Welcome back to AutoPGF: Funding Impact with Glo Dollar—a special podcast mini-series from Crypto Altruists that explores the future of Automatic Public Goods Funding, or AutoPGF for short, and the incredible organizations leveraging this new mechanism to scale their impact.
For episode 4, we’re honored to welcome Anna Whitson-Diaz from the Stellar Development Foundation, Kourtney Rusow from Coala Pay, and Christine To from Glo Dollar. Together, we unpack how blockchain is creating new opportunities for the humanitarian sector—helping aid organizations move faster, reach farther, and build resilient systems that can scale.
You’ll hear how Anna and Kourtney’s years of frontline humanitarian experience shaped their vision for building with Web3, and how Christine sees Glo’s AutoPGF model bringing long-term sustainability to this critical work.
We discuss:
🌍 Reaching the Unreachable with Blockchain: In hard-to-access regions like conflict zones, traditional aid is slow, costly, and prone to loss from inefficiencies and corruption. Stellar’s bulk payments enable instant, transparent digital transfers—directly to phones, and easily cashed out locally.
📱 Simplicity at the Last Mile: The power of crypto doesn’t matter if users can’t access it. By partnering with Web2 platforms and prioritizing intuitive UX, Stellar and Coala Pay make it possible for anyone with a phone to receive aid—no Web3 knowledge required.
⏱️ Aid, When It Matters Most: Humanitarian response is a race against time. Crypto rails don’t just accelerate funding—they unlock next-gen tools like anticipatory action, getting resources to communities before disaster strikes.
Stellar Development Foundation
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02:40 - Anna & Kourtney: Both of you have extensive experience in humanitarian work prior to Web3. Could each of you briefly share your personal journey into the humanitarian sector, and how those experiences ultimately inspired your move into blockchain and crypto-based solutions?
08:35 - Christine: As someone deeply involved with a stablecoin designed specifically to support public goods, what inspired you personally to align your work in crypto with philanthropy, and why does that intersection resonate deeply with you?
11:00 - Anna: Stellar Development Foundation is focused on creating equitable access to the global financial system. For those unfamiliar, could you briefly introduce Stellar, the Foundation’s core mission, and why you see blockchain as essential for achieving financial inclusion?
16:10 - Kourtney: Coala Pay aims to radically simplify aid distribution at the last mile. Could you introduce us to Coala Pay and tell us about the specific pain points in traditional humanitarian finance you're aiming to solve through your platform?
18:50 - Christine: From your perspective, what made Stellar and Coala Pay ideal partners for Glo Dollar?
21:00 - Web3 often faces skepticism from traditional humanitarian organizations. In your experience, what are some of the unique benefits that blockchain and crypto infrastructure can offer the humanitarian sector that traditional systems simply can't, or would find much harder to achieve?
29:15 - Anna: Stellar has been notably involved in facilitating direct, bulk payments to individuals—for example, in your partnership with UNHCR. Could you share more about why this approach is transformative for humanitarian aid?
34:30 - Coala Pay is focused on supporting last mile communities with solutions like Anticipatory Action and grants management. What are some of the unique challenges that come with supporting last-mile communities, and how can Web3 tools help address these challenges?
37:55 - If you could share one insight or piece of advice with individuals or organizations who are hesitant about integrating Web3 into their humanitarian or philanthropic work, what would it be?
44:40 - What’s your call to action for listeners? Where can they head to learn more about your project and get involved?
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While we may discuss specific web3 projects or cryptocurrencies on this podcast, please do not take any of this as investment advice, and please make sure to do your own research on potential investment opportunities, or any opportunity. We host a variety of guests on this podcast with the sole purpose of highlighting the social impact use cases of this technology. That being said, Crypto Altruism does not endorse any of these projects, and we recognize that, since this is an emerging sector, some may be operating in regulatory grey areas, and as such, we cannot confirm their legality in the jurisdictions in which they operate, especially as it pertains to decentralized finance protocols. So, before getting involved with any project, it’s important that you do your own research and confirm the legality of the project. More available HERE.
