Three Takeaways From a Massive Tech Grant to Fight Global Poverty

Thursday, August 6, 2015

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the current moment in philanthropy is how fluid the funding scene is, with big new donors arriving all the time and vast money lining up behind causes or organizations that barely existed a decade ago.

A new philanthropic order is rising, with a new set of power players and distinct ways of doing business. While it’s hard to follow all that’s happening, there are a few emerging funders that you should definitely keep a close eye on.

Good Ventures is one of them. This is the foundation created just a few years ago by Facebook cofounder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna, and on Monday it announced a $25 million commitment to GiveDirectly, an anti-poverty NGO that was founded in 2008 and engages in direct cash transfers to poor people in Africa via their mobile phones.

Why is Good Ventures worth watching so closely? For a few reasons, all of which are exemplified in its grant to GiveDirectly, its biggest give to date.

Source: Inside Philanthropy (link opens in a new window)

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cash transfers, impact investing, philanthropy