Canva billionaires and couple Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht have made a move challenging conventional aid by putting cash directly into the hands of an East African country’s poorest households. The cofounders of the Australian design software maker are investing a whopping $150 million into a cash transfer program in Malawi. Since launching the initiative in 2021 through the Canva Foundation and nonprofit GiveDirectly, the couple has expanded what began as a $10 million pilot into the largest unconditional cash transfer program ever attempted in a low-income country.Rather than building infrastructure or distributing food, the program sends cash directly to recipients via mobile phones, with no strings attached. Each adult receives about $550, an amount that can exceed a year’s income for many Malawians.
The aim to do good
The initiative has expanded rapidly. Between 2021 and 2023, the couple committed $50 million, but in October 2025, they pledged another $100 million, marking the largest donation in GiveDirectly’s history. That’s in addition to the $2.5 billion in product value Canva says it has donated to students, teachers, and more than one million nonprofits. While explaining the initiative, the founders said Canva has always been guided by what they call a “simple yet ambitious” two-step plan.“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.So far, more than $52.5 million has reached recipients, with the remainder scheduled for distribution over the next four years.
Developing Malawi
The results of the project have been striking and encouraging. In Malawi’s Khongoni sub-district, where every adult received cash, 90% of recipients rose above the extreme poverty line within three months, according to GiveDirectly. The organisation also reported a 48% decline in child mortality, a 27% reduction in illness and a 23% increase in school enrolment. More than 139,000 people have benefited from the program.Researchers have also found broader economic gains. A study showed that every $1,000 transferred generated roughly $2,400 in local economic activity as recipients spent and reinvested the money in nearby businesses.In the next phase in Malawi’s Chiradzulu district, the program aims to reach 185,000 people by early 2027 in what GiveDirectly says is the world’s largest randomised controlled trial of unconditional cash transfers. Conducted in collaboration with the Malawian government, the study will examine whether additional support, such as technical assistance or community grants, yields better outcomes than cash alone.For Perkins and Obrecht, the project reflects a broader philosophy. The pair, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2021, have committed to donating most of their Canva wealth through their foundation. Their belief is simple: people experiencing poverty are often best placed to decide what they need most.
Larger plans
Perkins and Obrecht, who each own an 18% stake in Canva worth $7.6 billion, promised to donate more than 80% of their wealth to charity through the Canva Foundation, as part of what Perkins calls their “lifetime journey of giving.” Their cofounder Cameron Adams, who Forbes estimates owns a 9% stake in Canva worth $3.8 billion, has also committed to donating the majority of his wealth to charity via The Giving Pledge but plans to do so outside the Canva Foundation.Recently, the couple announced the launch of a new philanthropic initiative called the Global Goals Platform. The effort, funded by their Canva Foundation, will survey citizens across the globe about the changes they’d most like to see in the world; it is an initial step toward fulfilling their pledge to eventually give away a 30% stake in their $42 billion private company.“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,” said Perkins, who serves as Canva’s CEO, to Forbes. “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.”
