A pilot program in Flint, Michigan will benefit expectant mothers before and after their pregnancies.
The program will provide pregnant women with a $1,500 one-time payment plus $500 per month for the first year of the baby’s life.
A state omnibus budget awarded $16.5 million to Michigan State University for RX Kids, the nation’s first prenatal and infant cash allowance program.
The goal of Rx Kids is to tackle poverty by financially supporting mothers and babies living in the City of Flint.
The $16.5 million in state funding was announced on Monday, July 31.
The Ruth Mott Foundation has also awarded $1.2 million to the program at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in Flint, MI.
The program is set to begin in January 2024. Cash payments will be given to all pregnant mothers and women with babies up to age 1 in the City of Flint.
Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist said she knows that other communities in Michigan and across the country will take notice of the program.
