Indianapolis launching program to support pregnant women in areas with high infant mortality rates

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Imagine this: You’re pregnant and a nonprofit gives you $1,125. You can spend it on anything: prenatal care, transportation to appointments, a crib for your new baby.

After you give birth, more cash is on the way each month: $750 for the first 15 months of the baby’s life, and $375 for the following 21 months. Over the course of three years, you receive about $20,000 to support your family.

For 100 moms in Indianapolis, this is about to be a reality.

Mayor Joe Hogsett’s administration is launching the BIRTH Fund, a program supporting pregnant mothers living in ZIP codes with the city’s highest infant mortality rates. To qualify for the payments, you must be:

1. 18 or older

2. 27 weeks pregnant at most

3. Have a family income of $39,000 or less

4. Live in the following ZIP codes: 46241, 46222, 46237, 46219, 46218, 46201 and 46235

Benjamin Tapper, who heads the city’s Office of Equity, Belonging and Inclusion, wants the infusion of cash to help mothers and their children stay healthy. The office is working with the Indianapolis Foundation and private donors to fund the program.

Studies show infant mortality rates are linked to poor nutrition, lack of access to prenatal care and doctors, systemic racism and poverty. In Indiana, Black babies are about twice as likely to die during birth or up to a year after.

“We have ZIP codes here where infant mortality is 200% higher than the national average,” Tapper told Mirror Indy. “About 1 in 5 children in Marion County are already living in poverty. It makes sense to put cash in the pockets of families that need it most.”

The fund is based on a national model from The Bridge Project, a nonprofit sending money to low-income mothers across the country. The group already has active programs in the Midwest, including Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Research shows the initiative is working: Moms who participate report finding stable housing and work, saving money, breastfeeding more often and improving their mental health.

“We are filling the gap between what public assistance covers and what people actually need to survive,” said Suzanna Fritzberg, the project’s executive director. “When you resource families without strings attached, children grow up healthier.”

Current Bridge Project participants, Fritzberg said, often use their stipends on rent, groceries, medical care, utilities, child care and education.

In Milwaukee, Jasmine Porter joined a similar program in 2024 before giving birth to her third child. The 35-year-old said the payments allowed her to take maternity leave, apply for a master’s program and decorate a nursery.

“Those funds definitely kept me afloat,” Porter told Mirror Indy. “It will put you in a position to provide for your baby.”

In addition to the financial support, there’s another component in Indianapolis: Participants will meet with community health workers, who can help them access doulas, health insurance, child care vouchers and transportation.

They will also be connected with local hospitals for prenatal care and the Marion County Public Health Department, which provides safe sleep courses, emergency formula and free diapers.

“If you are surviving and making ends meet, you are already a creative and inventive person,” Tapper said. “We trust that people know what they need. Our job is to connect them with resources.”

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This story was originally published by Mirror Indy and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.