GiveDirectly has written a lot about what giving people money is consistently very good at (e.g., recipients earn more, spend more, own more assets, and the local economy gets a boost), the myths that aren’t true (e.g, cash doesn’t make people work less or drink more), and the fact that it’s what most recipients prefer. […]
Blog - Opinions
Candid thoughts from staff, donors, and recipients on our work and the broader movement towards cash transfers.
Opinions
Switching to more cash aid would help millions in 2025
2025 is a defining moment for the humanitarian system. The scale of aid cuts facing the sector isn’t just a short-term budget challenge — it demands a fundamental rethink of how we deliver help. The efficiency of cash means it’s one of the few answers we have to the challenge in front of us. The […]
Opinions
Bill Gates wants to give his wealth to moms – make it cash | Washington Post
May 19, 2025 By Mona Hanna and Miriam Laker-Oketta Bill Gates recently pledged to give away nearly all his $200 billion in wealth by 2045, aspiring to have no mom, child or baby die from a preventable cause. As two physicians — one in Michigan, one in Uganda — we know accomplishing such a bold goal will […]
Opinions
Deep aid cuts show cash transfers have never been more urgent | Devex
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. […]
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 […]
Opinions, Research
What we make of null and negative results from U.S. cash programs
Yolanda spent some of the monthly cash she receives through GiveDirectly’s program in Cook County, Illinois on a trip to the zoo with her grandson. “It felt good because that payment helps me be able to do those things,” she said. “So I don’t have to say to my grandson, ‘Oh, we can’t do that […]
Opinions
John Cena warns us against giving cash with conditions
A recent Amazon movie includes a scene about cash transfers, which tells an important truth about conditioning cash. “GiveGreen chooses to offer unconditional cash transfers for two reasons. First, empowering poor people to make their own choices – that advances their core value of respect. Second, imposing conditions requires expensive monitoring & enforcement structures that […]
Opinions
Your gift creates dignity for women
Caroline Teti is GiveDirectly’s Director of Safeguarding and Recipient Advocacy. Listen to Caroline narrate her letter: As a woman born in the rural villages of western Kenya, I watched mothers toiling to make life livable for their children, forgoing the basics to give us access to the little they could. It was not uncommon for […]
Opinions
A Global Cash-Transfer Fund Could End Extreme Poverty
Cash transfers offer a transformative solution to multidimensional poverty, by enhancing dozens of outcomes simultaneously. They have already proven effective, adaptable, and replicable, and now they are becoming more attainable every year with growing mobile coverage and improved digital infrastructure. LOMÉ – For decades, the international community has grappled with the challenge of ending extreme […]
Opinions
From California to Kenya: trust people with cash
The following is a guest post from Michael Tubbs, the founder of Mayors for a Guaranteed Income and the former Mayor of Stockton, about his recent visit to GiveDirectly cash aid programs in Kenya. I recently had the privilege of traveling to Kenya with GiveDirectly to see firsthand some of the great work they are […]