Long delays in moving humanitarian funds are a major obstacle to swift aid delivery. Now, international nonprofit Save the Children is turning to cryptocurrency to speed up its response, announcing the launch of a new Bitcoin fund designed to hold crypto donations for up to four years.

The fund, developed in partnership with digital-asset firm Fortris, will allow the nonprofit to accept and hold donations in Bitcoin, stablecoins, and other digital assets. The organization stated the initiative aims to circumvent the traditional banking channels that frequently break down or become inaccessible during natural disasters and conflicts, a common cause of aid slowdowns.

“Many nonprofits accept Bitcoin today, but few hold these donations or leverage the asset’s underlying peer-to-peer technology in their operations,” Antonia Roupell, Save the Children’s innovation and partnerships lead, said in a statement. “Our Bitcoin donors asked for the flexibility to choose when to convert to maximize the impact of their generosity, and this fund delivers exactly that.”

Save the Children first accepted Bitcoin in 2013 and has used its “Hodl Hope” initiative to raise millions in digital assets for children affected by conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and Sudan. The new fund, the organization argues, offers essential financial agility when established aid pathways falter.

“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,” Janti Soeripto, president and CEO of Save the Children U.S., said in a statement. The innovation, she added, integrates the speed, cost-efficiency, and financial inclusion of blockchain tools to strengthen emergency and long-term programs globally.

While the fund aims to easily deploy Bitcoin in crisis areas, the announcement left key operational questions unanswered, including governance structure, who will ultimately be responsible for deciding when to convert the volatile assets into fiat currency, and the strategies planned to manage extreme price swings.

Save the Children did not immediately respond to requests for comment by Decrypt.

The move comes as cryptocurrency giving continues to expand. The crypto industry has a long history of donating to global causes, including during the Covid-19 pandemic and the massive influx of over $50 million in crypto donations to Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion.

According to The Giving Block’s 2025 annual report, over $1 billion worth of cryptocurrency was donated in 2024.