We search for the charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar.
Our goal is to produce the world's top research on where to give. Free, for everyone. We recommend a small number of charities that do an incredible amount of good.
Backed by 50,000+ hours of research each year
We’ve been researching and funding charities since 2007. Our work aims to understand how charities work and how much they help the people they serve.
Only the best, according to our high standards
We’ve reviewed hundreds of charities. Very few meet our high bar for funding.
GiveWell takes zero fees
Our operations are funded by donors who choose to support us. 100% of all other donations (minus standard bank and credit card fees) will go to the fund or organization of your choice.
The gold standard for giving.
As seen in
3 ways to donate.
Most common
Top Charities Fund
How will my donation be used?
Your donation will be granted to one of our top charities. These are the most reliably high-impact and cost-effective charities we’ve identified. We’ve evaluated them extensively and have high confidence that donations to them will do a lot of good.Is there a downside?
We have a high bar for the evidence and scalability of these opportunities. This may limit the cost-effectiveness ceiling for these grants.Best for
If you want high confidence in the effectiveness of your donation, donate to the Top Charities Fund.All Grants Fund
How will my donation be used?
Your donation will be granted to the highest-impact programs across all our grantmaking in global health and well-being. Some programs may be much more cost-effective than our top charities, but we may also be much more uncertain about their impact.Is there a downside?
It’s riskier than our Top Charities Fund. For example, we may not have as much confidence in the evidence base or may not have the same extensive history working with the grantee.Best for
If you want the highest possible expected impact and are comfortable with higher risk, donate to the All Grants Fund.Direct to charities
How will my donation be used?
You can make a donation to any of our top charities through the GiveWell site, and your donation will be granted directly to that program.Is there a downside?
You may select a top charity that has lower-priority funding needs at the time of your donation. In contrast, donating to the Top Charities Fund ensures your gift will go to the highest-impact grant opportunities among any of our top charities.Best for
If you’d like to choose the specific charity that will receive your gift, any of our top charities are great options for making an impact.
Our Research Process
We research each program extensively before funding it, and assess what the program accomplishes with that funding.
Gather independent evidence
We look at independent studies, such as randomized controlled trials, of charity programs to understand if they achieve their goals. We also consult experts to gain practical and context-specific insights.
Model cost-effectiveness
We build in-depth models to analyze programs’ cost-effectiveness. We refine these throughout our evaluation process, based on budgets and monitoring data, to estimate impact per dollar spent.
Conduct interviews and site visits
We conduct extensive interviews with staff from potential grantee organizations. We may visit them to see their work in action.
Review budgets
We review potential grantees' past spending and forecast their future spending to better understand their track record and expected impact.
Ask for program data
We ask organizations to share data so we can better understand how successful the programs have been.
Follow up on progress
We continually assess the work, progress, and future plans of the programs we fund. We will stop funding a program if we no longer believe it meets our criteria.
More than 125,000 donorsiBased on our records of donors who've contributed either to GiveWell or to our recommended charities.
— Learn more have trusted GiveWell to direct their donations. Together, they have given over $2 billioniBased on our records of the money we've directed to organizations and grants we've recommended since 2011.
— Learn more to the organizations we recommend.
These donations will save over 200,000 lives.iBased on our cost-effectiveness analysis and our records of money we've directed to our top charities since 2009.
— Learn more
