GiveWell Top Charities Fund
Pooled fund directed to highest-impact global health programs
Our editorial assessment
For donors who trust GiveWell's research but don't want to pick a single charity, this fund is the simplest high-impact option available. GiveWell's team — backed by over 70,000 hours of annual research — allocates your donation to whichever of their recommended programmes has the highest marginal impact at the time. This means your money goes where it can do the most good right now, which may change quarter to quarter. The fund has directed over $2.6 billion since inception, estimated to have saved more than 340,000 lives. It is, by any measure, one of the most consequential charitable vehicles in history.
The problem they're solving
Most donors lack the time to compare cost-effectiveness analyses across charities. GiveWell does this full-time with a team of researchers. By donating to the Top Charities Fund, you effectively outsource your giving decision to the most rigorous charity evaluator in the world — and they charge nothing for the service.
About GiveWell Top Charities Fund
GiveWell takes zero fees — 100% of donations to this fund are granted within 6 months to the highest-priority programs.
Where your dollar goes
How this score was produced
The GiveWise score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. Read the full methodology →