Cause
Mental health
Low-cost talk therapy, delivered by trained community members, for people with depression in low-income countries.
Short on time? What's the best charity for mental health? Read the short answer
Highest-rated charities
Listed by evaluator designation, with each one's headline figure exactly as published.
Friendship Bench
Offers one-to-one problem-solving therapy for people struggling with their mental health, delivered by trained lay health workers in Zimbabwe.
48.52 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated
Happier Lives Institute, published table
StrongMinds
Runs group talk therapy for people with depression, led by trained lay counsellors, in countries including Uganda and Zambia.
40.37 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated
Happier Lives Institute, published table
What works, and how we know
Group talk therapy for depression
Group therapy for depression, led by trained lay counsellors rather than doctors, which keeps the cost low.
Evidence: Low to moderate (Happier Lives Institute)
Problem-solving therapy
One-to-one talk therapy that helps people work through their problems, delivered by trained lay health workers.
Evidence: Low to moderate (Happier Lives Institute)
Compare side by side
Two charities at a time, measured the same way by the same evaluator.
Other organizations in this area
Given an honourable mention by the Happier Lives Institute.
Questions donors ask
- What is the most effective charity for mental health?
We don't pick a winner ourselves. The highest-rated charities here are Friendship Bench, StrongMinds, based on what GiveWell and the Happier Lives Institute publish. Each charity page shows the figures, the source and how strong the evidence is.
- Should I give to one charity or a fund?
Both are reasonable. A fund run by an evaluator lets them direct your gift to where they judge the need is greatest; giving to one charity lets you choose the program yourself.
- Are these figures guaranteed?
No. They are evaluators' modeled estimates of the average. Real results can be higher or lower, and evaluators update them as they learn.