Pregnant women in Philadelphia will be paid $1,000 a month as part of a trial program hoping to lower infant mortality rates in the city.
Starting next year, 250 expectant mothers will receive the no-strings-attached payments from their third month of pregnancy through their baby's first birthday.
The pilot program, known as the Philly Joy Bank, will operate in the areas of the city with the highest rates of low birth weights — Cobbs Creek, Strawberry Mansion and Nicetown-Tioga.
Of the ten most populated cities in the US, Philadelphia has the highest rate of infant mortality.
The scheme also comes amid a baby bust across America that is seeing fewer women than ever having children, amid changing family values.
Announcing the scheme at a news conference on Monday, Dr Stacey Kallem, director of the Philadelphia Department of Public Health's Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, said: 'The no-strings-attached is key.
'We are respecting the dignity and autonomy of program participants to use the funds as they see fit to improve their health and the health of their babies.'
The city's infant mortality rate is 1.5 higher than the national average, and black babies are over four times more likely to die before their first birthday than white babies.
The scheme is inspired by similar offerings in other states. In Manitoba in Canada, pregnant women can get up to $81 a month.
Meanwhile, the Abundant Birth Project pilot in San Francisco provides $1,000 monthly to mothers-to-be for a year.
The Philadelphia pilot program needs to reach its funding target of $6 million in order to begin in 2024.
'Research has shown that supporting pregnant people with cash payments can improve birth outcomes that are associated with infant mortality, including low birth weight and prematurity,' said Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole at the news conference on Monday.
