GiveDirectly

05/19/2026

⚠️ Emergency response alert: Ebola outbreak, DRC

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is seeing rising cases of Ebola, having now reached 100+ deaths and 500+ suspected cases.

Direct cash transfers to affected communities helps to prevent people living in poverty from being pushed even deeper into crisis.

Cash enables recipients to spend on what's needed most, made possible through transfers from donated funds.

Give money directly to families impacted now: GiveDirectly.org/ebola

04/16/2026

The US-Iran war may be thousands of miles away from countries like Malawi, yet its effects are already being felt.

Malawi raised petrol prices 34% and diesel 35% in a single regulatory adjustment. In a landlocked country where nearly everything moves by truck, that’s an immediate food price problem.

CNN reports that fuel prices across Africa have risen by as much as 15%-40%.

For people already living on very little, even a small price increase can mean cutting back on meals, or not being able to afford transport to work or a clinic.

Only this week, United Nations named targeted and temporary cash transfers as their recommended policy response to this price shock.

We're continuing to deliver cash transfer, supporting communities living in extreme poverty during this price shock.

Learn more at https://www.givedirectly.org/hormuz-africa

04/01/2026

We've heard your feedback: 85 cents of every dollar going directly to people in extreme poverty is way too efficient. We're fixing that.

GiveDirectly cordially invites you to The Inefficiency Gala — a black tie gala so expensive and logistically complex that by midnight we'll have closed the gap with other charities.

Join us for:
→ Keynotes from consultants who have never been to Africa
→ Panel: "Is Direct Cash Too Efficient?"
→ The cast of White Lotus Season 4, PJ'ed in for the night
→ Pierce Brosnan singing the Mamma Mia soundtrack in full
→ Open bar, charged to our new "Party Planning" team (approx. 90% of 2026 expenses)

Black tie. No impact. RSVP: luma.com/xrvgeqyj

100% of funds raised go to paying for the gala, plus a few Banksys for the office.

Sponsored by Friends of Overhead & The International Middlemen Guild.

GiveDirectly sends cash directly to people in extreme poverty – about 85 cents of every dollar donated goes straight to the recipient. We’ve heard your…

03/12/2026

"What about sending money to people directly? The bulk of humanitarian aid still passes through established charities and agencies like the United Nations. But there’s also the increasingly popular idea of sending cash directly to people, something that has been done informally for centuries through remittances and mutual aid.

A growing body of research shows that even in fragile conflict zones, people often strongly prefer receiving cash — which they can then spend however they need to — over relief items like food parcels, hygiene kits, or blankets. The nonprofit GiveDirectly has pioneered the use of technology to get cash aid to people fast, and is actively exploring how to help those affected by this conflict through a newly launched emergency fund.

Historically, most of GiveDirectly’s work has focused on people living in extreme poverty, rather than specifically targeting those living in conflict zones. But the organization has also more recently expanded to providing emergency relief to families affected by conflicts like the Yemeni civil war and armed clashes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

One way the group works is through cellphone metadata, which can help identify people who are likely in need. In this case, that may include displaced people in Lebanon, Iranian refugees entering Turkey, or Malawians affected by rising fertilizer costs. GiveDirectly then screens those people for eligibility via text, and sends them cash through mobile payment platforms.

The process tends to be “cleaner, faster, more objective, and cheaper” than more traditional outreach methods like knocking door-to-door, said Leith Baker, who runs GiveDirectly’s emergency cash strategy. It’s a “really protective, dignified way to receive money” that “gives the recipient a lot of choice and protection.”

Once the group’s outreach system is in place, it also works exceptionally fast, which makes it an especially promising option for people in rapidly evolving conflict zones. You can help GiveDirectly with its plans to send cash to those affected by the conflict by donating here.

For other ways to send cash directly, plenty of local advocates in Lebanon and across the region have also begun creating and sharing mutual aid funds for local families and organizations, like Nation Station, a volunteer-led community kitchen in Beirut, Lebanon."

Full Vox article: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/482272/help-iran-war-humanitarian-aid

03/09/2026

Ramadan ends in 10 days and so does our Zakat campaign for 900 families in Mozambique.

Giving Zakat as direct cash empowers families in poverty to choose how best to address the many crises they face from extreme poverty, armed conflict, natural disasters and health risks.

100% of Zakat given through this page will be delivered directly to Zakat-eligible families in need. Each family will receive $550 each, no strings attached.

Help us reach all 900 families in northern Mozambique at givedirectly.org/zakat2026/?ref=fb10days

03/06/2026

Why the Iran conflict will also hurt Africa. Learn more at GiveDirectly.org/relief

From GiveDirectly CEO Nick Allardice

03/05/2026

The recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran have triggered a fast-moving humanitarian and economic crisis. We're actively scoping three areas for a potential emergency cash response:

🌍 Turkey & neighboring countries: If the Iran conflict escalates into sustained fighting or civil unrest, we could see refugee movements comparable to Syria and Ukraine. We've worked in Turkey before and are building the infrastructure now so we're not starting from scratch.

🇱🇧 Lebanon: Israeli airstrikes have already triggered displacement. We're assessing whether emergency cash can reach affected families quickly.

🌽 Malawi and our other countries of operation: This crisis isn't only about people fleeing military strikes. Fuel and fertilizer prices are spiking globally, impacting the world's poorest. In a landlocked country like Malawi, where families spend most of their income on food and everything moves by truck, a shock like this arrives fast and hits hard.

We haven't launched a cash response yet, so why give now?

The gap between "crisis declared" and "cash delivered" is when the need is greatest. Donors who give to our emergency fund now mean we can act in days, not weeks, when the picture becomes clearer. We've done it before after Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, the LA fires, and the Turkey-Syria earthquake.

If you want to help, visit

Help us get cash to families hit hardest by the escalating conflict in Iran and across the Middle East — wherever the need is greatest.

02/19/2026

Yesterday, we sent the first 900 payments to families in Madagascar hit by Cyclone Fytia – that’s 18 days from landfall to cash-in-hand in one of the hardest operating contexts in the world.

You probably didn’t see it in the news: Madagascar – one of the poorest countries on earth – was hit by two major cyclones in two weeks.

First Fytia displaced over 31,000 people. Then Cyclone Gezani made landfall on Feb 10 as one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the region and destroyed up to 75% of the country’s second-largest city. Between the two storms over 680,000 have been affected.

How can we help? Giving direct cash lets families decide what they need most whether that’s food, rebuilding materials, or getting kids back in school.

Here's how we do it:

🛰️ Use poverty and flood impact data to identified areas with high needs in Madagascar

📝 Set up hot-spot enrollment kiosks with tablets to assist people in registering for aid

📲 Send payments full remotely to their phones via Orange Money

02/17/2026

🌙Ramadan Mubarak. GiveDirectly is launching a Zakat fund to send cash to families in Mozambique.

Mozambique has been called “the forgotten crisis”, with 4 in 5 people living in extreme poverty. In the predominantly Muslim villages in the north, families are facing overlapping crises:

🚨Ongoing conflict
🌀Worsening cyclones
⚕️High rates of malaria and infant mortality

100% of donations will be delivered directly to Zakat-eligible families, with each family receiving $550 in direct cash so they can choose what they need most: food, repairs, healthcare, school costs, or rebuilding after shocks. Give now at givedirectly.org/zakat →

02/13/2026

Canva Co-Founder Cliff Obrecht explained why they're doing something truly bold: attempting to end extreme poverty in an entire region of Malawi. They've put $150m into direct cash transfers, entrusting the poorest to decide for themselves what they need most.

The early results show tens of thousands of families eating more, earning more, starting businesses, and living more dignified lives. All from one-time cash, no strings attached.

Canva didn't wait until they were 'big enough' to give. They started this partnership while still building the company. Their work can serve as a model for how philanthropists can create major change today: Pick an impossible-sounding goal. Commit serious resources. Measure everything. Prove the model works. Inspire others.

"The idea of ending extreme poverty seems unachievable," GiveDirectly cofounder Michael Faye said in their conversation. "But when we actually break it down, it's incredibly affordable and achievable. And until this Canva partnership, we never had the ambition to say, what if we took a region? What if we took a country and just proved to the world that this can be done. Like what excuses left?"

Watch the Web Summit Qatar conversation on what bold, focused philanthropy can accomplish. Learn more at givedirectly.org/district-scale

02/11/2026

TIME100 Health recognizes efforts to change how health works, including programs delivering cash to new mothers.

Around the world, evidence is mounting that direct cash to mothers is a powerful maternal and infant health intervention—reducing stress, improving birth outcomes, and giving families the stability they need at the most critical moment.

This recognition reflects a broader shift: addressing financial security not as charity, but as core health infrastructure.

Claris, a mother from Kenya, explains why:

“The doctors told me my weight was too low to continue carrying the pregnancy. By then, I was already three months along. We were eating once a day, and sometimes not at all.

When the GiveDirectly money came, the first thing I did was buy two large bags of maize, rice, beans, and enough to keep us going through my pregnancy. I went back to the hospital last month, and the nurse smiled when she saw the numbers: my weight had risen from 37kg to 57kg.”

TIME recognized two GiveDirectly programs:

🇰🇪 Cash to families in Kenya - Nick Allardice: https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2026/7362580/nick-allardice-health/

🇺🇸 Cash to new moms in Michigan - Dr. Mona Hanna: https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2026/7362582/mona-hanna/

We’re grateful to stand alongside clinicians, researchers, and partners working to build health systems that trust families and deliver results