GiveWell - Evidence-Based Charity Evaluator
webGiveWell is a leading effective altruism organization applying rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis to philanthropy, primarily in global health. Its methodology of evidence-based, expected-value reasoning is directly analogous to frameworks used in AI safety prioritization and resource allocation debates.
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Summary
GiveWell is a nonprofit that conducts in-depth research to identify the most cost-effective charitable interventions, primarily in global health and poverty. It has directed over $2.6 billion in donations from 150,000+ donors to top-rated charities. Its methodology exemplifies rigorous expected-value reasoning and transparent evaluation standards central to the effective altruism movement.
Key Points
- •Backed by 70,000+ hours of annual research, GiveWell evaluates hundreds of programs but funds only those meeting its high evidence and cost-effectiveness bar.
- •Has directed over $2.6 billion in donations, including a record $276 million grant to Against Malaria Foundation for malaria net distribution in DRC.
- •Offers tiered giving funds (All Grants, Top Charities, Unrestricted) reflecting different risk/confidence tradeoffs in impact estimation.
- •Operates with full transparency: research is shared openly and GiveWell takes zero fees from donor contributions.
- •Represents a foundational model for evidence-based prioritization methodology relevant to AI safety resource allocation debates.
Cited by 3 pages
| Page | Type | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| AI Safety Research Value Model | Analysis | 60.0 |
| Holden Karnofsky | Person | 40.0 |
| Toby Ord | Person | 41.0 |
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We search for and support programs that save or improve lives the most per dollar.
We research the most cost‑effective ways to save and improve lives, share our work openly, and direct donations to the programs we believe will do the most good.
Explore our Giving Funds
Photo credit to: Malaria Consortium/Sophie Garcia
Photo credit to: Malaria Consortium/Sophie Garcia
1
Backed by 70,000+ hours of research each year
We’ve been researching and funding global health and development programs since 2007. Our work aims to understand how programs work and how much they help the people they serve.
2
Only the best, according to our high standards
We’ve reviewed hundreds of programs. Very few meet our high bar for funding.
3
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.
Making our largest grant to date
As part of our ongoing efforts to direct more money where it can do extraordinary good, GiveWell recently made its largest grant ever: $276 million to fund the purchase and distribution of malaria nets in DRC through the Against Malaria Foundation. Find out more about the research that informed our decision.
Read the blog post
Looking for new opportunities
As our research team grows, so does our ability to search for cost-effective programs across a much wider range of issues. Listen to a recent podcast episode with the lead of our New Areas research subteam where we discuss three grants that illustrate how we’re approaching this work.
Listen to the episode
The gold standard for giving.
As seen in
Our Giving Funds
Recommended
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.
View the All Grants Fund
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 programs 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 limi
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