BALTIMORE — A ballot question that would establish a fund to issue payments to parents of newborn children in Baltimore City, in hopes of fighting child poverty, has been approved to appear on ballots this fall.

The Maryland Child Alliance, a coalition of teachers and advocates that collected more than 13,000 signatures in support of the effort, was notified Monday by the Baltimore City Board of Elections that the group met the 10,000-signature threshold necessary to secure a spot on the ballot.

The question, which is among many circulated for the ballot this year, would create a Baby Bonus fund that would issue one-time $1,000 payments to parents upon the birth or adoption of a child.

Organizers argue the payments will improve the lives of children and families, benefiting the broader economy. The first months of a child’s life are critical to development, but that’s also when parents are at their most economically vulnerable, said Nate Golden, president of the Maryland Child Alliance, which was founded in 2022.

“Families can’t afford the things that they need, and you’re left with this terrible recipe where that could impact a kid forever,” Golden said. “We want all kids lifted out of poverty, but where do you get the most bang for your buck? It’s with babies and newborns.”

If approved by voters, the fund, which is structured in the image of Baltimore’s Children and Youth Fund, would cost the city at least $7 million annually to make $1,000 payments to the roughly 7,000 families who welcome a child each year. It would be up to the Baltimore City Council and the mayor to figure out where to get the money necessary to fill the fund.

While the fund is aimed at curbing child poverty, the payments would be universal, not income-qualified. Golden said making the fund universal would make it easier for the city to administrate, but also make it more nimble to assist parents who may be missed by other tax credits.

“We want to make sure we help the families that are always getting forgotten by every level of government, and the easiest way to do that is a universal payment,” he said.

The Baltimore proposal closely resembles a program that began in Flint, Michigan this year. There, parents are given $1,500 during a pregnancy and an additional $500 during an infant’s first year. Like the Baltimore proposal, there are no income restrictions. Baby bonuses are more common overseas where they have at times been used to bolster low fertility rates. Numerous European countries offer universal benefits.

Baltimore has already been experimenting with other forms of city-subsidized income. A guaranteed income pilot program has been issuing $1,000 in unconditional monthly cash assistance to a select group of Baltimore parents since August 2022. A study conducted at the halfway point of the pilot, which is due to expire this month, showed participants increased their monthly income and the number living in independent situations also increased. Participants’ unemployment remained more than twice as high compared with the average Baltimore resident, though labor force participation jumped from 64% to 71%.

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