The speed of the cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development is probably the most significant shock wave to hit the sector since the start of official “Overseas Development Assistance” was classified in 1969. They are part of a wider trend — including cuts from the United Kingdom and many European donors — pushing us all to reevaluate the way forward. […]
Blog
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Operations, Recipients
How to explain AI/ML across the digital divide
When a crisis hits a low-income country, aid groups often struggle to quickly find and help those most in need because governments have incomplete or outdated information on their citizens (‘social registries’). This is why GiveDirectly has used mobile phone metadata and AI to predict people’s level of need and send them emergency cash quickly—often […]
Operations
Rethinking efficiency to better reflect our diverse cash programs
Minimizing costs maximizes our impact for the world’s poorest: in a million-dollar GiveDirectly program, increasing efficiency from 75% to 80% might allow us to give an additional 100 people cash.1 But efficiency is not the only important metric, as some higher-cost programs reach more vulnerable populations or unlock new funds to go directly to people in […]
Research
America’s $30B/year aid agency is embracing direct cash to reduce poverty
For the first time, America’s aid agency now specifically calls for using direct cash to address poverty In October, USAID released a position paper on Direct Monetary Transfers during an event at Center for Global Development that puts cash at the core of their development toolkit, framing it as an efficient and effective form of […]
Research
Direct cash looks 3-4x more cost-effective in a new GiveWell assessment
For those unfamiliar, GiveWell is a charity evaluator dedicated to finding outstanding giving opportunities by carefully assessing evidence to help donors decide where to give. GiveWell funds charities that they believe save or improve lives most cost-effectively. They do this by assigning ‘moral weights’ to specific outcomes based on the subjective judgments from staff, donors, […]
Operations
How GiveDirectly prevents, addresses, and reports risks
We’re improving how we report to you on risks Giving cash directly is a proven and dignified way to relieve multidimensional poverty. While your donations do a great deal of good for families in need, delivering them also creates a risk of harm and fraud, which we outline in this blog below. You should also […]
Operations, Opinions
Climate loss & damage as direct cash transfers: evidence from Malawi
Developing countries suffer $400 billion a year in climate loss & damage; direct cash is a solution As climate change worsens, countries that contribute the least to global emissions are suffering the most. “Loss & damage” refers to the negative impacts that occur despite efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the changing climate. This […]
Operations
Which U.S. cash programs work the best? We don’t know yet.
Giving cash directly to people in poverty is proven to help. Our research increasingly focuses on testing the impact of different cash designs by varying how much, how often, and when people receive cash. For example, a first-of-its-kind study found the impact of delivering the same amount of cash to Kenyans in poverty is significantly […]
Donation Info
Charitable Donation Deadlines for 2024
If you’re planning to make a donation around the holidays, we’ve pulled together details below on United States tax deadlines.
Opinions
Direct cash model offers lesson in leadership & humility
When I was put in charge of the UK’s $20 billion global aid budget, it was easy to imagine I had “power.” I was a Secretary of State, appointed by the Queen. I had people working for me all over the world. Every day, I was asked whether I wanted to put $100 million into […]