GiveWell searches for charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar, focusing on developing-world aid.

They research each charity before recommending it, and continue evaluations each year. They look at independent studies (like randomized controlled trials), build in-depth models to analyze the charities’ cost-effectiveness, and more.

GiveWell has multiple funds; the All Grants fund supports any grant that meets GiveWell’s cost-effectiveness bar, which may include:

• grants to GiveWell top charities
• grants that incubate, scale, or allow us to get more certainty about a potential future top charity
• grants made purely on the basis of expected value
• grants to support research

The All Grants fund is better for donors who are happy to support high-expected-value opportunities that GiveWell is less sure about than their top charities.

See the Fund webpage for more information about how donations are allocated, past recipients, and plans for the future — and you can also see more discussion of GiveWell’s work on the EA Forum.

This fundraiser was set up as part of the EA Forum Donation Election event, but it’s a normal fundraiser: donations to this fundraiser will be designated for GiveWell’s All Grants Fund, not for the Donation Election Fund or anything else.

Please also note that donating to this fundraiser does not count as a vote for GiveWell’s All Grants Fund (see more about how the Election works here.)