Vetted Organizations by Cause Area¶
A curated list of effective, transparent organizations doing impactful work
This list prioritizes organizations with: - Strong track records of impact - Financial transparency - Evidence-based approaches - Positive reviews from charity evaluators
It's not exhaustive—many excellent organizations aren't listed here. Use this as a starting point, not a definitive guide.
Global Poverty & Health¶
GiveWell Top Charities¶
Exceptionally cost-effective, thoroughly vetted
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Malaria Consortium | Malaria prevention (seasonal chemoprevention) | malariaconsortium.org |
| Against Malaria Foundation | Malaria prevention (bednets) | againstmalaria.com |
| Helen Keller International | Vitamin A supplementation | hki.org |
| GiveDirectly | Direct cash transfers | givedirectly.org |
| Deworm the World Initiative | School-based deworming | evidenceaction.org |
| New Incentives | Conditional cash transfers for vaccination | newincentives.org |
Other Highly Effective Global Health Organizations¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Partners in Health | Healthcare delivery in poor communities | pih.org |
| Direct Relief | Medical aid and disaster response | directrelief.org |
| Doctors Without Borders (MSF) | Emergency medical care | doctorswithoutborders.org |
| Living Goods | Community health workers | livinggoods.org |
Hunger & Food Security¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Feeding America | US food bank network | feedingamerica.org |
| World Food Programme | Global emergency food assistance | wfp.org |
| Action Against Hunger | Malnutrition treatment and prevention | actionagainsthunger.org |
| FINCA International | Microfinance for food security | finca.org |
Housing & Homelessness¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Habitat for Humanity | Affordable housing construction | habitat.org |
| National Alliance to End Homelessness | Policy and research | endhomelessness.org |
| Community Solutions | Built for Zero campaign | community.solutions |
| Local homeless coalitions | Varies by location | Search "[city] homeless coalition" |
Refugees & Displacement¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) | Global refugee protection | unhcr.org |
| International Rescue Committee | Refugee resettlement and aid | rescue.org |
| HIAS | Refugee resettlement | hias.org |
| Refugees International | Advocacy and research | refugeesinternational.org |
| Welcome.US | Sponsor Circle coordination | welcome.us |
Education¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Room to Read | Literacy and girls' education | roomtoread.org |
| Pratham | Education in India | pratham.org |
| Teach For All | Global teaching fellowship network | teachforall.org |
| Khan Academy | Free online education | khanacademy.org |
| 826 National | Youth writing and tutoring | 826national.org |
Environment & Climate¶
Climate Action¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Air Task Force | Clean energy policy | catf.us |
| Carbon180 | Carbon removal solutions | carbon180.org |
| Evergreen Collaborative | Climate policy | evergreenaction.com |
| Sunrise Movement | Youth climate activism | sunrisemovement.org |
| 350.org | Global climate movement | 350.org |
Conservation¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| The Nature Conservancy | Land and water conservation | nature.org |
| World Wildlife Fund | Wildlife and habitat protection | worldwildlife.org |
| Rainforest Alliance | Sustainable forestry | rainforest-alliance.org |
| Ocean Conservancy | Marine protection | oceanconservancy.org |
Animal Welfare¶
Animal Charity Evaluators Top-Rated¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| The Humane League | Corporate campaigns for farmed animals | thehumaneleague.org |
| Wild Animal Initiative | Wild animal welfare research | wildanimalinitiative.org |
| Faunalytics | Animal advocacy research | faunalytics.org |
| Good Food Institute | Alternative proteins | gfi.org |
Other Animal Organizations¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| ASPCA | Animal welfare and rescue | aspca.org |
| Best Friends Animal Society | No-kill advocacy | bestfriends.org |
| Mercy for Animals | Farmed animal advocacy | mercyforanimals.org |
Health (Domestic)¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| American Cancer Society | Cancer research and support | cancer.org |
| American Heart Association | Heart disease research and education | heart.org |
| St. Jude Children's Research Hospital | Pediatric cancer | stjude.org |
| National Alliance on Mental Illness | Mental health support and advocacy | nami.org |
| Planned Parenthood | Reproductive healthcare | plannedparenthood.org |
Human Rights & Civil Liberties¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| ACLU | Civil liberties | aclu.org |
| Human Rights Watch | Human rights documentation | hrw.org |
| Amnesty International | Human rights advocacy | amnesty.org |
| Southern Poverty Law Center | Hate group monitoring, civil rights | splcenter.org |
| Equal Justice Initiative | Criminal justice reform | eji.org |
| Innocence Project | Wrongful convictions | innocenceproject.org |
Disaster Response¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| American Red Cross | Disaster response and relief | redcross.org |
| Team Rubicon | Veteran-led disaster response | teamrubiconusa.org |
| All Hands and Hearts | Disaster rebuilding | allhandsandhearts.org |
| World Central Kitchen | Food in disasters | wck.org |
| Center for Disaster Philanthropy | Strategic disaster giving | disasterphilanthropy.org |
Children & Youth¶
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Big Brothers Big Sisters | Youth mentoring | bbbs.org |
| Boys & Girls Clubs | Youth development | bgca.org |
| CASA | Advocacy for foster children | nationalcasagal.org |
| Save the Children | Global children's programs | savethechildren.org |
| DoSomething.org | Youth activism | dosomething.org |
Effective Altruism & Meta-Organizations¶
Organizations that help direct resources effectively
| Organization | Focus | Website |
|---|---|---|
| GiveWell | Charity research (global health) | givewell.org |
| The Life You Can Save | Effective giving promotion | thelifeyoucansave.org |
| Giving What We Can | Giving pledge community | givingwhatwecan.org |
| 80,000 Hours | High-impact career advice | 80000hours.org |
| Open Philanthropy | Research and grantmaking | openphilanthropy.org |
How to Evaluate Organizations Yourself¶
If an organization isn't listed here, research them:
- Check evaluators: GiveWell, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, BBB Wise Giving Alliance
- Read financials: Annual reports, Form 990 (for US nonprofits)
- Look for evidence: Do they measure and report outcomes?
- Search for criticism: What do detractors say?
- Talk to people: Beneficiaries, volunteers, former staff
See also: Tools for platforms to find and evaluate more organizations