GiveDirectly

GiveDirectly is a nonprofit organization founded in 2009 that specializes in providing unconditional cash transfers directly to extremely poor households in East Africa and other developing regions. The organization uses mobile money technology to deliver funds efficiently, minimizing overhead and ensuring recipients receive the vast majority of donations. GiveDirectly operates primarily in Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Mozambique, and has expanded to pilot programs in other countries.

The organization's model is based on the principle that poor people are best positioned to decide how to use money to improve their own lives. Rather than providing in-kind aid or conditional assistance, GiveDirectly transfers cash directly to recipients' mobile phones. The organization has become influential in development economics and effective altruism circles, generating rigorous impact evaluations and contributing to evidence on cash transfer effectiveness.

GiveDirectly has received significant funding from major donors including Google, Facebook founders, and effective altruism-aligned funders. The organization is recognized as a top-rated charity by GiveWell and other charity evaluators, and has helped shape global conversations about aid effectiveness and the role of direct cash transfers in poverty alleviation.