Baltimore voters have approved a taxpayer-funded program that will provide financial assistance to new and expectant parents, as families continue to face rising living costs. The ballot measure passed by about 70% to 30%.
Known as Question I, the measure amends the city charter to establish a permanent budget line for the Baltimore Baby Fund. Organizers gathered more than the 10,000 valid signatures needed to put it before voters.
The city will direct 3 cents for every $100 of assessed taxable property value into the fund, which is projected to raise about $17 million in its first year. Newborns enrolled in the program will qualify for a one-time payment. Expectant and new parents may also be eligible for additional help, including a pregnancy payment, monthly assistance or other support.
The Baltimore City Council will decide the program’s specific eligibility rules and how payments are distributed through later legislation.
The effort was led by grassroots organizers with the Maryland Child Alliance and backed by Mayor Brandon Scott, a national co-chair of Mayors for Guaranteed Income.
Shafeka Hashash, who directs cash initiatives at the Economic Security Project, said the result reflected voters’ support for giving new parents direct financial help. The organization has supported the creation of dozens of guaranteed-income programs around the country.
Hashash pointed to the rising cost of essentials, including food, fuel, health care and child care, and said many families’ wages have not kept pace. The financial strain can intensify around childbirth, she added, citing research that found poverty rises 45% between the final month of pregnancy and the first month after birth.
Direct payments, Hashash said, can help families cover everyday needs such as diapers and a crib, as well as larger expenses like hospital bills or child care. She described the approach as straightforward and said she was interested to see how Baltimore families benefit.
Emily Yu, the campaign’s manager, credited local residents and public servants with building support for the measure. She said the campaign’s success showed there was considerable interest in the proposal and encouraged other communities to pursue similar efforts.
Tegan Lecheler, national program director of the Mother & Infant Cash Coalition, said families across political groups are concerned about affordability and health care. The coalition, founded in 2023, grew out of a wider push for direct financial support for young families.
Lecheler, who previously managed operations for The Bridge Project, an unrestricted cash assistance initiative launched in 2021, said interest in direct payments grew quickly during the COVID-19 pandemic. She argued that programs for new families can address cost concerns and show that local government is responding to residents’ needs.
The new fund builds on an earlier Baltimore initiative. From August 2022 through July 2024, the Baltimore Young Families Success Fund gave unconditional monthly payments of $1,000 to 200 low-income parents ages 18 to 24. Participants had incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level, and the pilot was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act.
