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      Jump to Navigation          GiveWell        Top CharitiesOur Top Charities Giving 101  Maximum Impact Fund ResearchResearch Overview Research on Programs Cost-Effectiveness Analyses How We Produce Impact Estimates GiveWell Incubation Grants All GiveWell Grants  Our Mistakes AboutAbout GiveWell Our People Information About Donating General FAQ Rollover Funds FAQ Values Official Records Jobs Contact Us Stay Updated  Blog Ways to GiveOverview of Giving Options Credit Card Check Bank Transfer Cryptocurrency Securities/Stock PayPal Wills and Bequests Donate a Vehicle Donor Advised Fund (DAF)           Enter search terms here.   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            You are hereHome » Top Charities Our Top Charities               Donate to high-impact, cost-effective charities—backed by evidence and analysis Updated annually — Last update: November 2020

 Give Effectively   Give to cost-effective, evidence-backed charities We search for charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar. These are the best we’ve found. Supported by 20,000+ hours of research annually.(1)

   Donate based on evidence—not marketing Even well-meaning charities can fail to have impact. We provide evidence-backed analysis of effectiveness.

   Pick a charity or give to our Maximum Impact Fund We grant from our Maximum Impact Fund to the charities where we believe donations will help the most. Either way, we take zero fees.

    Skip to Medicine to prevent malaria Nets to prevent malaria Supplements to prevent vitamin A deficiency Cash incentives for routine childhood vaccines Treatments for parasitic worm infections Cash transfers for extreme poverty GiveWell’s Maximum Impact Fund         Charity 1 of 9 Medicine to prevent malaria Overview Malaria kills over 400,000 people annually, mostly children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa.(2) Seasonal malaria chemoprevention is preventive medicine that saves children’s lives. It is given during the four months of the year when malaria infection rates are especially high.

 COST-EFFECTIVENESS About $7 to protect a child from malaria.(3) In 2020, we directed funding to the Malaria Consortium to support this program at an estimated average cost-effectiveness of $4,500 per life saved.(4) We expect cost-effectiveness to decrease as the highest-priority funding opportunities are funded. 

  Compare to most charities’ programs

 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Exceptionally strong. Many high-quality studies of seasonal malaria chemoprevention have consistently found strong impact. The organization we recommend conducts high-quality ongoing monitoring.

 Compare to most charities’ programs

 TOP ORGANIZATION IN THIS AREA   Malaria Consortium Seasonal malaria chemoprevention program Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate     An SMC Community Distributor in Burkina Faso shows an infant a strip for measuring malnutrition, which may be done alongside delivery of the antimalarial medicine. Photo credit: Malaria Consortium/Sophie Garcia        Charity 2 of 9 Nets to prevent malaria OVERVIEW Malaria kills over 400,000 people annually, mostly children under 5 in sub-Saharan Africa.(5) Nets save lives. Participants hang the nets and sleep under them so they are not bitten by malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

 COST-EFFECTIVENESS About $5 to provide one net.(6) In 2020, we directed funding to the Against Malaria Foundation to support this program at an estimated average cost-effectiveness of $4,500 per life saved.(7) We expect cost-effectiveness to decrease as the highest-priority funding opportunities are funded.

  Compare to most charities’ programs

 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Exceptionally strong. Many high-quality studies of nets have consistently found strong impact. The organization we recommend conducts high-quality ongoing monitoring.

 Compare to most charities’ programs

 TOP ORGANIZATION IN THIS AREA   Against Malaria Foundation  Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate      Photo credit: Against Malaria Foundation          Charity 3 of 9 Supplements to prevent vitamin A deficiency OVERVIEW Vitamin A deficiency leaves children vulnerable to infections and can lead to death. We attribute  over 200,000 children's deaths to vitamin A deficiency each year.(8) This program saves lives by providing vitamin A supplements to children under 5 years old.

 COST-EFFECTIVENESS About $1 to deliver a vitamin A supplement.(9) In 2020, we directed funding to Helen Keller International to support this program at an estimated average cost-effectiveness of $3,000 per life saved.(10) We expect cost-effectiveness to decrease as the highest-priority funding opportunities are funded.

  Compare to most charities’ programs

 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Very strong. Many high-quality studies of vitamin A supplementation show strong impact. The organization we recommend conducts high-quality ongoing monitoring.

 Compare to most charities’ programs

 TOP ORGANIZATION IN THIS AREA   Helen Keller International Vitamin A Supplementation Program Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate      Photo credit: Helen Keller International         Charity 4 of 9 Cash incentives for routine childhood vaccines OVERVIEW In Nigeria, 43% of infants did not receive all recommended childhood vaccines in 2019.(11) This program provides cash transfers to incentivize caregivers to bring babies to clinics for routine childhood vaccinations. It operates in North West Nigeria. 

 COST-EFFECTIVENESS About $142 to vaccinate an infant.(12) In 2020, we directed funding to New Incentives to support this program at an estimated average cost-effectiveness of $4,500 per life saved.(13) We expect cost-effectiveness to decrease as the highest-priority funding opportunities are funded.

  Compare to most charities’ programs

 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Very strong. A high-quality study of New Incentives' program found strong impact. New Incentives conducts high-quality ongoing monitoring..

 Compare to most charities’ programs

 TOP ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS AREA   New Incentives Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate      Poster at a clinic promoting awareness of the New Incentives program and the benefits of vaccination. Photo credit to New Incentives         Charities 5-8 of 9 Treatments for parasitic worm infections (deworming) OVERVIEW Hundreds of millions of people around the world are infected with parasitic worms.(14) This program provides children with medication that clears parasitic infections and may lead to a large increase in lifetime earnings. We recommend the program based on its small potential for a large impact on earnings.

 COST-EFFECTIVENESS About $1 to deworm a child,(15) which we recommend because deworming may increase lifetime earnings.(16) We expect this program is more cost-effective than cash transfers, and expect cost-effectiveness to decrease as the highest-priority funding opportunities are funded.

  Compare to most charities’ programs

 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Strong. Many high-quality studies show that treating children clears worm infections. One trial and several follow-up studies show a large increase in participants’ lifetime earnings. The organizations we recommend conduct high-quality ongoing monitoring.

 Compare to most charities’ programs

 TOP ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS AREA   Evidence Action Deworm the world initiative Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate     SCI Foundation  Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate     The END Fund Deworming program Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate     Sightsavers Deworming program Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate      Photo credit: Evidence Action         Charity 9 of 9 Cash transfers for extreme poverty OVERVIEW The majority of people in the world live on less than $3,700 per year.(17) This program gives cash to very poor families, mostly in Africa, to spend as they like. Many participants make investments in business and agricultural assets, housing, and education.

 COST-EFFECTIVENESS Program participants receive $83 out of every $100 donated.(18) While still excellent, this program has the lowest impact per-dollar of the programs we recommend. 

  Compare to most charities’ programs

 EVIDENCE OF IMPACT Exceptionally strong. Many high-quality studies show that recipients use money to buy goods that improve their lives. The organization we recommend conducts high-quality ongoing monitoring.

 Compare to most charities’ programs

 TOP ORGANIZATION IN THIS AREA   GiveDirectly  Full ReportFull Research ReportDonate      Photo credit: GiveDirectly          Photo credit: Malaria Consortium/Sophie Garcia  GiveWell's Maximum Impact Fund  This is the best fit for donors who want to maximize their impact. We take zero fees and use our most up-to-date research to grant your gift where we believe it will help the most. 

  We typically grant this pool of funds to one or more of our recommended charities each quarter. Once we grant your donation, we’ll email you to let you know which charity or charities we selected and what we expect your donation will accomplish. 

  You can find more information about the Maximum Impact Fund, including a list of past distributions, here. 

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