Join Commonwealth and The Workers Lab as we share findings from The Workers Strength Fund and reflect on emergency cash grants in the age of COVID-19.

Commonwealth partnered with the Design Sprint for Social Change team, an initiative from The Workers Lab, to develop the Workers Strength Fund (WSF) which investigated how an emergency grant with limited conditions could support workers’ ability to manage unexpected expenses and pursue financial security. The team elected to distribute emergency cash grants because they offer a distinct approach to managing financial volatility: they are immediate, versatile, available to anyone, and leave no debt. Because recent studies have shown that more than 60% of Americans are unable to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense, we decided to offer gig workers one or more grants that could total up to $1,000 over the course of a year.

This nearly two-year effort, which ended last year, offers early insight into how low-income gig workers navigate unexpected expenses and how emergency grants could impact this financial challenge. In many ways, the Workers Strength Fund research has taken on new meaning in the context of COVID-19 and provides several relevant insights that are more important than ever in light of this global health and financial crisis.