Canva billionaires and married couple Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht have taken a step that challenges traditional aid by putting money directly into the hands of the poorest families in the East African country.
The co-founders of an Australian design software maker are investing a whopping $150 million in a cash transfer program in Malawi. Since launching the initiative in 2021 through the Canva Foundation and the nonprofit GiveDirectly, the pair have expanded what began as a $10 million pilot project into the largest unconditional cash transfer program ever piloted in a low-income country.Instead of building infrastructure or distributing food, the program sends cash directly to recipients via mobile phones, without any restrictions.
Each adult receives about $550, an amount that can exceed an entire year’s income for many Malawians.
The goal is 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. This is in addition to the $2.5 billion in product value that Canva says it has donated to students, teachers, and more than 1 million nonprofits.
While explaining the initiative, the founders said Canva has always been guided by what they call a “simple but ambitious” two-step plan.“The first step is to build one of the most valuable companies in the world. The second step is to do as much good as we can. With more than 30% of Canva’s value committed to doing good in the world, this vision has shaped everything we do, from the products we make to the kind of company we strive to be,” according to a report by Business Insider Africa.To date, more than $52.5 million has reached beneficiaries, with the remainder scheduled to be distributed over the next four years.
Development of Malawi
The results of the project were amazing and encouraging. In Malawi’s Khonjuni sub-district, where every adult received cash, 90% of beneficiaries rose above the extreme poverty line within three months, according to GiveDirectly. The organization also reported a 48% reduction in child deaths, a 27% reduction in diseases, and a 23% increase in school enrollment.
More than 139,000 people benefited from the program.Researchers have also found broader economic gains. One study showed that every $1,000 transferred generated nearly $2,400 in local economic activity as recipients spent the money and reinvested it 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 randomized controlled trial of unconditional cash transfers.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the Government of Malawi, will examine whether additional support, such as technical assistance or community grants, achieves better results than cash alone.For Perkins and Obrecht, the project reflects a broader philosophy. The couple, who signed the Giving Pledge in 2021, have committed to donating the majority of their Canva fortune through their foundation. Their belief is simple: People experiencing poverty are often in a better position to identify what they need most.
Bigger plans
Perkins and Obrecht, who each own 18% of Canva’s stock worth $7.6 billion, have promised to donate more than 80% of their wealth to charity through the Canva Foundation, as part of what Perkins calls a “lifetime giving journey.” Co-founder Cameron Adams, who Forbes estimates has 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 of the Canva Foundation.The couple recently announced the launch of a new philanthropic initiative called the Global Goals Platform. This effort, funded by the Canva Foundation, will survey citizens around the world about the changes they would like to see in the world; It’s an initial step toward fulfilling their pledge to eventually divest a 30% stake in their private company worth $42 billion.“We have this optimistic belief that there are enough resources and good will in the world to achieve all of our goals, but the goals are not given as much voice,” Perkins, who serves as CEO of Canva, told Forbes. “So the idea behind the Goals Platform is… to ask everyone, ‘What is the one goal that you would like to see achieved in your life for the world, for your country, for your local community’… and then to help everyone understand that these are the shared goals in our communities.
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