UPDATE: THIS CAMPAIGN HAS NOW ENDED, BUT THE PROJECT IS STILL GOING STRONG AND STILL NEEDS SUPPORT. TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE CONSIDER A RECURRING OR ONE TIME DONATION TO THE PRODUCTION FUND AT bit.ly/bootstrapsfund

(all donations go through our nonprofit fiscal sponsor International WOW Company and are tax deductible)

You can't pull yourself up by your bootstraps if you don't have boots, and you can't build a foundation if you're not standing on solid ground. Be one of the heroes we need and help us make universal basic income a reality, not only for our 20 subjects, but also for you, your loved ones, and the rest of America!

We are Pale Blue Dot Media, and we're making a documentary, a very ambitious documentary, implementing and investigating the concept of universal basic income (UBI), a bold idea with the power to eradicate extreme poverty and end homelessness. Will you join us?

People need security to thrive. Lack of security leads to fear, stress, suffering, and ineffectiveness. UBI is simply power to the people. All people.

Read to the bottom to learn how to get a chance at winning a basic income for yourself or a friend!

  

  

  

The purpose of this film is to act as the public outreach that the basic income movement needs in order to garner wide public support. It will complement larger scientific studies going on in places like Oakland and Ontario by first grabbing the hearts and attentions of the American people and then turning the spotlight on the wonderful research going on elsewhere. It will provide a call to action to all Americans to be aware of and get involved in the cause of UBI moving forward, from dinner table conversations to local and national elections. From now until the feature film’s release date in early 2020 and beyond, we will use our materials to create media tools for the movement to use at all levels.

  

  

  

Our initial target with this campaign is $50K, enough to cover two of our subjects for two years. This amount will mean we can move forward with part of our trial and start filming right on schedule. BUT, the more we can raise now the better, so let's push on through that target and beyond! The total budget for the whole trial is $500K, and so that is our actual end goal in this campaign and we will be increasing our target as we pass new milestones. As you’ll find out below, we have a very special reward planned for our supporters every time we hit another $50K. So help us share this to the world. Your voice can help us go viral and engage the public at large.

(Note: All contributions will be managed and administered by the Netroots Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and so all contributions are tax deductible.)

  

Basic income is a movement, and it's exploding right now. Silicon Valley especially is pushing for it as a way to help the American people through the coming times of job displacement due to automation, as studies forecast that we will lose 50% of our jobs to machines in the next 20 years.

However, we have always needed UBI. It is at heart a human rights issue, its essence promoted by the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., many economists including Henry George and Milton Friedman, revolutionary thinker Thomas Paine, and many others.

Past studies in India, Kenya, Ontario, and the US have shown health outcomes drastically improve, crime rates drop, graduation rates increase, and working hours only significantly drop among new mothers and teenagers who are spending more time in school. Communities have banded together and uplifted their economies, and people overall were healthier, experienced less stress, and were able to plan their lives as never before. Women and the disadvantaged were especially empowered, but all were given greater security.

Bootstraps will share these stories in the American context, across all regions and walks of life. A farmer, a student, an immigrant, a new family, a manufacturing worker, a police officer, an artist, a teacher, a veteran, a retiree… we want to know and show what they will all do with their basic income.

UBI is an idea that unites people across party lines and can galvanize us into a unified people once again if we communicate the message effectively.

  

  

Check out our website at www.BootstrapsFilm.com for more info about UBI and the project.

  

  

Make sure to get on the mailing list at the bottom of our site, because for every $50K we raise here, we'll be randomly selecting someone from that list to choose one of the subjects for our film. The winner can pick a friend, neighbor, relative, even him/herself. The chosen subject must be a legal resident of the U.S. and willing to participate in the documentary and be filmed on a few occasions over the course of two years. Of course, they'll be getting $24,000 with which to change their lives during that time as well. Donors will be automatically added to the mailing list unless they decline to give their addresses when contributing.

You can also follow along on Facebook and Twitter (@bootstrapsfilm).

(Just as a heads up: Like all crowdfunding platforms, HandUp takes a small percentage fee (8%). But, different than most, this platform asks the donor to pay instead of the campaign. If you know exactly how much you want to give, and don't want to pay more than that, you can divide the total by 1.08. For example, if you want to give exactly $100, then you can select to donate $92.59. In any case, we're thankful for any and all support, rounded in any direction!)