Send money directly to low-income Americans,
with no strings attached.
Since 2017, GiveDirectly has delivered unconditional cash transfers to 220,000+ low-income Americans and proven that cash can have positive impacts for people in need. By running some of the country’s largest cash programs, we aim to demonstrate the power of cash to help families build wealth and eliminate poverty in the wealthiest country in the world.
families reached states and territories reached programs implementedInterested in partnering on our work in the U.S.? Get in touch.
We aim to create meaningful change for low-income families while informing 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.
Rx Kids, the first citywide prenatal and infant cash allowance program in the U.S., aims to reduce child poverty and improve maternal and infant health in Flint.
$1,500 prenatal transfer to expectant parents + $500 monthly for their baby’s first year of life
~6,000 over 5 years
In the first evaluation of a citywide cash program aimed at mothers and babies, we’ll measure impacts at the individual and community level, including on maternal and infant health, local employment and investment, the rate of people moving in and out of Flint, and more.
In Her Hands is the largest program in the U.S. focused on supporting Black women through no-strings-attached cash transfers and the largest guaranteed income program in the South; led in partnership with the Georgia Resilience and Opportunity (GRO) Fund.
Average of $850 monthly for 2 years
In Her Hands aims to support Black women experiencing financial insecurity in Georgia to achieve greater income stability and overcome wealth decelerators. The evaluation of this program uses a mixed methods approach that centers recipients’ voices and aims to generate insights to promote more racially inclusive, just, and sustainable social safety net models and policies in the U.S.
We respond to large-scale natural disasters that threaten the livelihoods of low-income families in the U.S. Since 2017, we’ve distributed one-time emergency cash relief to over 10,000 families in the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Maria, Ian, and Fiona.
Varies by response
When natural disasters hit, the sooner affected families receive cash, the sooner they can begin to put their lives back together. Through A.I. damage predictions and remote targeting, enrollment, and payment in partnership with Google.org and Propel, we can deliver disaster relief that’s quicker, more targeted, and better for survivors than in-kind aid. Read more→
In partnership with Cook County, the Cook County Promise Pilot aims to inform the design of a permanent, countywide guaranteed income program.
$500 monthly for 2 years
This program will build on the success of guaranteed income programs across the country in increasing residents’ financial stability. The Promise Pilot aims to improve participants’ financial and health outcomes, as well as understand the impacts of direct cash assistance on both individuals and their communities.
The largest privately-funded cash transfer program in U.S. history, which reached nearly 200,000 families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Between March 2020 and October 2021, GiveDirectly digitally delivered one-time relief payments to nearly 200,000 low-income households. Recipients waited ~2 days between enrolling in the program and receiving payments. In recipients’ own words, these transfers helped provide fast, flexible relief, allowing them to keep their homes, reduce stress, and avoid debt. Read more→
In partnership with the City of Chicago, the Chicago Resilient Communities Pilot delivered monthly financial assistance to city residents and serves as a template for future anti-poverty programs.
$500 monthly for 1 year
Outcomes
The City of Chicago is partnering with the University of Chicago Inclusive Economy Lab on a mixed methods research study to understand how the program affects residents’ financial and overall well-being. There are three aspects of the research: surveys, interviews, and linkages to administrative data, like education records or credit scores. Read more→
How to get your money to those who need it more than you
The simplest, most revolutionary approach to ending poverty
How Google and GiveDirectly are using AI to help hurricane victims
Chicago taps direct cash charity to give residents $500 a month
Anderson Cooper and Andrew Yang on COVID-19 relief
“Getting these payments feels amazing, it alleviates a lot of pressure. First thing I want to do is pay people back for helping me out the past few years. And I want to invest in myself. Pay down past-due bills, my student debt as well…I want to go back and finish school at a HBCU.”
“You have to throw away all the food when there are power outages, [so] we’re spending $25-30/day for the generator. I spent my transfer on gas for the generator, food, water, and also to pay my bills. I applied for aid from FEMA, but they denied my application.”
“I’m working on grounding myself and my life. Set up a credit repayment plan, so they take the money out each month right when I get these $850 payments in. I want things to be good so my kids can come back and live with me. Gonna get a 3 bedroom apartment, a room for the two boys and a room for the two girls.”
“Mostly my plan is to help my mom out right now. Maintain my bills and help her with hers… Once in a lifetime you get something like this. The help is here, it’s nice to know the city does care.”
“The money will help with my household expenses. I live by myself but I want to help my children more than anything. I am a carpenter and there is not much work. Jobs last one month, one week, or three days. I am grateful more than anything to receive this support.”
The U.S. spends about what most wealthy countries spend on social protection, yet 37.9M Americans are still living in poverty. The U.S. currently has the second highest poverty rate relative to national income of any wealthy country in the world.
Much of this social spending is poured into poorly designed programs that carry excessive bureaucratic burden, leaving a quarter of eligible families unable to access the support they need to meet their basic needs and invest in their future. And when programs do reach people in need, they often comes with invasive, time-consuming applications and paternalistic conditions.
We know unconditional cash works to dramatically reduce poverty, without imposing excessive and unhelpful barriers to entry. With your support, we can continue building the case for cash-based government interventions and shift more aid directly into the hands of families in need.
