GiveDirectly is a charity that provides direct cash transfers to people living in extreme poverty in many countries, especially Kenya and Uganda.

History

GiveDirectly was founded in 2009 by Paul Niehaus, Michael Faye, Rohit Wanchoo and Jeremy Shapiro.

Evaluation

GiveDirectly's programs have been the subject of several RCTs, and they have experimented with many ways to implement transfers, such as single lump-sum transfers, multiple transfers as "basic income", and transfers as a form of disaster relief.

GiveDirectly has been one of GiveWell's top-rated charities since 2012.^[1] GiveWell estimates that participants in GiveDirectly's programs receive $83 out of every $100 donated to that organization.^[2][3]

As of May 2022, GiveDirectly has received over $87.7 in funding from Open Philanthropy.^[4] GiveDirectly is also featured in The Life You Can Save's list of "best charities".^[5]