Dearborn’s Rx Kids program offers eligible pregnant residents a $1,500 prenatal payment and eligible families up to six monthly payments of $500 per baby. The program invites eligible families to apply.

The program, which launched Nov. 1, 2025, provides the prenatal payment to residents who apply at 16 or more weeks of pregnancy, before their baby is born. Infant payments are $500 per month per baby for up to six months. Families can spend the money however they choose.

The program is open to eligible Dearborn residents, regardless of income. According to the city's Rx Kids page, the universal design is meant to reduce stigma and break cycles of poverty.

Who qualifies

To enroll, applicants must be Dearborn residents and either at least 16 weeks pregnant or the parent or guardian of a baby six months old or younger born on or after Nov. 1, 2025. Applicants must be 18 or older, or 16 or 17 with a parent or legal guardian's consent, according to the Rx Kids participant guide.

Eligibility requires living within Dearborn's city limits. A Dearborn mailing address alone is not enough.

Only birthing parents can receive the $1,500 prenatal payment. If the birthing parent is not the baby's primary caregiver, fathers, adoptive parents, foster parents and other guardians can sign up for the monthly infant payments.

Mothers who apply after their baby is born are not eligible for the $1,500 prenatal payment but may qualify for monthly infant payments. The guide says missed months cannot be paid retroactively.

How to apply

Residents apply through the application link on the city's Rx Kids page. Applicants need documents showing identity, Dearborn residency and pregnancy or guardianship status. The city says applicants can expect to hear back within two to four weeks.

The participant guide says a brief survey is required after each payment to receive the next payment.

The city says payments are a tax-exempt charitable gift under IRS rules and do not count as income on tax returns. However, WIC benefits may be affected for families not also receiving Food Assistance Program benefits or Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income recipients may see reduced benefits. The city recommends speaking with a caseworker before applying.

Program background

Rx Kids was created by Dr. Mona Hanna and first launched in Flint in 2024. The program is led by Michigan State University and administered by GiveDirectly.

Ali Abazeed, identified as Dearborn's founding director and chief public health officer in the city's Nov. 12, 2025, announcement, said that the city worked to bring Rx Kids to Dearborn because of the scale of need. "Direct cash. No conditions. Pure dignity," Abazeed said.

Funding comes from county, state and federal grants, plus private donations, according to the city. The November 2025 announcement listed support from the City of Dearborn, Wayne County, the State of Michigan, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan and a congressionally directed federal grant secured by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters.