GiveDirectly

Legal name: Givedirectly Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
271661997
IRS 990 coverage
2011–2024
Official website data refreshed
Sep 2026
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-T 2023
Location
New York, NY, USA
Phone
+1 (646) 504-4837
Rating
77
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Emergency Assistance

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$206,811,067
Expenses
$130,406,116
Assets
$246,022,604
Liabilities
$44,047,638

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

12 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • SAMUEL MWAMBURI MWALE (PRESIDENT UNTIL 07/2024)
  • NICKOLAS ALLARDICE (PRESIDENT & CEO AS OF 07/2024)
  • DOUG KIRKE-SMITH (VICE PRESIDENT, PROGRAMS)
  • SARAH MORAN (VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT)
  • YOLANDE WRIGHT (VICE PRESIDENT, PARTNERSHIPS)
  • REBECCA FRANK (VICE PRESIDENT, TECHNOLOGY)

Highest reported compensation

  • SAMUEL MWAMBURI MWALE (PRESIDENT UNTIL 07/2024): $438,407 total reported compensation
  • REBECCA FRANK (VICE PRESIDENT, TECHNOLOGY): $296,932 total reported compensation
  • SARAH MORAN (VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT): $290,672 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Provide financial assistance directly to people in extreme poverty—no strings attached—by helping donors send cash directly to those in need. Our work is hard, practically and emotionally, and we cannot overemphasize the importance of maintaining a positive attitude, enjoying the company of our colleagues, and not taking ourselves too seriously. In doing so, we aspire to generate energy and excitement amongst our colleagues in pursuing our mission. This should not preclude candor, and we aspire to achieve both. 5. Think rigorously; act quickly. _We are intellectually rigorous with a drive towards action – not debate._.

What it reported doing in 2024

Givedirectly offers a service allowing individual donors, foundations, and others to deliver unconditional direct cash transfers to those in need. The organization's proprietary model re-engineers fieldwork for the digital era, allowing it to deliver these transfers securely, efficiently and transparently. Using the latest technology at every step, givedirectly locates recipients, integrates them into electronic payments networks, and monitors transfers end-to-end. Since 2009, givedirectly has reached more than 1.5m recipients in 15 countries.in 2024, givedirectly delivered $126m to 217,219 recipients across 11 countries via multiple programs. Highlights from 2024 include:- unprecedented poverty relief in malawi: delivered $32m over 12 months to 63,000 people in a single sub-district, equivalent to increasing local gdp by 125%. Research showed this cash influx caused virtually no inflation, demonstrating that direct cash can be scaled dramatically without harmful economic effects.- ai-powered disaster response: launched anticipatory cash transfers in nigeria using google research-developed flood forecasting models, delivering payments to 4,671 families 48 hours before predicted peak flooding. This innovative approach allowed recipients to stockpile food, purchase canoes, and prepare for recovery.- maternal support program in the u.s.: every mother of babies born in flint, Michigan received direct cash support ($1,500 at enrollment plus $500 monthly for the first year). Results showed 21% reduction in maternal depression, 55% decrease in back-rent owed, and 15% improvement in food security.- major recognition from aid establishment: givewell revised their cost-effectiveness estimate of givedirectly's work upward by 3-4x, while USAID published a comprehensive endorsement of direct cash transfers, citing givedirectly's research in 3 of 4 supporting studies.approaching the billion-dollar milestone: the organization is on track to deliver its billionth dollar in early 2025, cementing its position as the world's largest direct cash transfer organization.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 87% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
Distribution model
Grant intermediary. The nonprofit sent 72% of its reported program spending out as grants.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - A large share of total spending goes to programs and the filed numbers largely add up. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filing reports few safeguards for money sent abroad.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 67
  • Transparency & Controls: 81
  • Accountability: 85
  • Sustainability: 77
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 55.6%; rating input score 56
  • Program expense ratio: 87.1%; rating input score 87
  • Fundraising efficiency: $27.46 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 4 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 67
    • Compensation committee: Pass
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Claims monitoring procedures: Pass
    • Requires narrative reports: Fail
    • Conducts field audits: Pass
    • May suspend future funding: Fail
    • Requires financial reports: Pass
    • Conducts site visits: Fail
    • Requires grant agreements: Pass
    • May require repayment: Fail
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 24th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 36.9%; rating input score 94; 94th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.89; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.18; rating input score 72; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 1.8%; rating input score 58; 58th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 17.6% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 17.2% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 17% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • What they do: 3 programs and campaigns described on the official site
  • Where the money goes: 55.6% of revenue deployed · 87.1% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 3 of 4 board members independent · 9 of 9 filing controls reported · 0 of 6 affiliation controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $113.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $438K · 12 people listed · 4 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Highest-paid contractors: 5 contractors listed · $3.3M reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, foreign activity, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2011 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 9 filed money-flow records
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 56/100.
  • Review — Transparency & Controls: Foreign activity oversight: 4 of 8 not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 58/100.