GiveWell: Top Charities Fund

What problem is the Top Charities Fund working on?

GiveWell has changed the name of the fund previously known as the "Maximum Impact Fund" to the "Top Charities Fund" as of September 8, 2022.

GiveWell searches for the funding opportunities that save or improve lives the most. It does this by conducting rigorous, independent research into promising programmes — which is available for free on its website. GiveWell has directed over $1 billion USD to its recommended charities since it was founded in 2007.

What projects does the Top Charities Fund support?

GiveWell recommends a short list of top charities that are evidence-backed, cost-effective, transparent, and in need of additional funding. Each top charity has been intensely vetted by GiveWell researchers. GiveWell's top charities work on global health and poverty alleviation programmes in low-income communities.

GiveWell-guided donors can choose to support any of the top charities it recommends. They can also choose to support GiveWell's Top Charities Fund, which GiveWell allocates (typically quarterly) to the highest-value funding opportunities among its recommended charities.

Supporting the Top Charities Fund is GiveWell's top recommendation for donors because it allows GiveWell to direct funds according to the most up-to-date cost-effectiveness estimates and research on funding needs — in other words, where GiveWell believes the money can have the most impact among its recommended charities.

Recent grant recipients include:

• Malaria Consortium — seasonal malaria chemoprevention programme
• Helen Keller International — vitamin A supplementation programme
• New Incentives — programme expansion into Nigeria
• Against Malaria Foundation — support for long-lasting insecticide-treated bednets programme in South Sudan

See the Fund webpage for more information about how donations are allocated, past recipients, and plans for the future.

Why is the Top Charities Fund one of our top-rated funds?

This fund meets our criteria to be a top-rated fund because it is managed by one of our trusted evaluators. Our trusted evaluators are charitable giving experts who focus on impact — their research into the best charities means your donations can do even more good. Learn more about charity evaluators we trust and why.

Why donate through the Giving What We Can donation platform?

Your donations through our portal are tax deductible in the UK, US, and the Netherlands. Giving What We Can does not take any fees from donors using our platform or from charities listed on our platform. We are independently funded to promote our mission of making giving effectively and significantly a cultural norm. Read more on our transparency page.