BIRTH Fund

BIRTH Fund is sponsored by City of Indianapolis. Provides no-strings-attached cash assistance to low-income mothers during pregnancy and the first three years of their child's life.

The BIRTH Fund will give $20k to pregnant moms in Indianapolis Ayana and her baby, Gravity, in a provided photo from The Bridge Project. The family is participating in programming in New York City. Soon, moms selected in Indianapolis will receive monthly payments to support their birth journeys.

Credit: Provided photo/The Bridge Project 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: 27 weeks pregnant at most Have a family income of $39,000 or less 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. Baby Cozneice in a provided photo from The Bridge Project.

Her family participates in programming in Milwaukee. Soon, moms selected in Indianapolis will receive monthly payments to support their birth journeys. Credit: Provided photo/The Bridge Project 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. ” Apply for a spot on The Bridge Project’s website or attend a local outreach event to learn more: Southeast Community Services, noon to 2 p. m.

Edna Martin Christian Center, 1 to 3 p. m. Hawthorne Community Center, 3 to 5 p.

m. International District, 3 to 5 p. m.

Gleaners, 9:30 a. m. to 1 p.

m. Lords Pantry, 5:30 to 7 p. m.

Frederick Douglass, 3 to 5 p. m. Gleaners, 10 a.

m. to noon Lords Pantry, 11 a. m.

to 1 p. m. Frederick Douglass, 11 a.

m. to 1 pm. A correction was made on November 5, 2025 : Due to incorrect information received from a source, an earlier version of this article misstated the pregnancy requirements for applying to the BIRTH Fund.

The requirement is being 27 weeks pregnant at most. Mirror Indy reporter Mary Claire Molloy covers health. Reach her at 317-721-7648 or email maryclaire.

molloy@mirrorindy. org . Follow her on X @mcmolloy7 .

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Indy is giving 100 moms $20k each to support their birth journeys by Mary Claire Molloy, Mirror Indy <h1>Indy is giving 100 moms $20k each to support their birth journeys</h1> <p class="byline">by Mary Claire Molloy, Mirror Indy <br />November 5, 2025</p> <p>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.

</p> <p>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. </p> <p>For 100 moms in Indianapolis, this is about to be a reality.

</p> <p>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:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>27 weeks pregnant at most</li> <li>Have a family income of $39,000 or less</li> <li>Live in the following ZIP codes: 46241, 46222, 46237, 46219, 46218, 46201 and 46235</li> <div class="wp-block-group is-style-border"> <div style="min-height:650px" id="datawrapper-vis-wk73l"><img src="https://datawrapper. dwcdn. net/wk73l/full.

png" alt="New program offers cash assistance to low-income moms (Choropleth map)" /></div> <p>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. </p> <p>Studies show infant mortality rates are linked to <a href="https://www.

nichd. nih. gov/health/topics/infant-mortality/topicinfo/reduce-risk?

anchor=2#addressing" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poor nutrition</a>, lack of access to <a href="https://www. nichd. nih.

gov/health/topics/infant-mortality/topicinfo/reduce-risk? anchor=3#getting" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">prenatal care</a> and doctors, <a href="https://pmc. ncbi.

nlm. nih. gov/articles/PMC8870826/#sec2-children-09-00257" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">systemic racism</a> and <a href="https://pmc.

ncbi. nlm. nih.

gov/articles/PMC8870826/#sec2-children-09-00257" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">poverty</a>. In Indiana, Black babies are about <a href="https://www. in.

gov/health/mch/files/2023-Infant-Mortality-Morbidity. pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">twice as likely</a> to die during birth or up to a year after. </p> <p>“We have ZIP codes here where infant mortality is 200% higher than the national average,” Tapper told Mirror Indy.

“About <a href="https://www. stats. indiana.

edu/profiles/profiles. asp? scope_choice=a&county_changer=18097" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">1 in 5 children</a> in Marion County are already living in poverty.

It makes sense to put cash in the pockets of families that need it most. ”</p> <p>The fund is based on a national model from <a href="https://www. bridgeproject.

org/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Bridge Project</a>, 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. </p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://mirrorindy.

org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/BIRTH-FUND-1-1024x768. jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-66333" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Baby Cozneice in a provided photo from The Bridge Project. Her family participates in programming in Milwaukee.

Soon, moms selected in Indianapolis will receive monthly payments to support their birth journeys. </figcaption></figure> <p>Research shows the <a href="https://www. bridgeproject.

org/work#research" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">initiative is working</a>: Moms who participate report finding stable housing and work, saving money, breastfeeding more often and improving their mental health. </p> <p>“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. ”</p> <p>Current Bridge Project participants, Fritzberg said, often use their stipends on rent, groceries, medical care, utilities, child care and education. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-testimony-from-wisconsin">Testimony from Wisconsin</h2> <p>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. </p> <p>“Those funds definitely kept me afloat,” Porter told Mirror Indy. “It will put you in a position to provide for your baby.

”</p> <p>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. </p> <p>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.

</p> <p>“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.

”</p> <div class="wp-block-group has-light-gray-background-color has-background"> <h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-to-apply">How to apply</h2> <p>Apply for a spot on <a href="https://www. bridgeproject. org/apply" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Bridge Project’s website</a> or attend a local outreach event to learn more:</p> <p>🗓️ Wednesday, Nov.

5:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Southeast Community Services, noon to 2 p. m. </li> <li>Edna Martin Christian Center, 1 to 3 p.

m. </li> <li>Hawthorne Community Center, 3 to 5 p. m.

</li> <li>International District, 3 to 5 p. m. </li> <li>Daystar, 3:30 to 6 p.

m. </li> <li>Gleaners, 9:30 a. m.

to 1 p. m. </li> <li>Lords Pantry, 5:30 to 7 p.

m. </li> <li>Frederick Douglass, 3 to 5 p. m.

</li> <p>🗓️ Saturday Nov. 8:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>Gleaners, 10 a. m.

to noon</li> <li>Lords Pantry, 11 a. m. to 1 p.

m. </li> <li>Frederick Douglass, 11 a. m.

to 1 pm. </li> <p><strong><em>A correction was made on November 5, 2025</em></strong>: <em>Due to incorrect information received from a source, an earlier version of this article misstated the pregnancy requirements for applying to the BIRTH Fund. The requirement is being 27 weeks pregnant at most.

</em></p></p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://mirrorindy. org/indianapolis-the-birth-fund-bridge-project-infant-mortality-joe-hogsett/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://mirrorindy. org">Mirror Indy</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.

org/licenses/by-nd/4. 0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4. 0 International License</a>.

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