The new new thing in philanthropy? Cash.

Big foundations are supporting nonprofits that give money, with no strings attached, to those in need.

The well-educated folk who lead America’s big foundations have over the years devised no end of theories about how to do what they do. Strategic philanthropy. Collective impact. Venture philanthropy. Big bets. Participatory grantmaking. Trust-based philanthropy.

Now, in response to the economic devastation caused by COVID-19, they are trying something completely different: Giving money, with no strings attached, to those who need it.

Blue Meridian Partners, a well-respected donor collaborative, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest public health philanthropy, became the first major funders to support direct cash transfers to those hurt by COVID-19. Stand Together, a foundation backed by billionaire conservative Charles Koch, is providing support to families most affected by the pandemic. Today [April 14], GiveDirectly, a nonprofit that helped popularized the idea of giving cash to poor people, announced $3m in COVID-19 funding from Google.org, Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai and Flourish Ventures, a fund that invests on behalf of billionaire entrepreneur Pierre Omidyar.