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Conditional cash incentives for immunization

Intervention ID: int_cci
Evidence strength: exceptionally_strong
Causes: cause_immunization, cause_global_health_life_saving

Mechanism

Cash transfers for completing routine infant vaccinations.

Organizations in this catalog

• org_new_incentives
• org_givewell_top_charities_fund
• org_new_incentives_ors

Citations (public evaluator pages)

• https://www.givewell.org/charities/new-incentives
• https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities

Evidence notes

GiveWell rates evidence as exceptionally strong based on an RCT of New Incentives’ program plus ongoing monitoring (New Incentives review; Top Charities page).

Key uncertainties

• Whether vaccine efficacy is lower in Nigeria than in other evidence settings (GiveWell NI review).
• Accounting for vaccination-rate increases that would have occurred anyway (GiveWell NI review).
• Fraud risk inherent to cash-handling programs; some federal-government opposition to the model (GiveWell NI review).
• Rising vaccine stockouts for some indirectly incentivized vaccines as program scaled (GiveWell NI review).

Fungibility notes

Program operates in government clinics; GiveWell discusses displacement/supply-side risks and government relationships in the New Incentives review.

Cost-effectiveness notes (do not treat as verified without citation_urls)

GiveWell 2022-2024 avg ~$4500/life; ~$146/infant (New Incentives).

Agents must look up data/claims_index.json and cite citation_urls before stating numbers.

Provenance

See docs/evaluation-provenance.md and data/graph/evaluations_graph.json.

last_reviewed: 2026-10-01