In January 2024, Flint, Michigan, became the first city in the country to launch a universal, unconditional maternal and infant cash prescription program. Through Rx Kids, every pregnant person in Flint receives a $1,500 prenatal grant and $500 per month per baby for the baby’s first year-a total of $7,500 per child.
Flint is just the beginning. Following its early success, Rx Kids has expanded to other cities in Michigan, potentially becoming a statewide program and national model.
Rx Kids is administered by GiveDirectly, an internationally recognized nonprofit that delivers unconditional cash transfers to low-income families across the U.S. and around the world. From eligibility logic and application design to disbursements and research data collection, AidKit’s secure and configurable platform supports GiveDirectly’s implementation of Rx Kids and helped reach over 1,400 families in its first year-achieving a ~100% uptake rate among new Flint mothers.
Rx Kids was designed to upend historical and systemic place-based inequities, eliminate infant poverty and bolster family financial security, reduce disparities, improve health equity, and lower costs for families while revitalizing local economies.
As the Rx Kids team describes it, the program is “a prescription for health, hope, and opportunity.”
Partnership Wins: How AidKit Helped GiveDirectly Deliver at Scale
1. Seamless Universal Design for Citywide Access
To deliver a universal and dignified experience at scale, GiveDirectly used AidKit’s platform to power eligibility, intake, and enrollment for the Rx Kids program. The system was configured to:
- Validate Flint residency via ZIP code and address matching.
- Collect Medicaid status to support TANF reimbursement on the backend.
- Route payments according to funder type without changing the user experience.
- Enable mobile-first, multilingual, login-free enrollment.
“Through its design, Rx Kids is delivered dignified and efficiently.”
-Rx Kids TANF Playbook (July 2024)
2. A Dignified, Participant-Centered Experience
To make enrollment intuitive and stress-free, GiveDirectly used AidKit’s technology to deliver a streamlined, mobile-friendly experience tailored to families’ real needs. The platform supported:
- Uploading of proof of identity, residency, pregnancy, and/or baby birth or guardianship.
- Yes/no attestation about financial strain (e.g., trouble affording diapers, food, or prenatal care).
- Multilingual access for non-English speakers.
- A mobile-first design accessible on any smartphone.
- Multiple payment options, including ACH and debit cards. Participants could choose to receive their card by mail or pick it up in person-especially helpful for those in rural areas, without a bank account, or on medical bedrest.
“I didn’t have to go out asking for assistance. I am able to enjoy this first year with my baby.”
-Darreka M., Rx Kids participant
3. Smart Payments that Protect Public Benefits
To minimize the risk of disrupting families’ access to other public benefits, GiveDirectly used AidKit’s platform to securely manage payments, collect participant Medicaid status, and coordinate funding sources on the backend. Every family receives the same benefit regardless of income or insurance status. Still, Medicaid information is collected during enrollment to allow the Rx Kids program to be reimbursed by the State of Michigan for the first four payments for Medicaid-covered participants.
AidKit’s technology supports:
- Payments delivered as non-taxable gifts, helping protect benefit eligibility.
- Backend routing of payments via TANF or philanthropic funds without affecting the participant experience.
- Compliance with key benefit rules, including:
- MAGI (Modified Adjusted Gross Income), which excludes non-taxable gifts from Medicaid and CHIP income calculations.
- NRST (Non-Recurrent Short-Term) benefits, a TANF category for temporary cash support that doesn’t trigger work requirements or time limits.
Program Impact & Momentum
Program Metrics
Phase 1: Flint
- Launched: January 2024
- Families Served: 1,400+
- Funds Delivered: $6M+
- Uptake Rate: ~100% of newborns in Flint
- Benefit Design: $1,500 during pregnancy, followed by $500 per month per baby for the first year of life.
Phase 2: Kalamazoo, Eastern Upper Peninsula, Wayne County, Oakland County
- Launched: Kalamazoo (February 2025), Eastern Upper Peninsula (March 2025), Pontiac - Oakland County (May 2025), Wayne County (scheduled for Fall 2025)
- Families Served: 700+ and growing
- Funds Delivered: $2M+ and growing
Survey and Research Outcomes
Early results from participant surveys and a maternal well-being study show strong signs of impact:
- 88% said Rx Kids helped them make ends meet.
- 84% felt more confident as parents.
- 67% said it improved the health of themselves and their babies.
“Rx Kids helps them to access health care services, be more secure in their finances, feel more confident in their parenting… consistent with other evidence on maternal and infant cash benefits.”
-From the Rx Kids Research Brief (Fall 2024), authored by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha and Dr. Luke Shaefer
- 0% eviction rate among Rx Kids families since giving birth.
- 10-point drop in depressive symptoms compared to the 2023 Flint cohort Expansion Across Michigan
Building on its success in Flint, Rx Kids is scaling across Michigan through a robust public-private partnership that includes bipartisan legislative support, state funding, and philanthropic contributions.
The expansion is backed by a $20 million allocation from the Michigan state budget, supplemented by philanthropic funding. This financial support enables Rx Kids to extend its reach to additional communities. The program aims to provide universal, unconditional cash assistance to pregnant women and new mothers, addressing infant poverty across the state.
“Our goal was never just about Flint. This was about creating a replicable kind of playbook of how to do this in other places.”
-Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Rx Kids Director (“Michigan doctor who revealed Flint water crisis now takes on child poverty,” The Guardian, April 25, 2024)
“The goal is not for it to end at Flint. The goal is: we want to make sure that we’re helping all these mothers and babies.”
-State Senator John Cherry (“Rx Kids Expands Cash Assistance for Michigan Families, Offering Stability and Hope,” The Michigan Chronicle, February 17, 2025)
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With continued support, Rx Kids is poised to become a model for combating child poverty and improving maternal and infant health outcomes across Michigan.
“Rx Kids is a cornerstone-we’re paying an entire city of moms and babies in Flint at a critical time in their lives.”
-Laura Keen, U.S. Director, GiveDirectly
The Bigger Picture
Rx Kids is more than a program-it’s a proof of concept. Pairing bold policies with trusted partners demonstrates that unconditional support for families is possible and powerful. The program’s success is rooted in thoughtful design, collaborative delivery, and the proper infrastructure to support scale, security, and impact.
As Rx Kids continues to expand across Michigan, it offers a replicable, data-backed blueprint for a new kind of safety net that starts early, builds trust, and sets a new standard for how we care for parents and babies in their most vulnerable moments.
“Rx Kids would not be possible without some AidKit superheroes.”
-Laura Keen, U.S. Director, GiveDirectly
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