Learn more about your options for giving directly to people living in poverty.

GiveDirectly is a nonprofit that lets donors like you send money directly to the world’s poorest households. We adapt the way we deliver cash based on the context, geography, recipient needs, and other factors.

Here are the different ways you can give:

Poverty relief – Africa

Send cash to people living in extreme poverty in Africa.
Your gift will help deliver ~$1,000 lump sums to families living below the extreme poverty line in Africa. That’s about one year’s expenditure for the average household where we work, which they use to invest in what they need most. 7 independent studies of our program show it creates sustained reductions in poverty. 

  • Current countries: Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda
  • Typical transfer size: ~$1,000 USD per family
Give to Poverty relief – Africa

Where needed most

Give unrestricted, which helps fund cash transfers and our costs.
This gives us the most flexibility to allocate funds where they’re needed most, including paying for operations and fundraising costs. If you’re agnostic or unsure about which program to give to, giving unrestricted is the most useful to us.

Give unrestricted

Basic income – Africa

Send regular transfers to people living in extreme poverty in Africa.
Some donors specifically want to give cash as a basic income, which guarantees monthly payments for families to meet their needs. Since 2016, GiveDirectly has been running the world’s largest and longest universal basic income study in Kenya.

  • Current countries: Kenya, Liberia, Malawi
  • Typical transfer size: ~$30 USD / month for 1-3 years
Give to Basic income – Africa

Poverty relief – U.S.

Send cash to low-income Americans in need.
Delivering cash in the U.S. gives us an opportunity to create meaningful change in the lives of low-income Americans and the policies that impact them. Our programs include research designed to grow the evidence base around the effects of cash and optimize the design of cash programs across contexts. Recent U.S. programs include:

  • Rx Kids, sending cash to new mothers and babies in Michigan
  • In Her Hands, sending cash to low-income women in Georgia
Give to Poverty relief – U.S.

Poverty relief – Refugees

Send cash specifically to refugees fleeing conflict and insecurity in Africa.
Some donors specifically want to support refugees. Large lump sums help refugees achieve sustainable self-reliance and integrate into the local economy. A study of our work showed that refugee households in Uganda were more likely to own a business, have grown assets, and increased incomes, and two years after receiving a $1,000 transfer.

  • Current countries: Kenya, Uganda
  • Typical transfer size: $700 – $1,000
Give to Poverty relief – Refugees

Emergency relief

Send cash to survivors of natural disasters and climate crises.
We’ve delivered emergency cash to financially vulnerable families after natural disasters, climate crises, civil conflict. Cash allows people to meet their own unique urgent needs, and most recipients prefer cash to traditional disaster relief. Donations to this fund will not be delivered in the U.S. Recent emergency responses include:

Give to Emergency relief