Economic Good News

Stories about money and economics being used for good — and good being done for money and economies

A man paints on a small easel on the streets of a city

This is what happened when artists received $1K a month, no strings attached

In New York, 2,400 creatives recently participated in the largest basic income program for artists in U.S. history.

Two adults walk along a path with two toddlers. Only their backs are visible

New study: Americans care more about future generations than we think

Researchers found that Americans, on average, extended at least some moral concern about 28 generations into the future, or roughly 700 years.

Over half of US states are considering laws allowing balcony solar. It could save you hundreds every year

In Europe, plug-in solar installations have been legal for more than a decade.

A couple faces the window of an independent bookstore

400+ independent bookstores opened in 2025, triumphing against big business

Independent bookstores have grown in the United States by 70% from 2020, signaling a major comeback.

A photo collage of a dad and his two children with their backs behind the camera, two men on a road while holding construction tools, a macaw perched on a metal screen, Randall Lane standing on the TED stage, and two people doing a science experiment on a table

Good News This Week: April 18, 2026 - Polar Bears, Websites, & Macaws

Your weekly roundup of the best good news worth celebrating...

Forbes headline over a stylized halftone face background, with two circular black-and-white portraits: MacKenzie Scott on the left outlined in blue with an upward arrow, and Elon Musk on the right outlined in orange with a looping downward arrow above him

Forbes announces 'True Net Worth' to track how much billionaires give away

The editor of the Forbes Billionaires List introduced a new method to track wealth: How much money the world’s richest people are giving away.

Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia

Virginia megachurch donates $1M to wipe out rent for 300+ families and keep them from being evicted

Alfred Street Baptist Church stepped up for Alexandria residents who were facing eviction.

A homeless man reaches out a cup to collect change from a stranger

Here's what happened when researchers gave homeless people $750 a month

The people taking part in this study overwhelmingly spent this money on basic needs, such as food, housing-related expenses, transportation, and health care.

An electronic billboard in Times Square shows a map of the United States and a ticker tracking support for public lands

Taxpayers own 640M acres of public lands. Activists are selling symbolic stock in national parks to protect them

The “Going Public” campaign aims to celebrate Americans’ pride for public lands and inspire people to help protect these national treasures.

A long hallway inside a former mall in Rhode Island

The country's oldest mall has been turned into apartments. Rent is just $550 a month

The Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island closed after 188 years in business. Then, it was transformed into a community of micro-lofts.

The exterior of Washington View Apartments, which was once the Pierce Brothers Mortuary, in Los Angeles

Old Los Angeles funeral home transformed into apartments for homeless seniors: 'A one-stop shop'

The historic chapel still maintains some of its most famous features.

A photo of an apartment building in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles. On top is a circular frame with a photo of a cherry blossom-shaped rice cracker called Umeya

This building used to be a Japanese rice cracker factory. Now, it's home to 200 people

For nearly a century, the lot housed a factory where Japanese rice crackers called Umeya were made — until the production company shut down operations in 2017.