You might think about charity as something you do with the extra change you find lying around, or by supporting a friend running in a local race. That's how we used to feel — until we learned how much even a modest amount of charity can accomplish when given to the right organizations.
It's common for charities to make big promises, and in most cases they can't deliver. But after researching hundreds of charities and the programs they carry out, we've found a few that can truly demonstrate impact. With these charities, your donation can make a real difference. For example:
- Malaria Consortium's seasonal malaria chemoprevention program. Strong evidence suggests that seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) programs — preventative treatment for young children during the peak malaria season — substantially reduce cases of malaria. (For more details, see our full report on SMC.) We believe that Malaria Consortium effectively reaches a large proportion of children targeted by its SMC programs. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of the Malaria Consortium's SMC program.
- The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF). Malaria is one of the leading killers of children in Africa. Insecticide-treated nets prevent deaths and many other non-fatal cases of malaria and are relatively inexpensive — about $5 per net. (For more details, see our full report on nets.) We believe that AMF effectively expands access to nets. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of AMF.
- Helen Keller International's vitamin A supplementation program provides technical assistance, engages in advocacy, and contributes funding to government-run vitamin A supplementation (VAS) programs. There is strong evidence that VAS can reduce child mortality. (For more details, see our report on VAS.) For our detailed analysis, see our full review of Helen Keller International's VAS program.
- Charities supporting deworming programs. The charities listed below support programs that treat people for parasitic worm infections that can cause short-term symptoms and may impact children's long-term development and earnings in adulthood. These worms are extremely inexpensive to treat. (For more, see our full report on deworming.)
- Evidence Action's Deworm the World Initiative advocates for, funds, provides technical assistance to, and monitors government-run school-based deworming programs. We believe that Deworm the World, of the deworming charities we have evaluated, has the strongest track record of demonstrating that its programs are effective. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of Deworm the World.
- Sightsavers' deworming program advocates for, funds, provides technical assistance to, and monitors other deworming programs as part of Sightsavers' work to prevent and treat neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). Deworming programs are similar to Sightsavers' other NTD programs and Sightsavers has a fairly strong track record with respect to its NTD programs, although its track record on deworming programs, specifically, is more limited. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of Sightsavers' deworming program.
- The END Fund's deworming program includes grant management, provision of technical assistance, and fundraising for controlling and eliminating neglected tropical diseases, including deworming. We recommend the END Fund's work on deworming programs because we believe the END Fund is in a strong position to identify opportunities to start and scale-up deworming programs. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of the END Fund's deworming program.
- The SCI Foundation (formerly known as Schistosomiasis Control Initiative) advocates for, funds, provides technical assistance to, and monitors government-run deworming programs. SCI has a strong track record of starting and scaling up deworming programs. It has a fairly strong track record of demonstrating that its programs are effective. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of SCI.
- GiveDirectly. Directly transferring money to poor individuals allows them to purchase that which they believe will help them most. Strong evidence indicates that cash transfers lead recipients to spend more on their basic needs (such as food) and may allow recipients to make investments with high returns, with no evidence of large increases in spending on items like alcohol or tobacco. (For more, see our full report on cash transfers.) We believe that GiveDirectly effectively distributes cash to extremely low income individuals. For our detailed analysis, see our full review of GiveDirectly.
