Save the Children’s new Bitcoin Fund seeks to maximize donation value with up to four-year holding strategy
Save the Children has officially launched what it described as the first-of-its-kind Bitcoin Fund, marking a new approach to how the global humanitarian organization manages and delivers financial aid. The fund was developed in partnership with digital asset firm Fortris and is designed to allow the charity to hold, manage, and deploy bitcoin donations during crises, according to a Thursday statement.The Bitcoin Fund enables Save the Children to securely hold donated bitcoin for up to four years, hoping to maximize the value of contributions. The organization said the fund will also serve as a platform to test and scale new ways of delivering cash and voucher assistance using bitcoin, stablecoins, and digital wallets, aiming to get funds to families more quickly, transparently, and at a lower cost.Building on a decade of bitcoin adoptionSave the Children noted that the new fund builds on its earlier work with digital assets dating back to 2013, when it became the first international nongovernmental organization to accept bitcoin donations. Through its Hodl Hope initiative, the organization stated it has raised millions in digital assets to support children affected by crises in places, including Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan."Out-of-the-box solutions are essential to ensure we continue to be there for children when they need us most — especially when traditional foreign aid funding falters," Save the Children U.S. President and CEO Janti Soeripto said. She added that the initiative integrates the "speed, cost-efficiency, and financial inclusion of blockchain-based tools" into the organization's emergency response and long-term development programs in the U.S. and globally.Save the Children Innovation and Partnerships Lead Antonia Roupell added that the fund responds directly to feedback from donors. "Many non-profits accept bitcoin today, but few hold these donations or leverage the asset's underlying peer-to-peer technology in their operations," Roupell said, explaining that donors wanted flexibility around when to convert their contributions to maximize impact.Looking ahead, Save the Children said it will continue working with bitcoin application developers, including Fedi, to explore community-based tools that promote financial inclusion and digital literacy for families with limited access to traditional financial services. Also, the organization shared that it aims to combine its humanitarian experience with emerging financial technology to turn digital value into practical economic support for vulnerable communities.Disclaimer: The Block is an independent media outlet that delivers news, research, and data. As of November 2023, Foresight Ventures is a majority investor of The Block. Foresight Ventures invests in other companies in the crypto space. Crypto exchange Bitget is an anchor LP for Foresight Ventures. The Block continues to operate independently to deliver objective, impactful, and timely information about the crypto industry. Here are our current financial disclosures.© 2025 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.