Detroit, Michigan – The Rx Kids program from Michigan State University has officially moved to Detroit, making it the largest expansion yet of the country’s first community-wide monetary support program for pregnant women and infants. Mayor Mary Sheffield revealed the launch earlier this month and said it was a life-changing investment in the city’s youngest people.
With almost 8,000 babies born in Detroit every year, the program is anticipated to reach more families than ever before and make the city known as a community that cares about the health of young children.
Read also: Detroit releases updated revenue outlook showing steady finances through 2030
The rollout is a big part of what Sheffield promised to do when she first entered office. Her first policy announcement as mayor was to bring Rx Kids to Detroit, and she promised to do so within her first 100 days in office.
The milestone was celebrated during a Baby Love Launch Event that drew inspiration from Detroit’s Motown legacy while honoring the resilience of local mothers and infants. According to Sheffield, the project is based on the idea that helping families from the beginning is important for the city’s future.
People in Detroit who are at least 16 weeks pregnant or who will have a baby in 2026 can now sign up. Families who qualify get $1,500 throughout pregnancy and then $500 every month for the baby’s first six months.
Leaders of the program argue that this direct financial help helps families meet their most basic needs, like food, housing, transportation, childcare, and essential infant necessities, at one of the most expensive times of early parenting.
Rx Kids started in Flint in 2024 and has since helped more than 5,600 families in Michigan, giving them more than $22 million in aid. Early results show that a lot of people are becoming involved, families are becoming more stable, financial stress is going down, and moms and babies are living in better conditions.
This program also helps local businesses by sending money around. The program is led by Michigan State University and administered by GiveDirectly, with support from public funding, philanthropy, and corporate partners.
State lawmakers are still working to expand the effort beyond Detroit. They hope to expand it to all counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Supporters argue that the project is still focused on making sure that babies and families get timely, meaningful help in the early stages of life, even though recent changes to funding could restrict growth in some places for a short time.