Field: Poverty
Fighting poverty with direct cash payments
GiveDirectly has delivered over $500 million in cash to impoverished people, letting recipients decide how best to meet their needs.
Debunking stereotypes about mobile homes could make them a new face of affordable housing
People see manufactured housing parks as problems. We recognize them as part of the solution to housing crises.
A historian identifies the worst year in human history
The year 536 ushered in the coldest decade in thousands of years and started a century of economic devastation.
Satellites zoom in on cities’ hottest neighborhoods
In “micro-urban heat islands,” communities can experience heat wave conditions well before officials declare a heat emergency.
This starchy wondercrop could help alleviate food insecurity
Enset, a perennial banana-like fruit cultivated in southwestern Ethiopia, is an underexploited starch crop with significant potential.
These innovative projects are tackling homelessness around the world
It’s been estimated that at least 150 million people, which is about 2% of the world’s population, are homeless.
The case for techno-optimism: Is the world about to enter an era of mass flourishing?
Historically, periods of mass flourishing are underpinned by technological revolutions. Currently, we are undergoing a technological revolution unlike anything the world has ever seen.
Faster internet may be the key to reducing unemployment
People with access to fast internet were more likely to be employed, according to a new study.
Is it time for America to bring back the boarding house?
A revival of the boarding house — popular in the 1800s, banned by modern zoning — could help solve America’s affordable housing woes.
Getting disaster relief to the people who need it most
Delphi analyzes property damage and poverty levels to identify the people most in need of disaster relief, helping organizations maximize their impact.
Series|
Catalysts
How to get a job when you’re living in poverty
In partnership with Stand Together
In this unique job training program for those experiencing poverty, coaches focus on teaching the “harder skills” - love, forgiveness, and connection.
How a bakery is restoring hope in an Appalachian mining town
As the coal industry becomes all but obsolete, unemployment throughout Appalachia continues to climb. But a bakery in Kentucky is doing its part to bring hope back to the community.
Chefs fight child hunger with No Kid Hungry
A group of culinary professionals in Chicago is volunteering their talents to end child hunger in the US, and some are going all the way to Capitol Hill.
Can friendship keep at-risk youth off the streets?
In partnership with Stand Together
Carlos felt addicted to the thrill of crime at a young age. Today, he yields a different, positive influence on the streets with UTEC.
This nonprofit gives bikes and people new life
Working Bikes has spent nearly two decades rescuing bicycles from the waste cycle to give people purpose, access to jobs, and independence.
Series|
Catalysts
Investing in families to escape poverty
In partnership with Stand Together
The greatest investment of all may be in people’s strengths and initiative. This nonprofit is doing just that, and it’s working.
Series|
Catalysts
Can former Bloods and Crips unite to break the cycle of violence?
In partnership with Stand Together
For the children of Dallas, these ex gang leaders may be their only chance.
The Crib: A place to call home
For young LGBTQ adults, this is the shelter that accepts many people that are too often turned away.
Series|
Catalysts
A school made for homeless children
In partnership with Stand Together
When a child faces chaos at home, it's impossible to learn. This school is doing whatever it takes to help homeless students and their families create better lives.
This woman is on a mission to turn beer into food
Jacquie Berglund is using the profits from her beer company to buy organic produce from local farmers and distribute the produce to food banks in the area.
Should we legalize gangs?
Gangs are a major cause of violence and organized crime. Here’s why countries should think twice before trying to...
This Chicago urban farm grows opportunity, jobs
Growing Home’s organic urban farms use agriculture as a vehicle for providing job training for people with...
Series|
Catalysts
Stopping gang violence with love
In partnership with Stand Together
This nonprofit is doing the impossible - finding the 10% of gang members responsible for 90% of the crime, and leading them to successful, positive lives.
Giving homeless people something most of us take for granted
This one small thing can mean the difference between a spot in a shelter or sleeping on the streets, a job or no job, a place to eat or going without food.
Angels of debt
These ex-bill collectors got John Oliver's attention and started a movement. They're buying hundreds of millions of dollars worth of strangers' medical debt and erasing it.
Series|
Catalysts
A home helping teen moms break the cycle of generational poverty
In partnership with Stand Together
Hope House in Denver is changing lives for generations to come.
How this non-profit weaves a family of support for struggling teens in Baltimore
“Everyone - no matter their age, race, or background - needs a network of supportive relationships to help them...
This former wall street felon is helping ex-cons find jobs
Doing prison time changed this Wall Street trader’s life. Now he’s helping others get jobs after prison - and stay out for good.
How to teach kids to read in as little as 50 days
In partnership with Skoll Foundation
1 in 10 people in the world today are illiterate. This program teaches people to read in as little as 50 days.
Series|
Catalysts
A game-changer for chronic homelessness
In partnership with Stand Together
He turned a food truck for the homeless into a thriving 51-acre community.
Breaking abuse victims’ financial handcuffs
This amazing organization is doing whatever it takes to help domestic violence victims survive on their own.