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This report is a summary of the key messages and main outcomes of the workshop on cash organised by VOICE in the framework of its Grand Bargain project funded by the Belgian MFA. Participants explored the role and added value of NGOs in large scale cash transfer programmes all along the program cycle from needs-assessment to monitoring but also in relation to coordination.

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Action Against Hunger, in partnership with the World Food Programme developed the RESEARCH 4 ACTION methodology to build on evidence to inform action. The first R4ACT, focused on the impacts of cash on nutrition outcomes. This methodology - includes 3 stages: 1- What does evidence say ? 2-What should be done ? 3-How can recommendations be translated into action ?. The Executive Summary Report, provides a snapshot of the state of evidence on the impacts of cash on nutrition outcomes written by a researcher, Bridget Fenn, as well as the recommendations drafted in light of the evidence, during a one day R4ACT workshop gathering a panel of select organisations. The Full Report provides more details on key findings, recommendations and on the R4ACT methodology.

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Action Against Hunger, in partnership with the World Food Programme developed the RESEARCH 4 ACTION (R4ACT) methodology to build on evidence to inform action. The first R4ACT, focused on the impacts of cash on nutrition outcomes. This methodology - includes 3 stages: 1- What does evidence say ? 2-What should be done ? 3-How can recommendations be translated into action ?. The Executive Summary Report, provides a snapshot of the state of evidence on the impact of cash on nutrition outcomes written by a researcher, Bridget Fenn, as well as the recommendations drafted in light of the evidence, during a one day R4ACT workshop gathering a panel of select organisations. The Full Report provides more details on key findings, recommendations and on the R4ACT methodology.

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Not what she bargained for? Gender and the Grand Bargain (CARE International & Action Aid UK) Ambitious plans to reform the humanitarian sector are still failing to reach grassroots women’s rights organisations or be felt by women affected by crises. As donors, UN agencies and NGOs review progress on the Grand Bargain, this paper outlines recommendations to promote women’s leadership and participation across the humanitarian reform agenda. The paper focuses on the three Grand Bargain workstreams: localisation, participation and cash. Key recommendations include: ensure ‘localised’ humanitarian funding reaches local women’s organisations and other civil society groups addressing gender issues strengthen participation of local women’s groups in humanitarian coordination across all clusters empower women to participate meaningfully and deliver on Accountability to Affected Populations and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse match the momentum on large‐scale and harmonised cash delivery with investment in the diverse strategies required to ensure gender-responsive approaches to cash programme quality, inclusion and accountability.

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Markets are vital to our well-being. Even though they falter when war, violence, and natural disaster rip through communities, markets rarely collapse entirely. People find new ways to produce, exchange, and consume. Not only do they find new economic outlets: they depend on their markets, social networks, and local support systems more than they depend on external aid. Despite this, traditional aid often overlooks these market systems; it may bypass them through the direct delivery of in-kind assistance and can undermine them with supply-driven programs. The aid sector has recognized the need for change, and the growth of cash transfer programs is a critical first step in this shift. Cash transfers can enable households to purchase what they need through local actors, invest in economic opportunities, and repay debts. But cash transfers still focus on directly providing resources to people, rather than strengthening people’s capacity to access those resources themselves through local systems. The aid sector needs a new vision for crisis response—one that is market-driven, that leverages the capacities of non-aid actors in local and global economic systems, and that ultimately gives crisis-affected individuals the ability to drive their own decisions and secure their own lives and livelihoods.

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The nature of humanitarian crises is changing. More people are in need and for longer. Today’s emergencies, both man-made and natural, are putting the humanitarian system under severe strain. We urgently need to invest in new approaches to protect the lives and dignity of those affected and to ensure aid is spent as efficiently as possible. This report shows why giving aid directly in the form of cash is often a highly effective way to reduce suffering and to make limited humanitarian aid budgets go further.