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
DG ECHO Thematic Policy Document on Cash Transfers
Policy paper
DG ECHO released its Thematic Policy document on Cash Transfers in March 2022. The document provides guidance primarily to DG ECHO’s partners and staff, but also to the wider cash community with the objective of collectively enhancing the quality and efficiency of cash programmes and of humanitarian...
Linking Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance to Long-Term Solutions: Key Findings and Recommendations from the Iraq CWG Workshop November 2021
Report
Large-scale Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) has been provided in Iraq since 2015 to assist people who are affected by conflict to meet their basic needs. Humanitarian actors view MPCA as the most appropriate response modality in Iraq and a major component of the Humanitarian Response Plan...
Ukraine Cash Working Group – Fact Sheet
Guidelines and Tools
The Ukraine Cash Working Group has produced this fact sheet to provide the latest information concerning: The cash working group, its foundations and current focus The role of multi purpose cash in light of the current crisis The Minimum Expenditure Basket (MPC) and its current calculation in...
Economic Resilience “On-the-Move” – New Tools to leverage local markets for basic needs through conflict-sensitive approaches
Guidelines and Tools
See the publication here A special look at Cash and Local Markets for Social Cohesion Local market actors affected by (natural) disasters, pandemic lockdowns with movement restrictions and income loss – generally in Fragile Contexts – play a critical role in contributing towards communities’ basic...
Financial Services In The Uganda Refugee Response – An Assessment Of Users’ Perspectives
Report
This assessment of user experiences and perspectives on digital financial services and assistance mechanisms aims to inform actors in Uganda’s humanitarian response and other stakeholders. The data collected is representative at the settlement level for refugees and at district level for refugee hosting...
Uganda Refugee Response Cash And Voucher Assistance (CVA) User Perspectives – Research Brief
Report
This brief presents the summarised findings of the study on Financial Services and Humanitarian Mechanisms in the Uganda Refugee Response: An Assessment of User Perspectives in Uganda.
The assessment intends to inform actors and key stakeholders in Uganda’s refugee response about peoples’ existing...
Lessons Learnt from Latin America and Practical Guidance for Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) Integration
Report
Existing tools and guidance on Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA) generally focus on the technical approach to achieving sectoral outcomes. However, this presumes levels of integration between and among sectors that remains a challenge due to a myriad of reasons.
Based on the lessons learnt from...
2021 Cash And Voucher Programming (CVP) Roadmap Milestones Achieved
Report
Summary Report of World Vision’s global progress report and milestones (against WV’s global Cash Roadmap Strategy) in Cash Voucher Assistance (Cash Voucher Programming-CVP) facilitated by World Vision in over 44 countries, reaching more than 6.7 Mio vulnerable people (78 % in Fragile Contexts) in...
Humanitarian Assistance and Fertility Decisions: At what extent Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) targeting criteria had influenced the fertility rates and fertility calendar of Syrian refugees in Turkey
Report
Turkey, as the country with the highest number of refugees, is currently a home to 3.7 million Syrians who had to flee from their country due to the conflict started in 2011. Since December 2016, refugees from all nationalities in Turkey can apply for the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), the largest...
Linking MPCA to longer-term solutions in Iraq: Strategic and operational revision workshop
Report
The CWG in Iraq organized a 2-day workshop to discuss strategic and operational components and revise the MPCA approach, in line with the transitional context to durable solutions. This is a report with the summary and key decisions taken during the workshop and it can serve as a case study on linking...