The billionaire co-founders of Australian graphic design software giant Canva, Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, are redefining global philanthropy. They are giving approximately $550 (£410) in unconditional cash to every adult in impoverished districts across Malawi. The ambitious scheme is executed in close partnership with the international non-profit organisation GiveDirectly.
It is funded through the Canva Foundation. The programme aims to bypass traditional aid bureaucracies in favour of radical economic trust.
In an exclusive interview with Forbes, Canva CEO Melanie Perkins emphasised that while the world possesses enough goodwill and resources to solve big challenges, key societal objectives lack a unified voice. To bridge this gap, Canva launched the Goals Platform to invite individuals to share their top aspirations for the world, their country, and their local neighbourhood.
What Is the Programme About?
Under the expanded $150 million (£115 million) initiative, mobile payments are deposited into recipients' digital accounts. This is the largest unconditional cash transfer programme in a low-income country. This model empowers families to spend the money as they see fit. The money is meant to be spent without any mandatory strings attached or paternalistic oversight.
The rationale behind handing direct cash to Malawi's poorest citizens is based on empirical evidence gathered across early trial phases. It began as a $10 million pilot project in 2021. It expanded to $50 million between 2021 and 2023. Perkins and Obrecht committed a further $100 million anchor contribution in October 2025.
Improving Lives in Malawi
In Malawi's Khongoni sub-district, where all eligible adults received the cash transfers, GiveDirectly reported that an astonishing 90 per cent of recipient households moved above the extreme poverty line within just three months.
Besides immediate financial relief, health and education metrics across the trial areas showed dramatic improvements. Child mortality rates fell by 48 per cent, reported illness dropped by 27 per cent, and primary school enrolments rose by 23 per cent.
Independent economic studies revealed that direct cash transfers do not induce severe inflation. Instead, they generate a powerful local economic multiplier effect. Every $1,000 (£745) distributed yielded roughly $2,400 (£1,785) in broader local economic activity as money circulated through village markets and local vendors.
The upcoming expansion phase will extend the initiative deep into Malawi's Chiradzulu district. It will reach an estimated 185,000 more individuals by early 2027. Carried out alongside the Malawian government, this phase represents the world's largest randomised controlled trial evaluating unconditional direct aid.
Researchers will assess whether combining direct cash distributions with supplementary community resources can yield even greater long-term developmental success.
The Two-Step Plan
For Perkins and Obrecht, handing out direct financial aid aligns seamlessly with their 'Two-Step Plan': building one of the world's most valuable tech companies, and then using those earnings to do the most good possible.
Having signed The Giving Pledge in 2021, the couple committed over 80 per cent of their wealth. This includes a 30 per cent equity stake in Canva allocated directly to the Canva Foundation to humanitarian efforts. By putting purchasing power straight into the hands of Malawian citizens, Canva's founders are proving that direct human trust may well be the most effective antidote to systemic poverty.
