Standout Charities - November 2020 Version
We discontinued the "standout charity" designation
We stopped publishing a list of standout charities in October 2021. More information is available on this page.
The organizations listed below support programs that may be extremely cost-effective and are evidence-backed. We do not feel as confident in the impact of these organizations as we do in our top charities. However, we have reviewed their work and believe these groups stand out from the vast majority of organizations we have considered in terms of the evidence base for the program they support, their transparency, and their potential cost-effectiveness. We have published reviews of all of these organizations.
Updated: November 2020
Previous versions of this page available: June 2018, October 2017, February 2017, and 2015
Development Media International (DMI)
Producing mass media to promote improved health behaviors in developing countries.
DMI produces radio and television broadcasts in developing countries that encourage people to adopt improved health practices. DMI's program may be highly cost-effective. DMI has completed a randomized controlled trial of its program. Read More
Evidence Action's Dispensers for Safe Water
Providing chlorine dispensers for decontamination of drinking water.
Dispensers for Safe Water provides chlorine dispensers at wells and other water sources in Kenya, Uganda, and Malawi. We believe there is strong evidence that chlorination inactivates most diarrhea-causing microorganisms, but weaker evidence indicating a causal relationship between chlorination programs and a reduction in under-5 diarrhea and deaths. Read More
Food Fortification Initiative (FFI)
Working to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by assisting with food fortification programs.
FFI works to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by doing advocacy and providing assistance to countries as they design and implement flour and rice fortification programs. We believe that food fortification with certain micronutrients can be a highly effective intervention. Read More
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) - Universal Salt Iodization (USI) program
Aiding salt iodization programs in developing countries.
Iodine deficiency, which remains common in the developing world, harms cognitive development. Fortifying salt with iodine successfully alleviates this problem. (For more, see our full report on salt iodization.) GAIN’s USI activities vary considerably across countries and include advocacy, technical assistance, supplying equipment, training government officials and salt producers, and monitoring, among others. Read More
Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development, and Evaluation — Zusha! Road Safety Campaign
Encouraging passengers to speak up to reduce road accidents.
Zusha! Road Safety Campaign distributes stickers to public service vehicles encouraging passengers to speak up and urge drivers to drive more safely. Zusha! has completed two randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in Kenya and additional RCTs in Tanzania and Uganda are forthcoming. Read More
Iodine Global Network (IGN), formerly ICCIDD
Aiding salt iodization programs in developing countries.
Iodine deficiency, which remains common in the developing world, harms cognitive development. Fortifying salt with iodine successfully alleviates this problem. (For more, see our full report on salt iodization.) IGN aims to reduce iodine deficiency globally by advocating for national salt iodization programs, tracking progress on iodization, and providing global and country-specific guidance on related programmatic and scientific issues. Read More
Living Goods
Supporting a network of community health promoters in Uganda.
Living Goods sells health products door-to-door and provides basic health counseling in sub-Saharan Africa. A randomized controlled trial measured a 27% reduction in childhood mortality as a result of its program. Read More
Precision Agriculture for Development (PAD)
Providing mobile locally-customized agricultural advice to farmers.
PAD provides locally-customized agricultural advice to farmers through their mobile phones (e.g., recommendations to use specific farming practices or inputs, such as seeds and fertilizers, or answers to specific questions posed by farmers). Read More
Project Healthy Children (PHC)
Working to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by assisting with food fortification programs.
PHC aims to reduce micronutrient deficiencies by providing assistance to small countries as they design and implement food fortification programs. We believe that food fortification with certain micronutrients can be a highly effective intervention. Read More
Other Charities Running Cost-Effective Evidence-Backed Programs
We've identified a number of other charities running cost-effective, evidence-backed programs. We have not completed full reviews of these organizations. Details here.