Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott has thrown his support behind a November ballot initiative to create a permanent, taxpayer-funded "Baby Fund" offering cash payments, subsidies or supplies to parents of newborns. The measure, backed by the Baltimore Baby Fund campaign, follows Scott's own guaranteed-income pilot for young parents and reflects a wider trend of US cities experimenting with direct cash assistance to tackle poverty and the rising cost of living.

If approved by voters, the ballot measure would amend Baltimore's city charter to permanently earmark 3 cents per $100 of assessed property value for the fund, with the City Council setting eligibility and disbursement rules later. Organisers gathered more than the required 10,000 signatures to secure a place on the ballot. The scheme is modelled on Michigan's Rx Kids programme, which gives expectant mothers $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 monthly after birth, and builds on Scott's 2022–2024 Baltimore Young Families Success Fund, which he says improved participants' finances and wellbeing. Neither Scott's office nor the campaign responded to requests for comment.