Rx Kids: Send cash to moms and babies in Cleveland
Every year, 4,000 babies are born in Cleveland, where infant mortality runs more than double Ohio’s average and more than half of children under five grow up in poverty.
We can break this cycle and invest in the next generation by giving families what they truly need: cash. Together, our impact can transform the way we care for children in poverty across the country.
Rx Kids is expanding to Cleveland
We are expanding Rx Kids to Ohio, inspired by the resounding success in Michigan, where research showed the program in Flint increased prenatal care uptake, reduced preterm and low birthweight births, decreased NICU admissions, improved families’ financial security, reduced child maltreatment allegations, and triggered significant state investment.
The program’s expansion will continue its proven record of improving health outcomes, strengthening family financial stability, and boosting local economies.
You can help us reach every mom and baby in Cleveland’s highest-need communities
Every year, about 4,000 babies are born in Cleveland, with more than half experiencing poverty in their first years of life. These first months of life are critical for a baby’s development; it’s also when their families are struggling the most.
Together, we can deliver $4,500 to the mother of every single infant born in Cleveland’s highest-need zip codes, ensuring every baby has a strong start.
- Every mom will receive $1,500 during their pregnancy to spend on food, prenatal care, rent, or whatever they need most.
- After giving birth, moms will receive $500/month for 6 months to cover formula, diapers, childcare, and essential needs.
To make sure all babies have a healthy start, Rx Kids is tackling the leading social determinant of health: poverty. Join a coalition of founding donors, including inaugural donor William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation, in helping catalyze community-wide change in Cleveland and beyond.
In Michigan, what started as a single-city pilot became a statewide movement. Rx Kids expanded from Flint to 60 communities across the state, and is now set to reach nearly 1 in 4 babies statewide.
In Ohio, in partnership with First Year Cleveland, Rx Kids will launch this fall, beginning in the Cleveland communities where infant mortality is highest. Starting with the 400 babies born annually in Cleveland’s three highest-need zip codes, our goal is to expand to reach all 4,000 babies born in Cleveland each year, and ultimately, to build the blueprint for a program that supports every baby across Ohio.
A whole-of-society hug, Rx Kids fulfills a promise to our babies that we can do better to preserve and protect their tomorrows. As a pediatrician, Rx Kids is the science-based and prevention-driven answer to treat the pathogen of poverty.
Rx Kids is proven to work
Rx Kids has efficiently delivered direct support to thousands of families across dozens of communities, strengthening family financial security, improving maternal and infant health, and boosting local economies. Peer-reviewed studies show that Rx Kids impacts:
- Improved family stability: With fewer families being evicted, less families behind behind on rent/mortgage payments, and more families having enough of the kinds of foods they want to eat
- Spending on basic needs: moms most frequently report spending on essential needs like baby supplies, food, housing, and utilities.
- Healthier behaviors: Earlier, and more consistent prenatal care use, and decreased cigarette smoking during pregnancy
- Healthier births: Improved birth weights, less premature births, and prevention of NICU admissions
- Reduced involvement with Child Protective Services including a 32% decline in infant maltreatment allegations
- Strong uptake: Nearly all eligible families enroll
- Better mental health: Lower likelihood of postpartum depression and anxiety
- Significantly reduced parenting stress, a known predictor of child welfare involvement, parenting challenges, and broader family stress
- Greater feelings of being loved, valued, empowered, respected, and hopeful
Let’s reimagine how society supports families and children
We know cash works for families in need – the Expanded Child Tax Credit helped keep 3.7m children out of poverty. Yet Congress failed to renew the credit, and other direct cash assistance programs only reach 21% of eligible families in need.
The Rx Kids expansion boldly reimagines how we care for each other by walking alongside families during the challenging time of pregnancy and infancy.
Partners
Press
Frequently Asked Questions
Which communities are participating in the program?
In Cleveland, we are beginning in the zip codes with the highest infant mortality and child poverty rates. Our first milestone is to reach every baby born in 44114, 44103, and 44110.
Our eventual goal is to expand to the entire city of Cleveland as well as high-need communities in Greater Cleveland.
Who is eligible to receive funds?
After the program launches, all expectant mothers in participating communities who are 16+ weeks pregnant are eligible to enroll, as well as infants born no earlier than the program launch date.
How much money do mothers receive?
Cleveland mothers will receive $4,500. This includes one-time, $1,500 transfers upon enrollment during pregnancy, followed by 6 monthly payments of $500 during their infant’s first year of life.
Can dads or non-birthing parents receive payments?
Only birthing parents can receive the prenatal payment, as it’s intended to support development in utero. Infant payments are intended to follow the child, so if a birthing parent is not the baby’s primary caregiver, the primary caregiver, including fathers, adoptive and foster parents, and other non-birthing parents, can sign up for the program.
When will people receive the money?
Participating families are eligible for payments from their community’s launch date.
Enrollment is on a rolling basis, and new babies have joined the Rx Kids family every day since January 2024.
How long will the program run?
We’re aiming to deliver cash to families for 2 years in Cleveland at a minimum. By becoming an Rx Kids donor, you’re helping bridge this gap to ensure we can reach at least 400 babies born annually across the three highest-need zip codes in Cleveland for two years. Bringing Rx Kids to these communities requires $4.9M to cover cash transfers and program expenses. Help us dream big and raise $50M to support every mom in the city!
How will you study the program’s impact?
Rx Kids has an exceptionally high take up rate, which allows us to conduct extensive community-level analysis using government and health system data.
Researchers at Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative and partnering research institutions in Ohio will conduct mixed methods evaluations.
To date, the research on Rx Kids in Michigan has examined whether the program improves birth outcomes, maternal health, early childhood health, financial stability, health care utilization, and community economic and civic well-being. This approach includes quantitative and qualitative analysis of administrative records and recipient surveys, alongside interviews with participating mothers.
What do you do with excess funds raised?
If for any reason we are unable to deliver all funds raised to expectant mothers enrolled in Rx Kids, donations will be delivered to other low-income Americans in need.
Similarly, if a donor makes a recurring donation, any future payments made after the campaign closes will be allocated to other U.S. cash programs.
What is GiveDirectly?
We’re a nonprofit that lets you send money directly to the world’s poorest, no strings attached. In the last decade, we’ve delivered cash to over 2 million people across 15 countries, and we research the impacts it can have for families in need.
What if I’d like to make a major gift?
We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org.
Are donations tax-deductible?
Yes, donations are tax-deductible in the United States. GiveDirectly is a registered 501(c)(3), and our U.S. federal EIN is 27-1661997.
We accept all major credit and debit cards, PayPal, checks, wires, stocks, cryptocurrencies, and more. Reach out to us at info@givedirectly.org for more information on ways to give.