GiveDirectly💸

Is it nuts to give cash to the poor without strings attached? That’s not a rhetorical question; it’s the headline the New York Times ran the first time they covered GiveDirectly. Last month on VoxDev, we reposted @indevmag's first piece by @PaulFNiehaus: voxdev.org/topic/social-p…

"I'm an emotional person. I'm also a crier. I've been caught in active addiction since I was 14. There have been a lot of barriers that stopped me from growing and getting out of active addiction. I couldn't get a driver's license, so I walked two hours to my 14-hour job and two hours back home every day. I associated those 18-hour days with my past relapses. But then came GiveDirectly’s RISE GMI (Rural Income for Self Empowerment Guaranteed Minimum Income). I didn't know I was going to be able to buy my son presents for Christmas. He's 14, and he had a great Christmas because of it. Programs like this allow people to get their license, pay their bills and change their life for the better. I think that we need more love like this in the world. One day I hope I'm in a position to pay it forward. I'm not saying it is and I'm not saying it ain't, but there's a good chance this might make the difference for me to stay sober.” Stephen in the USA Learn more about our work in the USA at GiveDirectly.org/united-states

Still searching for a Mother's Day gift? Make a donation in your mom's name, directly to a new mother in Kenya. Your cash goes straight into her hands, helping her and her baby flourish. givedirectly.org/mom

An insane bit in this piece on giving cash to poor people: Harvard's IRB nearly blocked a randomized trial because it "worried that giving people money might harm them"! indevelopmentmag.com/money-for-noth…

“The first time I received a cash transfer from GiveDirectly, it was life-saving. It was my due date and I was waiting at the hospital scared. I went into the delivery room not knowing how I would pay for the operation, the medication and everything else the hospital would ask. It was a successful delivery and that night as I was lying in bed wondering, the message hit my phone. I read it with so much joy and tears in my eyes. I immediately sent for clothes for the baby and paid for medication and food. This money came at the right time when I needed it most, now my baby is okay and I'm also recovering very well. A month later, GiveDirectly sent another cash transfer and this allowed my husband and I to join the village saving group. We also bought a new motorbike and my husband now runs a successful motortaxi business for us. We are saving to purchase another motorbike in the near future. I’m so grateful for the support that enabled me to deliver my baby safely and start a family business.” Bijoux in Uganda Learn more about our work in Uganda at GiveDirectly.org/uganda

@GiveDirectly is the one charity i've consistently given to since i started earning money. this article is great, written by GD's co-founder, and gets to the heart of why i love GD - they give agency to people who don't start with a lot, and prove it works with RCTs.

@GiveDirectly has been named one of TIME100's Most Influential Companies of 2026, recognized under both the 10 Most Influential Social Good Companies and Pioneer categories. We thank @TIME for this recognition and we remain unwavering in our mission to accelerate the end of extreme poverty. Learn more here ↓ time.com/collection/tim… #TIME100Companies

“I lost my father when I was still a small boy. The little I remember about him has stayed with me all these years. He was a caring man, the kind of father who would do whatever it took to make sure his family never went hungry. He always pushed me to take school seriously and work hard. Sometimes I sit and think, ‘if he had lived a bit longer, maybe my life would have taken a different path. Maybe I would have gone further with my education’. Now I am 68 years old. I got married and later became a widower. I have eight children, and they are all out there living their own lives. I am grateful for them but deep inside, there has always been one thing that made me feel like I failed somehow. I never managed to build my father a tombstone. So when I received money from GiveDirectly, I made up my mind. I told myself, if I do not do it now, I might never do it. I have kept $115 aside just for my father’s tombstone. Right now, I am only waiting for the rains to completely stop so the work can begin. Honestly, the support came at the right time. It feels like I will finally be able to do something I have carried in my heart for many years. It gives me peace just thinking about it. And I find myself hoping that one day, when I am gone, someone will also remember me this way.” Juliano in Malawi Learn more about our work in Malawi at GiveDirectly.org/malawi

Highly ecommended: @notanastronomer's new magazone InDevelopment, with a first isue featuring @PaulFNiehaus on the origins of GiveDirectly and cash transfers indevelopmentmag.com/money-for-noth…

$318 billion a year. New research from Paul Niehaus, cofounder of @GiveDirectly and economist at UC San Diego, reframes extreme poverty as a solvable math problem rather than a distant ambition. Paired with co-authors at UC Berkeley's Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) and Stanford, the team used AI-driven targeting to price the end of extreme poverty at just 0.3% of global GDP. As Devex reports, the question now is whether this clarity can move philanthropic capital off the sidelines. Key findings worth flagging for #ImpactInvesting and #Philanthropy leaders: 💰 $318B/yr would lift ~533 million people in 85 countries above the poverty line 📊 That's a fraction of what the world spends annually on alcohol (7x more) or cosmetics 🛰️ Machine learning on satellite and survey data enables household-level targeting 🎯 Direct cash transfers beat universal basic income on cost ($895B) and precision 💡 Over 100 individual philanthropists could each end poverty in a full country The bottleneck isn't feasibility anymore. It's donor conviction. Learn more: devex.com/news/can-putti…

“I have always seen mothers arrive with their children extremely malnourished in my four years at this hospital. Unfortunately, I have also seen many give up on treatment before the end. The main reasons they gave me was the distance to the hospital and the lack of money. This left me deeply frustrated, because we knew what needed to be done, but we had no way of solving the problem outside the hospital. Since GiveDirectly came, I see very clear changes. Mothers are coming to the hospital more, and they don't give up so easily. Many now have bicycles or even motorcycles, which makes it much easier to get around, especially as many communities are very far from the hospital. And the most incredible thing is that our figures for monthly discharges of children with malnutrition have improved a lot in a few months. We've even discharged 20 children just this month, which was unthinkable before. I've also noticed something that may seem small, but which shows a real transformation: hygiene. Mothers and children now arrive at the hospital wearing clean clothes. This shows not only a change in their financial situation, but also in their self-esteem and care for themselves.” Hafussa, Mecutamala Health Center, Mozambique Learn more about our work in Mozambique at GiveDirectly.org/mozambique

“I learned how to repair motorcycles in 2020 and eventually opened my own shop. Over time, I built a name for myself, and the business grew. I was earning enough to support my family, and I even got married, knowing I could provide. At first, my shop didn’t have the tools I needed, and the structure itself was weak. After receiving cash from GiveDirectly, I bought a toolbox, spanners, and benches for customers. I also replaced the grass roof with iron sheets, which has made it easier to work, even when it rains. My daily earnings increased, and the business was doing well. But in the past couple of weeks, things have started to slow down. Fuel prices have gone up quickly, and many people can no longer afford to use their motorbikes. Because of that, I’m seeing fewer customers, and my daily income has gone down. The support helped me improve my shop and grow my business, but now the rising fuel prices are making it harder to keep that alive.” Frank in Malawi Learn more from the link in our bio.

In Development, a new magazine on progress in the developing world, launches today! First piece: @PaulFNiehaus, on cash transfers, evidence, and a short history of @GiveDirectly.

The US-Iran war is driving up fuel prices across Africa. Learn more at givedirectly.org/hormuz-africa

Learn more ⬇️ givedirectly.org/hormuz-africa

The US-Iran war is hitting landlocked Africa hardest. Fuel & fertilizer up 20-30%. Smaller harvests coming. The UN's #1 recommended response? Cash transfers.