FairSpirit is exploring several approaches to launching basic income initiatives. Key elements of these efforts include a bottom-up strategy and the potential for large-scale expansion.
Basic Income Seed Groups
Through the GoodDollar system, it is possible to distribute GoodDollars as basic income to specific groups. In collaboration with the Compassion for Humanity, we are starting an initial seed group in Ghana. Together with the Friends of Usambara Society we are working on a similar setup in Tanzania. We are also seeking partnerships with other development organizations to explore the creation of additional basic income seed groups.
GoodDollar by Country
GoodDollar enables the distribution of basic income at the country level. Currently, two pilot projects are underway, distributing GoodDollars to women in Nigeria and Colombia, as detailed on the GoodCollective website. The GoodCollective platform allows for the allocation of GoodDollars to targeted groups. We are reaching out to country-based communities that send remittances to friends and families, to assess their interest in sponsoring basic income initiatives in their home countries.
Circles Seed Groups
Circles offers a unique approach to basic income. Users can create their own Circles within the app—one per hour, up to 24 Circles per day. These can be exchanged with trusted contacts and used as a form of payment. Circles is developing a new version of the system that will introduce Groups, making it easier to scale to larger numbers of participants. The new version also allows Circles to be exchanged for other currencies, supporting broader adoption.
Basic Income with BrightID
Inspired by UBI4All and Mein Grundeinkommen, we will distribute a small basic income to a random selection of people who sign up. They will receive one dollar per day (about $30 per month), streamed to their digital wallet for three months using the stablecoin USDGLO.
Anyone can sign up, but to prevent duplicate registrations, we will use Aura, the new verification method from BrightID, to ensure each participant is unique. BrightID, combined with AURA verification, allows individuals to anonymously prove their uniqueness, which is essential to prevent multiple claims by the same person.
Birenga Seed Chain
With Birenga, we envision a pay-it-forward setup. The idea is to start with a small basic income for one person for three months (e.g., $1 per day, totaling $90). After three months, the participant can choose, with motivation, either one or two new participants to receive the next round. The total amount increases to $100, so either one participant receives $100 or two receive $50 each. The motivation is crucial for this approach. This should follow the principles of flow funding.
Basic Income Seed Fund
A sustainable approach involves creating a fund that distributes its profits as basic income, similar to the Give for Good model that has a broader charitable focus. Also, there is a small-scale experiment, Ubiquitus, operating in the United States. We are seeking funding sources for such a fund. Income will come from donations, sponsors or for instance a share of company profits.
A notable example is the Alaska Permanent Fund, which is financed by oil and mining revenues and uses its returns to pay dividends to all Alaska residents.