No Strings Attached with GiveDirectly

Over the next two years, more than 120,000 people in one of Malawi's poorest rural districts will receive a one-time cash payment totalling roughly 85% of the local economy, proportionally, like giving every adult in the US a $114,000 check. It's the largest study ever run on what cash does to a whole local economy.In this episode, we’re joined by guest host Caitlin Tulloch, GiveDirectly's Senior Director of Research, and economist Dean Karlan, professor at Northwestern, founder of Innovations for Poverty Action, and former Chief Economist at USAID.Caitlin and Dean discuss a long-running debate over whether household-level programs can drive economy-wide growth, what we know so far about the cash’s “macro” impacts, and whether cash at this scale could be a credible use of the wealth emerging from AI.

Two years into Rx Kids, this episode looks at what changes when families get cash before a child is born and through the first year of life.Host Tyler Hall speaks with Dr. Mona Hanna, pediatrician and founder of Rx Kids, and Emma Kelsey, Program Director leading delivery for Rx Kids at GiveDirectly. They explain how the program works, why it starts in pregnancy, and what early results show: nearly all eligible families enroll, prenatal care increases, and rates of prematurity, low birth weight, and NICU stays decline.They also discuss how families use the money and what this model could mean for other communities.Learn more at www.rxkids.org

GiveDirectly CEO Nick Allardice and Head of Research Caitlin Tulloch join Anthropic researcher Saffron Huang and Vox's Kelsey Piper to discuss how we might share the vast wealth emerging from AI.They explore what we can do now to ensure AI benefits everyone, not just the wealthy, and dig into the latest evidence on UBI.Special thanks to Asterisk Magazine for hosting this conversation. Full transcript available on their Substack.

GiveDirectly CEO Nick Allardice and VP of Product Sarah Moran reflect on what it means to lead through a period of major disruption, from steep USAID cuts to rising global need. They share how GiveDirectly is evolving its cash transfer programs—investing in efficiency, technology, and rapid emergency response—while expanding work in areas like maternal health. The conversation also looks inward, exploring how the organization is navigating growth while staying true to the principles that define its work.To learn more about some of the 2025 highlights they shared, check out GiveDirectly’s 2025 Impact report at GiveDirectly.org/2025report.

In February, Susan and Michael Dell made headlines for donating $6.25 billion to a new federal initiative creating savings accounts for children, known as Trump Accounts. It’s one of the largest charitable gifts in U.S. history and a rare example of private funding backing a public cash policy.But will they work? And how do they compare to baby bonuses—cash given directly to parents when a child is born?In this episode of No Strings Attached, GiveDirectly’s U.S. Country Director Dustin Palmer joins policy writer Leah Libresco Sargeant and moderator Jeremy Ney (American Inequality) to unpack what this moment means. They explore:Why timing matters: cash for moms at birth vs. cash for young adults What the evidence shows from programs like RxKidsHow to weigh tradeoffs and design choices as cash policy evolves in the U.S.This is a recording of a live panel hosted by American Inequality.Learn more about GiveDirectly's programs giving cash to moms in Michigan: https://www.givedirectly.org/flintstudy2025/