals can exit programs or groups without punitive consequences.
Mutual Care – Community members protect one another from sudden financial, social, or relational harm.
Transparency – Financial, operational, and governance processes are open and visible.
Innovation – The program is a safe space for experimentation in economic systems, fostering learning and adaptation.
This cultural narrative serves as both a philosophical foundation and an operational guide, shaping how participants, staff, and Board members interact, make decisions, and envision the program’s long-term impact.