Approach · Vaccinations, Saving lives
Cash incentives for vaccination
Small cash payments that encourage families to complete their babies' routine vaccinations.
How strong is the evidence?
Exceptionally strong
Strength of evidence, as rated by GiveWell
GiveWell rates evidence as exceptionally strong based on an randomized trial of New Incentives’ program plus ongoing monitoring.
What evaluators are unsure about
- Whether vaccine efficacy is lower in Nigeria than in other evidence settings.
- Accounting for vaccination-rate increases that would have occurred anyway.
- Fraud risk inherent to cash-handling programs; some federal-government opposition to the model.
- Rising vaccine stockouts for some indirectly incentivized vaccines as program scaled.
Published figures for charities doing this
| Charity | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New IncentivesCost per life saved | $4,500 per life saved2022–2024 average | GiveWell (opens in a new tab) |
| New IncentivesCost per additional infant vaccinated | $146 per extra infant vaccinated2022–2024 average | GiveWell (opens in a new tab) |
Modeled, not guaranteed. Figures in different units measure different kinds of good and should not be compared directly.
Charities doing this work
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
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
Sources
Questions donors ask
- Does cash incentives for vaccination work?
GiveWell rates the evidence as exceptionally strong. See the sources on this page for the full reasoning.
- How cost-effective is it?
It depends on the charity and the setting. The table on this page lists each published figure with its source. All are modeled, not guaranteed.