Cause
Saving lives
Some of the most proven ways to prevent deaths, mostly of young children in low-income countries: bed nets, malaria medicine, vitamin A and vaccinations.
Short on time? What's the most effective charity for saving lives? Read the short answer
Highest-rated charities
Listed by evaluator designation, with each one's headline figure exactly as published.
Against Malaria Foundation
Buys long-lasting insecticide-treated bed nets and works with local partners to hand them out in places where malaria is common, then checks the nets are still in use.
$5,500 per life saved
GiveWell, 2022–2024 average
Helen Keller Intl
Gives children under five regular vitamin A supplements, which help prevent deaths from common childhood infections.
$3,500 per life saved
GiveWell, 2022–2024 average
Malaria Consortium
Gives young children preventive malaria medicine during the rainy months, when malaria spreads most.
$4,000 per life saved
GiveWell, 2022–2024 average
New Incentives
Gives families in Northern Nigeria small cash incentives to complete their babies' routine vaccinations.
$4,500 per life saved
GiveWell, 2022–2024 average
Let an evaluator decide
GiveWell All Grants Fund
GiveWell's broader fund. It can grant to any program that meets GiveWell's cost-effectiveness bar, including newer and higher-risk opportunities.
6× as cost-effective as GiveWell's benchmark
GiveWell, as of May 2026
GiveWell Top Charities Fund
Pools donations and grants them to GiveWell's Top Charities wherever GiveWell judges the money is needed most.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
GiveWell Unrestricted Fund
Supports GiveWell itself. Most unrestricted gifts pay for GiveWell's research and operations.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
What works, and how we know
Seasonal malaria medicine
Preventive malaria medicine given to young children each month during the rainy season, when malaria spreads most.
Evidence: Exceptionally strong (GiveWell)
Bed nets against malaria
Long-lasting insecticide-treated nets that protect families from malaria-carrying mosquitoes while they sleep.
Evidence: Exceptionally strong (GiveWell)
Vitamin A supplements
Regular vitamin A doses for children under five, which help prevent deaths from common infections.
Evidence: Very strong (GiveWell)
Cash incentives for vaccination
Small cash payments that encourage families to complete their babies' routine vaccinations.
Evidence: Exceptionally strong (GiveWell)
Syphilis screening in pregnancy
Testing pregnant women for syphilis and treating it, to protect their babies.
Kangaroo mother care
Continuous skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding support for small and premature newborns.
Compare side by side
Two charities at a time, measured the same way by the same evaluator.
Other organizations in this area
Funded by GiveWell. A grant is not a Top Charity rating.
Ansh
Supports kangaroo mother care: skin-to-skin care that helps small and premature newborns survive.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
Evidence Action
Runs several programs backed by strong evidence, including safe water, deworming and nutrition. A longstanding GiveWell grantee.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
Medicines Development for Global Health
Develops medicines for neglected diseases. GiveWell funded its work toward World Health Organization prequalification of the drug moxidectin.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
One Acre Fund
Supports smallholder farmers. GiveWell funded a randomized trial of one of its tree programs.
$1,300,000 GiveWell grant
GiveWell, January 2023
PATH
A global health nonprofit. GiveWell funded its support for countries rolling out the new malaria vaccines.
$18,200,000 GiveWell grant
GiveWell, March 2024
Resolve to Save Lives
A public health organization. GiveWell funded early scoping work on reducing salt in diets.
Not yet rated
No published figure we can quote
Questions donors ask
- What is the most effective charity for saving lives?
We don't pick a winner ourselves. The highest-rated charities here are Against Malaria Foundation, Helen Keller Intl, Malaria Consortium, New Incentives, 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.