This month we are featuring nonprofits active in reducing extreme poverty, whether through supporting small businesses and startups, granting small loans and cash support, or providing job training and professional development.

Every month in 2025, we are highlighting the work of Give Lively member nonprofits like these, working in subject areas formerly addressed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We mourn the deeply misguided destruction of USAID and will keep USAID’s spirit alive by recognizing the efforts of nonprofits engaged in similar challenges. 

Follow along for a series of Updates articles that spotlight Give Lively member nonprofits supporting their communities in fields once part of the USAID portfolio: global health, family planning, food security, disaster relief, wartime assistance, economic development, education, environmental protection, democracy, human rights and more.

The nonprofits

The Valentino Achak Deng (VAD) Foundation

The mission of this organization is to empower children, youth and women from poor communities in South Sudan through educational opportunities and other sustainable development initiatives. After the publication of What Is The What, a novelized account of the life of Valentino Achak Deng, the real Valentino and book author Dave Eggers established the VAD Foundation to help rebuild South Sudanese communities by building schools and establishing community development programs. The VAD Foundation sponsors students – primarily girls – to receive a safe, high-quality education that prepares them for future success. In 2024, the nonprofit sponsored 372 girls, including 183 in elementary school and 189 in high school.

The VAD Foundation uses a Give Lively-powered Campaign Page for the College Tuition Fund for Girl Scholars of the VAD Foundation, featuring the story of one such scholar, Daniella Adut Deng. Additionally, its website links to a Give Lively-powered Core Profile via a “Donate” button. 

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BCM Georgia

Since 1987, this organization has been creating pathways to financial stability for low-income working families in Metro Atlanta. BCM Georgia envisions caring communities where everyone has a home and the opportunity to thrive. Its mission is to prevent homelessness and empower people economically, which it does through emergency assistance, supportive housing and financial education programs that strengthens and empowers the Metro Atlanta community.

BCM Georgia links to a Give Lively-powered Core Profile to collect donations through its website. 

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PODER

This nonprofit provides academic tools to promote human dignity, increase employment potential and facilitate participation in the larger community. Through its two primary programs, “Integrated English” and industry-specific “Workforce Development” trainings, PODER offers support in comprehensive adult literacy and workforce development to Spanish-speaking adults on Chicago’s southwest side. Together with its wrap-around student services, enrichment workshops and community outreach initiatives, PODER empowers its clients to be economically independent and fully integrated in U.S. society.

PODER links to a Give Lively-powered Campaign Page to collect donations through its website.

Read more

Learn about five nonprofits working to alleviate global poverty