Canva billionaires Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht are giving away $150 million in cash with no conditions for the world's largest unconditional cash transfer program in a low-income country

For thousands of families in Africa's Malawi, a single payment of around $550 has made a tremendous difference between surviving and building a more stable future. Behind the noble initiative are Canva cofounders and billionaire couple Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, who have pledged $150 million toward what has become the world's largest unconditional cash transfer program in a low-income country.

ALSO READ: Yellowstone National Park viral video

Instead of funding infrastructure projects or distributing supplies, the Australian entrepreneurs are betting on a simpler idea: trust people with cash and let them decide how to use it.

Why Canva's billionaire founders believe cash can change lives

The program is being run through the Canva Foundation in partnership with nonprofit GiveDirectly, with payments sent directly to recipients through their mobile phones. Families have complete freedom over how they spend it and they don't have to follow any conditions.

ALSO READ: After 11 years at Kentucky Ford plant, diabetic worker was fired over a $1.95 cookie, later offered $33,000 in back wages after proving he paid, now eyes to sue the carmakerThe couple says the initiative reflects the broader purpose that has guided Canva since its early days.

"Step One is to build one of the world’s most valuable companies. Step Two is to do the most good we can. With more than 30% of Canva’s value (shares) committed to doing good in the world, this vision has shaped everything we do, from the products we create to the kind of company we’ve strived to be," they said as per a report by Business Insider Africa.

Beyond the Malawi project, Canva says it has donated $2.5 billion in product value to students, teachers, and more than one million nonprofit organizations.

What began as a $10 million experiment has grown into a $150 million commitment

The Malawi initiative has expanded dramatically since it first launched in 2021. It initially started as a $10 million pilot, testing whether direct cash transfers could help families escape extreme poverty without requiring them to meet specific conditions.

The early results encouraged Perkins and Obrecht to scale up the effort. Between 2021 and 2023, they increased their commitment to $50 million. Then, in October 2025, they pledged another $100 million, making it the largest donation in GiveDirectly's history.

So far, more than $52.5 million has already reached recipients, while the remaining funds are scheduled to be distributed over the next four years.

The results in Malawi have exceeded expectations

The program has already reached more than 139,000 people, and researchers say the impact has been significant.

In Khongoni sub-district, where every adult received a cash transfer, GiveDirectly reported that 90% of recipients moved above the extreme poverty line within just three months.

The organization also found:

• Child mortality fell by 48%.
• Illness declined by 27%.
• School enrollment increased by 23%.

The findings suggest that allowing families to decide how to spend the money can quickly improve living conditions across multiple areas of life.

The benefits didn't stop with individual families

Researchers studying the project also found that the cash transfers produced wider economic benefits for local communities. According to one study, every $1,000 transferred generated roughly $2,400 in local economic activity, as recipients spent money at neighborhood businesses, invested in agriculture, or started small enterprises that supported others around them.

Rather than simply providing short-term relief, the money circulated through local markets and helped stimulate economic growth.

Perkins and Obrecht signed The Giving Pledge in 2021, committing to donate most of their wealth through the Canva Foundation.

Each owns an estimated 18% stake in Canva, valued at approximately $7.6 billion, and has pledged to donate more than 80% of their personal wealth as part of what Perkins has described as a "lifetime journey of giving."

Their fellow Canva cofounder Cameron Adams, whose estimated 9% stake is worth around $3.8 billion, has also pledged to donate the majority of his wealth through The Giving Pledge, although independently of the Canva Foundation.

Canva's next big idea is giving people a voice

The billionaire couple recently unveiled another philanthropic effort known as the Global Goals Platform.

Funded through the Canva Foundation, the initiative will ask people around the world what changes they most want to see in their local communities, countries, and globally. The responses are expected to help guide future charitable investments as the foundation works toward its long-term commitment to donate a 30% stake in Canva.

Speaking about the project, Perkins told Forbes: "We have this optimistic belief that there’s enough resources and goodwill in the world to achieve all of our goals, but goals aren't given much of a voice."

She added: "So the idea behind the Goals Platform is…to ask everyone, ‘What is the one goal you’d like to see achieved in your lifetime for the world, for your country, and your local community’…and then to help everyone understand that those are the goals that are shared in our communities.”