GiveDirectly, Inc
Send money directly to the extreme poor.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The international community will spend nearly $30B in humanitarian aid this year, and roughly another $100 billion on household level assistance to tackle extreme poverty. Much of this, consumed by expensive overhead and complicated program costs, will never reach the intended beneficiaries; the rest will too often be spent on unproven interventions or unwanted goods and services. With over 165 studies, unconditional, direct cash transfers are among the most well-researched and proven approaches to reducing poverty and improving lives, but currently only a small percent of international aid takes the form of direct cash giving.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Standard Cash Transfers Program
GiveDirectly uses mobile payment technology to send poor families cash, no strings attached. Families receive approximately $1000 USD each, and can spend their money towards whatever purpose they choose. There have been over 165 studies on cash transfers, showing impact across a range of health, educational, and financial outcomes.
Where we work
External reviews

Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
GiveDirectly’s aims to reshape the social sector by establishing cash as a benchmark with the ultimate aim of ending poverty.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our strategy to end poverty is to deliver as much money as possible into the hands of the world’s neediest. We locate extremely poor villages using poverty data from national surveys, enroll recipients, and send transfers using electronic payments services. Through randomized control trials, we are able to research the effect of cash transfers on the lives of people who are extremely poor, thereby driving awareness of the efficiency of cash to influence sector change.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
GiveDirectly is the first non-profit organization in the world devoted entirely to delivering cash transfers to help eradicate global poverty. GiveDirectly has consistently been recognised as a high-performing organisation, receiving a top recommendation from nonprofit evaluator GiveWell for six years running, as well as the inaugural Google Global Impact Award. We have an extensive network of partners, including bilateral donors (DFID and USAID), multilateral agencies (UNHCR and WFP) and major private philanthropic investors (Google, Omidyar, Good Ventures, IKEA Foundation, Conrad Hilton).
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over the past seven years, GiveDirectly has delivered more than $150 million in unconditional cash transfers to approximately 120,000 households living in extreme poverty in rural Africa. Each year, we aim to give more money directly to people living in extreme poverty and drive awareness in the sector as to the efficiency of cash transfers as a form of giving.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
GiveDirectly, Inc
Board of directorsas of 04/08/2022
Paul Niehaus
GiveDirectly
Michael Faye
GiveDirectly
Paul Niehaus
GiveDirectly
Michael Faye
GiveDirectly
Jacqueline Fuller
Google.org
Aly Jeddy
McKinsey & Company
Samuel Mwamburi Mwale
Farasi Strategy Advisors, Ltd.
Kamau Wairuri
Lotus Consulting
Rohit Wanchoo
Alpine Grove Partners
Raphael Gitau
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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