Group Income Program

Our mission is to create a cooperative group income system that ensures everyone in the community has access to basic necessities — food, clothing, and housing — predictable support to protect against sudden financial loss, and the freedom to move beyond harm or exclusion.

We do this by enabling members to contribute according to their means and receive equitable support, fostering a system where stability and opportunity are shared, not hoarded. By pooling resources and supporting one another, participants create a resilient, mutually beneficial network that transforms economic security from a privilege into a shared human right.

Through this program, we provide a practical, tangible way for individuals to protect themselves, help others, and participate in a community grounded in cooperation and fairness.

We envision a world where every person has the right to an adequate standard of living — including food, clothing, and housing — protection against sudden financial loss, and the freedom to move beyond harm or exclusion.

Security is not built through barricades, but through shared prosperity: by supporting one another, we reduce the need for harm.

Our vision is a global community where economic freedom is a shared human right.

The moral and ethical foundation upon which all decisions are made.

• 1. Mutual Care We recognize that true security comes from one another. By contributing together and sharing in times of need, we build a foundation of collective stability that no individual could sustain alone.
• 2. Transparency Everyone has the right to understand how the system works — where funds come from, how they're distributed, and how decisions are made. Clear communication and open accounting sustain trust.
• 3. Autonomy and Consent Participation is always voluntary and revocable. Members have agency over their contributions and decisions. Consent is not a one-time act but an ongoing practice that keeps relationships healthy.
• 4. Equity Across Difference We measure fairness not by equal inputs, but by equal access to what is needed to live. Economic justice means accounting for differing contexts, not pretending they don't exist.
• 5. Solidarity, Not Charity We don't give out of pity or superiority — we share because our wellbeing is interdependent. Each person may be a contributor one month and a receiver the next; both roles are equally honorable.
• 6. Reliability and Stewardship Our stability depends on consistency. We act with care in managing shared resources, upholding commitments, and maintaining the systems that make trust possible.
• 7. Learning and Adaptation We treat this project as a living experiment in economic cooperation. Mistakes are opportunities for growth. Data, reflection, and dialogue guide continual refinement.
• 8. Dignity of All Work and Rest Every person deserves the ability to meet their needs and to rest without fear. We honor all forms of labor — paid or unpaid, visible or invisible — as essential to the whole.

The Group Income Program is a nonprofit initiative designed to ensure that all participants have access to a stable, livable income floor. Rooted in the principles of mutual care, transparency, and shared responsibility, the program creates a financial safety net that empowers individuals to live with dignity and stability while contributing to a resilient community.

At its core, the program operates as a community-based income redistribution network. Each participant contributes a fixed portion of their income into a shared pool. Funds are then redistributed to bring each participant closer to the group’s average income, smoothing out fluctuations and providing stability through rolling averages and reserve buffers. This system allows individuals to weather periods of low income while participating in the collective wellbeing of the community.

Beyond financial support, the program fosters connection and accountability. Participants engage in structured monthly conversations with one another, strengthening relational ties and reinforcing trust. These interactions help build a community grounded not just in shared resources, but in mutual care and understanding.

Legally, the Group Income Program is structured as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, enabling it to operate as a charitable or research-based organization. Contributions are tax-deductible for U.S. participants, and payouts are structured to comply with tax requirements while maximizing support for recipients. The organization is guided by a board of directors, ensuring fiduciary responsibility and strategic oversight, while day-to-day operations are managed by staff and volunteers.

The program embodies a vision of a world where economic security is a shared human right, not a privilege. By creating a transparent, accountable, and participatory model of income stabilization, it demonstrates how communities can collectively protect against financial hardship, foster resilience, and empower individuals to live freely beyond the constraints of scarcity.

Why This Matters: Economic instability is one of the most pervasive sources of stress, harm, and inequity in society. Traditional safety nets are often insufficient or inaccessible. The Group Income Program offers a community-driven solution that combines financial support with relational engagement, creating both practical and social resilience.

Context & Problem

Many individuals face economic instability, relational stress, and systemic abuse, limiting freedom, wellbeing, and participation in communities. Existing safety nets are fragmented and often inaccessible.

Core Belief / Assumption

Economic security is foundational to freedom. Communities thrive when individuals are protected from sudden financial loss and relational exploitation, with tools to flee or shield themselves from abuse.

Inputs / Resources

• Financial: participant contributions, grants, donations
• Human: board, staff, volunteers
• Operational: reporting tools, redistribution algorithms, buffer funds
• Community: monthly conversations, affinity groups, safety protocols
• Safety & agency: exit/re-entry mechanisms
• Research & evaluation, PPP frameworks

Activities

• Collect base contributions; redistribute with PPP adjustments
• Enable affinity groups to share more internally
• Implement exit/re-entry and safety protocols
• Facilitate engagement and monitor outcomes

Outcomes & Impact

• Short-term: stability, tools for safety, increased trust
• Medium-term: resilience, autonomy, evidence on effective sharing models
• Long-term: sustainable, adaptable model of shared income stabilization

1. Base Contributions

Universal Contribution Rate: 10% of Effective Income (EI) for all participants.

Effective Income (EI) formula: EI = actual income + imputed investment income from assets (4% FIRE rule) - eligible debt payments

Contributions are mandatory for participation, except when EI < 0, in which case contributions = $0. Participants may make additional voluntary contributions to the universal pool or their affinity group pool.

2. Affinity Groups

Optional, smaller groups within the program for higher internal income sharing.

Rules:

• Base 10% contribution to universal pool remains unchanged.
• Additional contributions within the affinity group are optional and only shared within that group.
• Purpose: natural test groups to explore different income-sharing models while maintaining the universal baseline.

3. Dynamic Equilibrium & PPP-Adjusted Payouts

Annual payout forecasts are announced at the start of each year. Payouts are PPP-adjusted for global participants to ensure equitable real purchasing power. Monthly contributions are reconciled with forecasted payouts. Bonuses may be applied if contributions exceed expectations.

4. Operational Costs & Buffer Fund

Fixed operational percentage (e.g., 5%) is allocated from participant contributions to cover program costs. Voluntary donations and affinity group contributions are not subject to operational skim. All operational finances are fully transparent, visible to participants and government regulators.

Buffer Fund: Suggested rate of 5% of monthly inflows to absorb short-term fluctuations, support emergency payouts, and stabilize long-term solvency. Fully accounted for in transparency reporting.

5. Windfalls & Wealth Tax

One-time windfalls are treated as wealth, not regular income. Calculated as 10% of imputed annual income if invested using the 4% rule. Contributions from wealth/windfalls are tax-deductible as part of IRS 501(c)(3) contributions.

6. Debt Treatment

Eligible debt payments reduce Effective Income: mortgage, student loans, medical debt, or other essential debt payments. Participants never receive more than the standard payout, even if EI < 0. This encourages debt payoff while maintaining participant stability. Debt tracking is integrated into participant platform for automated EI calculation.

7. Admission, Exit, and Re-entry Policy

Admission / Re-admission: New participants and returning participants go through an application and evaluation process. Criteria include: alignment with program values, financial responsibility, history of exits/contributions, and engagement with community practices. Program may deny re-entry if repeated exits indicate risk to stability.

Re-entry / Returning Participants: Entry Count Penalty: each previous exit adds a flat 1% contribution period before ramping via doubling sequence to base rate (10%). No cap on flat period; repeated exits naturally delay full participation. Waitlist: may apply (1–3 months) before rejoining.

8. IRS / Legal Structure

Program structured as 501(c)(3) research/education nonprofit. Contributions are tax-deductible. Payouts are not considered taxable income for participants. Internal participant financial data remains private; government has access only to program-level transparency reporting. Program maintains compliance for international disbursement where applicable.

9. Participant Platform

Tracks: income, debt, asset imputed income, contributions, payouts, and community engagement. Examples: using Empower/Personal Capital-like platform or custom-built solution.

Privacy: participant personal finances never shared outside the program unless voluntarily disclosed. Transparency: program finances (pool balances, distributions, operational costs) are fully open to participants and regulators.

10. Community Engagement

Participants hold 30-minute monthly conversations with rotating partners. Affinity groups may add additional engagement practices. Engagement is tracked for governance and re-entry evaluation.

11. Key Performance Indicators

• Income Stability: participants maintain consistent baseline income via program
• Retention & Engagement: participation rates, community conversation compliance
• Pool Health & Growth: total assets in the program, ability to onboard more participants over time
• Equitable Access: diversity of participant income levels, global PPP-adjusted equity
• Non-work Contribution: recognition that participants may not be earning income but are contributing to pool stability, engagement, or other community activities
• Long-term Resilience: ability to absorb windfalls, manage debt-adjusted EI, maintain buffer fund
• Experimental Metrics: effectiveness of affinity groups, impact of wealth tax, and contribution ramp structures

Overview

The Group Income Program is a nonprofit, community-based initiative designed as a research and educational experiment under IRS 501(c)(3) rules. Its primary purpose is to study the effects of shared income, wealth redistribution, and structured financial support on participants' economic stability, wellbeing, and social cohesion. The program combines a baseline income pooling mechanism with optional affinity groups that can share additional income internally, allowing for natural experimental variation.

Research Objectives

The program seeks to answer key questions:

• How does guaranteed group income affect financial security, stress, and perceived freedom among participants?
• How do affinity group structures influence internal cohesion, sharing behavior, and participant satisfaction?
• How do debt, wealth tax, and windfall treatments impact contributions, payouts, and the long-term stability of the system?
• What program design elements maximize equitable outcomes while sustaining the pool for long-term participation and growth?

Hypotheses:

• Participants receiving group income will experience greater economic security and reduced financial stress.
• Affinity groups with higher internal sharing will show stronger intra-group cohesion without reducing fairness across the base pool.
• Transparent, predictable payouts improve trust, engagement, and retention.
• Debt and wealth policies influence participant behavior and pool stability in measurable ways.

Participants

Eligibility: Individuals approved through the program onboarding process, meeting participation criteria including engagement, reporting, and community standards.

Informed Consent: Participation is voluntary and part of an ongoing research/education study. Participants are informed that their personal financial data is confidential and not shared with government authorities, while aggregate program data is transparent.

Re-entry / Exit: Participants may exit voluntarily or be removed based on eligibility. Re-entry follows the standard onboarding process, with ramped contribution percentages applied. Repeat exits may affect the re-entry schedule to discourage opportunistic behavior.

Data Collection

Continuous tracking of:

• Income, contributions, payouts
• Debt and wealth
• Engagement metrics, including community conversations and affinity group participation
• Optional self-reported measures of wellbeing, financial stress, and social cohesion

Data is stored securely and anonymized for analysis.

Ethical Considerations

• Respect for participant autonomy and voluntary engagement.
• Protection from harm: predictable payouts, minimum contribution floors, and debt adjustments minimize undue financial stress.
• Transparency: all rules, contributions, and aggregate financial data are openly shared.
• Equity: all participants have equal access to base program benefits; affinity groups are voluntary and supplemental.

Metrics & Key Performance Indicators

• Financial Stability: pool solvency, distribution consistency, contribution vs. payout balance
• Community Engagement: participation in monthly conversations, affinity group involvement, retention
• Wellbeing Outcomes: self-reported financial security, stress, and sense of freedom
• Long-Term Growth: ability to onboard new participants while maintaining equitable distributions and pool stability