Itty Bitty Mini Guaranteed Income Program

Itty Bitty Mini Guaranteed Income Program

Status: Active pilot program (3-year duration)

Geographic Scope: New York City

Focus Areas: Guaranteed income and financial stability for indie theater artists

Award Structure:

Monthly Payment: $1,000 per month for 3 consecutive years

Annual Savings Grant: $3,000 per year (to offset funding cliff at end of program)

Optional Support: Financial and business coaching

Total Value: $39,000 over 3 years ($36,000 in monthly payments + $3,000 annual savings grants)

Eligibility:

NYC indie theater artists

Must have applied for emergency funding in the last 18 months, including:

- Emergency fund grants
- Mental health grants
- Milk and Eggs grants
- Other IndieSpace emergency funding

Program Objectives:

Provide personal safety net and savings opportunity

Address financial instability from unexpected emergencies or lost paychecks

Support artist retirement planning

Build cushion and emergency reserves for indie theater workers

Selection Process: Lottery-based

Open to artists meeting eligibility criteria who applied for emergency funding in previous 18 months

Over 900 artists were eligible for initial lottery

Random selection via lottery drawing

Program Details:

Pilot program designed with scaling in mind

Optional financial and business coaching included

Program created in response to seeing firsthand how one emergency destabilizes indie theater workers

Addresses funding cliff by providing savings grants

First Recipient: Courtney Seyl (announced January 31, 2026)

Contact: hello@indiespace.org

Partnership: IndieSpace working with Creatives Rebuild New York and broader initiative to Build a Base of Artists who Support Guaranteed Income

Background: IndieSpace developed this program over several years, recognizing the financial challenges many independent theater artists face and the need for sustainable income support beyond emergency grants.