GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is a United States-based nonprofit organization focused on reducing extreme poverty through direct, unconditional cash transfers. Rather than prescribing particular goods, services, or livelihood projects, the organization gives recipients money—often through mobile-money systems or cash-loaded payment cards—and allows households to decide how to use it. This model is intended to transfer purchasing power with relatively low administrative complexity while preserving recipients’ autonomy over priorities such as food, housing, health care, education, debt repayment, livestock, farming, and small businesses. The organization grew out of a giving circle formed by students and researchers associated with MIT and Harvard. Its founders—Paul Niehaus, Michael Faye, Rohit Wanchoo, and Jeremy Shapiro—were interested in whether philanthropy could use stronger evidence and more transparent delivery mechanisms. The initiative was formalized as GiveDirectly in 2012, although the founding activity dates to 2008. It became particularly associated with randomized evaluations of cash aid and with the broader evidence-based philanthropy and effective-altruism movements. GiveDirectly has used research partnerships and controlled studies to examine household welfare, local economic activity, employment, health, and the effects of different transfer schedules. Its principal operating method is the delivery of money to people identified as living in extreme poverty, commonly using mobile phones and local payment networks. Programs have operated in several African countries and, beginning in 2017, in the United States after Hurricane Harvey. The organization has also worked with governments, including Rwanda and Togo, to extend or complement public cash-transfer systems. During the COVID-19 pandemic, GiveDirectly organized emergency programs in the United States and Africa, raising substantial restricted support and distributing relief to hundreds of thousands of families according to the figures reported in reference materials. GiveDirectly’s best-known research initiative is a large universal-basic-income experiment in rural western Kenya. Announced in 2016 and launched in 2017, the study compares long-term monthly payments, short-term monthly payments, lump-sum transfers, and a control group across hundreds of villages. More than 26,000 people received some form of transfer, including more than 6,000 people assigned to the long-term basic-income group. The experiment was designed to test not only immediate poverty relief but also wider effects on economic activity, work, well-being, and community life. Research associated with the program has reported substantial local economic multipliers and improvements in some health outcomes, although economists have also debated measurement limitations and the interpretation of self-reported data. GiveDirectly has received major philanthropic support, including a Google Global Impact Award, a large Good Ventures grant, and support from the Global Innovation Fund and Blue Meridian Partners. GiveWell listed it as a top-rated charity from 2012 through 2020. The organization has nevertheless faced operational scrutiny. In 2023, an investigation reported that employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had diverted at least $900,000 intended for recipients in South Kivu, with some members of audit teams implicated. GiveDirectly paused its Congo operations in January 2023 and initiated an audit. The incident highlighted the governance and fraud risks involved in distributing aid through local systems. Leadership has included president Rory Stewart, appointed in 2022, followed by Nick Allardice, who became president and chief executive officer in 2023. GiveDirectly remains an active nonprofit whose identity combines direct cash assistance, operational experimentation, public-sector partnerships, and a commitment to evaluating whether unconditional transfers can produce durable improvements in living standards.

GiveDirectly originated in a student-led giving circle associated with MIT and Harvard. Paul Niehaus, Michael Faye, Rohit Wanchoo, and Jeremy Shapiro were motivated by research into philanthropy and the possibility that charitable resources could be delivered more efficiently by allowing poor households to choose how to spend them. The initiative began in 2008 and was formalized as GiveDirectly in 2012. From its early operations, GiveDirectly concentrated on unconditional transfers delivered through mobile-phone payment systems. This approach reduced the need to ship physical goods and made it possible to reach households in areas where conventional banking access was limited. The organization also sought to measure outcomes through randomized controlled trials, helping make direct cash a prominent subject in development economics and evidence-based charity evaluation. In December 2012, GiveDirectly received a $2.4 million Google Global Impact Award. In 2014, its founders announced Segovia, a separate for-profit technology venture intended to improve the infrastructure used for cash-transfer programs. A $25 million Good Ventures grant in 2015 further expanded GiveDirectly’s ability to make transfers and conduct research. The organization announced its most ambitious research program in 2016: a 12-year universal-basic-income experiment in rural western Kenya. Implementation began in November 2017. The study included 40 villages receiving long-term monthly payments, 80 villages receiving payments for two years, 80 villages receiving lump sums equivalent to the short-term stream, and 100 comparison villages. More than 26,000 people received some form of transfer, with over 6,000 assigned to the long-term group. Findings associated with the project have reported increased local economic activity and significant improvements in some child and infant mortality measures. Researchers and commentators have also discussed limitations involving self-reported outcomes, statistical power, and the difficulty of identifying long-term effects. GiveDirectly extended its model beyond East Africa over time. It began working in Rwanda in 2016 in partnership with the government and later supported programs in countries including Liberia, Malawi, Togo, Uganda, Bangladesh, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It also introduced domestic disaster relief in the United States after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it established emergency-response programs in the United States and several African countries. In Togo, it helped expand the government’s Novissi cash-transfer program, using mobile money and data-based methods to help identify underserved rural communities. Rwanda became an important government-partnered market. GiveDirectly reported providing transfers to more than 200,000 households by 2024, including through programs in multiple districts. A national scale-up launched in 2023, with eligible households receiving substantial grants intended to support livelihoods and help them move out of poverty. Reported uses included agriculture, livestock, businesses, home improvements, education, health insurance, and electrification. The organization’s growth was accompanied by operational risks. In 2023, an investigation reported that GiveDirectly employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had diverted at least $900,000 from several hundred intended recipients in South Kivu, and that people connected to audit functions were among those implicated. GiveDirectly suspended operations in the country in January 2023 and began an audit, including scrutiny of transfers in another African country. The episode became the most serious publicly reported governance crisis in the organization’s history. GiveDirectly’s leadership changed during this period. Rory Stewart served as president beginning in 2022, and Nick Allardice became president and chief executive officer in 2023. The organization continues to present itself as a direct-cash charity that combines recipient choice with empirical evaluation and partnerships with governments and other funders.

• 2023

  Congo operations paused

  [1]GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org

  GiveDirectly suspends its Democratic Republic of the Congo program after reported diversion of recipient funds and starts an audit.

• 2020

  COVID-19 emergency programs expand

  [1]GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org

  GiveDirectly raises emergency funds and distributes cash relief in the United States and several African countries.

• 2017

  Kenya experiment launches

  [1]GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org

  The long-term basic-income research program begins, and GiveDirectly delivers its first United States transfers after Hurricane Harvey.

• 2016

  Universal-basic-income study announced

  [1]GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org

  GiveDirectly announces a 12-year, multi-arm basic-income experiment in rural Kenya.

• 2012

  GiveDirectly is formalized

  [1]GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org

  The founders organize the initiative as GiveDirectly and receive a Google Global Impact Award later that year.

• 2008

  Founding initiative begins

  [1]GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org

  A giving circle formed by Paul Niehaus, Michael Faye, Rohit Wanchoo, and Jeremy Shapiro begins the work that later becomes GiveDirectly.

Evidence-based, recipient-directed cash aid with rigorous impact evaluation

• Poverty-relief program · 2012

  Unconditional cash transfers

  GiveDirectly’s core offering is cash sent directly to households living in extreme poverty, generally through mobile-money platforms or other local payment mechanisms. Recipients are not required to exchange the money for a designated product, allowing them to address immediate consumption needs or invest in assets, farming, livestock, education, housing, health, or businesses according to household priorities.

• Research program · 2017

  Universal basic income experiment

  This Kenyan program compares long-term monthly basic-income payments, short-term monthly payments, equivalent lump-sum transfers, and villages receiving no transfer. The design examines whether payment duration and frequency change economic, social, and health outcomes. Long-term recipients are scheduled to receive regular payments for 12 years.

• Humanitarian assistance · 2017

  Emergency cash relief

  GiveDirectly uses its transfer infrastructure for rapid assistance after disasters and during crises. Its United States response began after Hurricane Harvey, while its COVID-19 programs distributed support to families in the United States and several African countries.

• 2023

  Diversion of recipient funds in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

  An investigation reported that GiveDirectly employees in South Kivu had diverted at least $900,000 intended for several hundred recipients, with individuals connected to audit teams also implicated. GiveDirectly paused operations in the country in January 2023 and began an audit.

  Source

Read more

• 2020COVID-19 emergency response

  United States · Kenya · Liberia · Malawi · Rwanda · Togo

  GiveDirectly created separate emergency programs for the United States and African countries, using direct payments to help households affected by the pandemic.

  Outcome. Reference material reports assistance to 116,000 United States families and 342,000 families in African countries.

  Source
• 2020Togo Novissi expansion

  Togo

  GiveDirectly supported expansion of Togo’s Novissi government cash-transfer system into rural areas, using mobile money and data analysis to help identify poorer villages and households.

  Outcome. The partnership extended cash assistance to rural areas where conventional beneficiary identification was more difficult.

  Source
• 2017Hurricane Harvey cash response

  United States

  GiveDirectly provided cash-loaded debit cards to residents of Rose City, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey, adapting its international transfer model to domestic disaster relief.

  Outcome. The initiative marked GiveDirectly’s first reported United States cash-transfer program.

  Source

• 2023

  Suspension and audit of Congo operationsOther

  Background

  Reports of employee diversion of recipient funds raised questions about controls over local delivery and auditing.

  Action taken

  GiveDirectly paused operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and initiated an audit.

  Aftermath

  The incident prompted scrutiny of the organization’s operational safeguards and transfer-monitoring processes.

  Source

• 2017

  Expansion into United States disaster reliefStrategy

  Background

  After Hurricane Harvey, GiveDirectly applied its cash-transfer approach to a disaster-affected United States community.

  Action taken

  The organization distributed cash-loaded debit cards to residents of Rose City, Texas.

  Aftermath

  The program established a domestic emergency-assistance strand alongside GiveDirectly’s international poverty programs.

  Source

• 2016

  Commitment to a 12-year basic-income trialStrategy

  Background

  GiveDirectly sought to test whether guaranteed income over different durations could produce durable reductions in poverty and broader community benefits.

  Action taken

  It announced a randomized study covering long-term monthly payments, short-term monthly payments, lump sums, and control villages in Kenya.

  Aftermath

  The program became one of the most prominent large-scale field experiments involving universal basic income and direct cash transfers.

  Source

1. 1GiveDirectlyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2GiveDirectly official websitegivedirectly.org