GiveRoll

What GiveRoll does

GiveDirectly, which operates under the doing-business-as name GiveRoll, is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2010 that delivers unconditional cash transfers directly to individuals living in extreme poverty. Its core product is a direct-cash platform that uses mobile money technology to route donations from individual and institutional funders to recipients' SIM cards, with cash-out at local mobile money stations and bank partnerships (e.g., Equity Bank in Kenya). The organization has cumulatively delivered $900M+ to 1.5 million+ recipients across 13+ countries including the DRC, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, the United States, Nigeria, Togo, Turkey, Yemen, Bangladesh, Morocco, and the Bahamas, running programs for general poverty relief, refugees (in partnership with UNHCR), disaster response, Moms & Babies (Kenya), and U.S. domestic welfare delivery (Project 100, Michigan TANF, Chicago).

The platform has integrated AI/ML capabilities into operational functions: MobileAid uses machine learning on satellite imagery and cell phone metadata to remotely identify and enroll recipients (deployed at scale in Togo with CEGA and IPA, reaching 138,500 people), and an anticipatory action program combines Google Research's Flood Forecasting Initiative with poverty maps from Floodbase and Fathom to deliver pre-disaster cash. The organization publishes program research and partners with academic institutions (CEGA, IPA, Princeton) to produce 20+ studies on its own programs, contributing to a broader base of 300+ studies on cash transfers.

GiveDirectly's revenue model is donation-based with no pricing for recipients. Funding sources include 150,000+ individual donors (tax-deductible via 501(c)(3) status, EIN: 27-1661997), institutional grants from foundations and governments (IKEA Foundation, USAID, Google.org, UNHCR, Good Ventures, Blue Meridian, Global Innovation Fund), and corporate gifts (Canva). It reports an 89% donation-to-recipient efficiency rate. Distribution is conducted via direct field staff in-country — not subcontractors — supplemented by partnerships with financial institutions and government social registries. The organization is headquartered in New York with field offices in Nairobi, Kampala, and Kisumu.

Name

GiveRoll

Legal name

GiveDirectly, Inc.

Website

https://giveroll.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GiveDirectly (DBA: GiveRoll) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers unconditional cash transfers directly to people in extreme poverty via mobile money technology across 13+ countries, serving 1.5M+ recipients and funded by 150,000+ individual donors plus major institutional grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Cash Aid and Poverty Relief

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) and Emergency Livelihood Support (BPAGAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cash & Voucher Assistance (CVA) / Emergency Social Assistance (BPADADAI), Cash Assistance & Social Safety Net Delivery for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAH), Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA), Income Support & Cash Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAE)

Keywords

• Direct cash transfers
• Mobile money payments
• Poverty relief programs
• Nonprofit humanitarian aid
• Refugee cash assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors send money directly to recipients through GiveDirectly's platform. 150,000+ donors have given directly. Donations are tax-deductible in the U.S. via 501(c)(3) status (EIN: 27-1661997).
2. Institutional Funder Grants: Partnerships with foundations, governments, and multilateral organizations including IKEA Foundation, USAID, Google.org, UNHCR, and others to fund specific programs.
3. Corporate and Major Gifts: Major gifts from foundations and corporations including Canva, Google.org, Good Ventures, Blue Meridian, and others.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GiveRoll (doing business as GiveDirectly) operates a direct cash transfer platform that lets individual donors and institutional funders send unconditional cash payments straight to people living in extreme poverty, delivered via mobile money to recipients' SIM cards. The organization runs discrete programs covering poverty relief, basic income, emergency/disaster relief, refugee cash assistance, maternal health (Moms & Babies), and U.S. poverty relief (Project 100), and uses AI/ML targeting (MobileAid) and anticipatory-action flood response to enroll and pay recipients at scale.

Product overview

GiveDirectly is a nonprofit organization that operates as a direct cash transfer platform, enabling donors to send unconditional cash payments directly to individuals and families living in extreme poverty. The organization runs multiple programs across multiple countries, including large lump-sum poverty relief transfers, emergency disaster response cash transfers, a Universal Basic Income (UBI) program, a Moms & Babies program providing cash to expectant mothers, refugee cash programs, and a U.S. poverty relief initiative (Project 100). Transfers are delivered primarily via mobile money technology. The organization leverages AI/ML for targeting and payment optimization, and partners with governments and NGOs to scale cash transfer programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Poverty Relief (Large Lump-Sum Cash Transfers)
• Basic Income / Universal Basic Income (UBI) Program Long-duration, recurring unconditional cash transfers to a cohort of recipients over multi-year horizons, used to study and demonstrate the effects of guaranteed income on poverty alleviation.
• Emergency Relief (Anticipatory Action & Disaster Response) Cash transfers delivered before and after natural disasters (notably floods) to help families prepare, evacuate, and recover. Uses Google Flood Forecasting, Floodbase, and Fathom data combined with poverty maps and satellite imagery to identify vulnerable villages and disburse cash rapidly.
• Refugee Cash Programs (Cash+ Sustainable Livelihoods and Financial Inclusion) Large unconditional and livelihoods-linked cash transfers to refugees in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, delivered in partnership with UNHCR and host governments, with banking access support via partners such as Equity Bank for previously unbanked recipients.
• Moms & Babies Program Cash transfers to expectant mothers and new mothers in Kenya to reduce infant mortality; a randomized study showed a $1,000 GiveDirectly transfer cut infant deaths by 48%, and the program is now scaling via partnerships with Kenyan community health providers.
• U.S. Poverty Relief (Project 100) The largest donor-funded cash aid program in U.S. history, launched during COVID-19; includes partnerships such as disbursing $30.1M in Michigan TANF dollars to pregnant women and infants in the state's poorest communities and programs with the City of Chicago.
• MobileAid (AI-Targeted Contactless Cash Transfers) Machine-learning-based targeting system, developed with CEGA and IPA, that combines satellite imagery and cell phone metadata to remotely identify and enroll the poorest recipients; deployed in Togo to reach 138,500 people.

Quantifiable outcome

• Infant deaths cut by 48% for families receiving $1,000 GiveDirectly cash transfer in Kenya
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• UNHCRmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver cash transfers to refugees in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Collaboration on refugee self-reliance programs and policy advocacy.
• Government of RwandamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in National Strategy for Sustainable Graduation. Ran Self-Reliance for Refugees program in Mugombwa. Collaboration on refugee ID systems and mobile money access.
• Government of UgandamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Office of the Prime Minister for Cash+ Sustainable Livelihoods for Refugees. COVID-19 Relief for Urban Refugees program with Department of Refugees.
• Government of MalawimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership to run cash transfer programs integrated with national development plans, creating path to accelerating end of extreme poverty.
• City of ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to run equitable and accessible large government aid programs in Chicago.
• State of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDisbursing $30.1 million in Michigan state TANF dollars directly to pregnant women and infants in the state's poorest communities.
• REFUGEES PointcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Kenya's Cash+ Financial Inclusion for Refugees program.
• Equity BankcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner in Kenya providing banking services to refugees who cannot access mobile money. Opened accounts for 880 previously unbanked refugees.
• Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for AI targeting research. Co-led MobileAid program in Togo with machine learning targeting.
• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner for AI targeting study. Published working paper on machine learning targeting results.
• The Life You Can SaveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEffective altruism organization recommending GiveDirectly as top charity. Provides donation platform for Australia donors.
• IDInsightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in refugee program evaluation, particularly Kiryandongo program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Concern Worldwide: International humanitarian organization specializing in emergency response and extreme poverty relief, including cash transfer programming. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and the focus on measurable outcomes for the world's poorest people.
• Mercy Corps: Global humanitarian organization that operates cash transfer programs in fragile and emergency contexts across multiple countries. Highly comparable to GiveDirectly in mission, geographic footprint, and donor base, though Mercy Corps also delivers non-cash interventions.
• Oxfam America: Global anti-poverty organization that delivers cash transfers as part of its humanitarian and development programming. Comparable in mission, donor engagement model, and emphasis on recipient dignity and choice.
• Direct Relief: Humanitarian aid organization focused on improving health outcomes for people affected by poverty and emergencies. Comparable in nonprofit operating model, donor base (high-net-worth and institutional), and emphasis on operational efficiency.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Humanitarian organization responding to the world's worst humanitarian crises with cash assistance as a core delivery modality. Comparable to GiveDirectly in refugee programming and emergency response, with similar institutional donor base.
• CARE International: Major humanitarian NGO operating cash and voucher assistance programs globally, particularly for women and girls in poverty. Closely comparable to GiveDirectly in poverty alleviation mission, programmatic scale, and institutional funding model.
• GlobalGiving: Nonprofit crowdfunding platform connecting donors to grassroots projects worldwide. Comparable in direct-to-donor fundraising model, nonprofit status, and use of technology to enable giving at scale, though GlobalGiving operates as a marketplace intermediary.

Broad incumbents

• World Food Programme (WFP): Largest humanitarian organization globally with a multibillion-dollar budget and significant cash and voucher assistance operations. While not a direct competitor for individual donor fundraising, WFP is the dominant institutional actor in the same CVA space GiveDirectly operates in.
• UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency): The UN agency responsible for refugees that increasingly uses cash-based interventions. GiveDirectly partners with UNHCR rather than competes, but they address the same refugee self-reliance challenge and serve overlapping populations.

Emerging players

• charity: water: Nonprofit that has built a strong brand around direct, transparent giving with 100% donation pledge. Comparable in direct-to-donor model, brand-led fundraising, and emphasis on operational efficiency, though focused on water infrastructure rather than cash transfers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/givedirectly
• Facebookfacebook.com/givedirectly
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/givedirectly
• Instagraminstagram.com/givedirectly
• TikToktiktok.com/@givedirectly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GiveRoll