Multipurpose Cash Assistance
Multipurpose Cash (MPC) are unrestricted cash transfers that people affected by crises can use to cover their basic needs. By its nature, MPC is the assistance modality which offers people a maximum degree of choice, flexibility and dignity. There is also growing evidence that it is more cost-efficient and cost-effective to meet multiple needs.
But this requires new ways of collaborating between humanitarian actors, at all stages of the program cycle, and across sectors. While solid tools exist to support collaboration, they have not been widely adopted and MPC is still used in an ad-hoc way. Challenges remain to be addressed if we are to successfully fit MPC into the humanitarian system.
Featured content
Multipurpose cash outcome indicators and guidance
Guidelines and Tools
The indicators in this document, developed by the Grand Bargain Cash Workstream, focus on the primary objectives of humanitarian Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPC), and the outcomes to which MPC can most strongly contribute in a given context.
Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) Decision Making Tools
Guidelines and Tools
Update: This publication was revised in 2022. Please read the revised publication here.
The purpose of this tipsheet is to accompany practitioners and decision makers through key stages in the process of calculating an MEB to: (a)
identify what is the most appropriate path to take in relation to their
particular context, identified objective, existing capacities and available
resources; and...
Operational Guidance and Toolkit for Multipurpose Cash Grants
Guidelines and Tools
This operational guidance and toolkit brings together worldwide expertise on cash-based interventions (CBIs). It provides comprehensive and practical guidance for humanitarian actors to assess the feasibility, conceptualise the design and structure the implementation of MPGs. The guidance focuses on MPGs whose primary objective is to meet basic needs as defined by affected people...
Definition of Minimum Expenditure Baskets (MEB) in West Africa
Report
Throughout 2017, five countries in West Africa have worked collectively to define minimum expenditure baskets, in order to better capture the contribution that humanitarian assistance is making to address the basic needs of affected populations, and improve the impact of assistance. This heavy process raises technical and coordination challenges. The CALP Network, with support from USAID /...
Thematic lead
Latest
Leaving No One Behind: Evidence from Lebanon on How Multi-purpose Cash Beneficiaries with Different Vulnerability Profiles Spend Income and Access Services
Case Study
This study aims to generate a more in-depth and nuanced understanding of the impact of MPC assistance on Syrian refugee households with different vulnerability profiles, and explores how complementary interventions can support severely vulnerable households to meet their basic needs and address issues...
Multipurpose cash outcome indicators and guidance
Guidelines and Tools
The indicators in this document, developed by the Grand Bargain Cash Workstream, focus on the primary objectives of humanitarian Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPC), and the outcomes to which MPC can most strongly contribute in a given context.
Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance Referral Mechanism to Sector Specific Services
Guidelines and Tools
Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) has been a major activity in Iraq since 2015, used mainly for responses for conflict affected populations. Results from Post-Distribution Monitoring (PDM) show high levels of satisfaction, supporting access to basic needs and expenditures on critical needs. However, a...
Biweekly Factsheet on the Cash for Protection Taskforce (C4PTT) in Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries
Report
This Factsheet collates key updates, findings and resources as drawn from Humanitarian Impact situation reports; minutes from the Cash Working Group (CWG), Protection cluster and sub-cluster/AoR meetings; IOM; UNHCR and other UN sources. It is produced on a bi-weekly basis for protection and cash and...
Biweekly Factsheet on the Cash for Protection Taskforce (C4PTT) in Ukraine and Neighbouring Countries
Report
This Fact sheet collates key updates, findings and resources as drawn from Humanitarian Impact situation Reports; minutes from the Cash Working Group (CWG), Protection cluster and sub-cluster/AoR meetings; IOM; UNHCR and other UN sources. It is produced on a bi-weekly basis for protection and cash and...
GBV Considerations for Women and Girls- Cash in Ukraine and the Regional Refugee Response- UNFPA 2022
Guidelines and Tools
Cash assistance is a modality that will be used extensively inside conflict-affected Ukraine and in the regional refugee response, where feasible and appropriate (1). Given that the large majority of Ukrainian refugees are women and children, it is critical to ensure that cash programming does not put...
Presentation: Launch of ECHO Cash thematic policy
Presentation
This is the presentation of the launch of ECHO’s Cash Thematic Policy, which provides guidance to DG ECHO partners and staff on the use of cash transfers. The launch event had the following objectives: Highlight key elements of the policy – emphasising what’s new. Equip a wide cash audience on how...
Webinar Recording: Launch of ECHO Cash Thematic Policy
Webinar recording
This is the recording of the launch of ECHO’s Cash Thematic Policy, which provides guidance to DG ECHO partners and staff on the use of cash transfers. The launch event had the following objectives: Highlight key elements of the policy – emphasising what’s new. Equip a wide cash audience on how to...
Guarantee 360-Degree Satisfaction in Cash Interventions
Report
The purpose of this learning paper is to inform the design of future protective and inclusive cash programming, particularly the MPCA. It highlights the results under the thematic areas of the study and gives recommendations in how to better address them through MPC in terms of appropriateness and...
The Use of Cash Assistance in DEC’s Coronavirus Appeal: Key Learning, Best Practices and Recommendations
Report
The purpose of this report is to provide insight into the learnings, future improvements and best practices in cash programming. The 2020 DEC Coronavirus Appeal was analysed to determine the opportunities for collective learning about cash programming. The countries investigated include, Afghanistan,...