Charities we don’t currently recommend
We evaluated these charities and decided not to recommend them, at least for now: they are less cost-effective than our recommendations, too uncertain, or a good fit only for some philosophical views. Most are still far more impactful than the average charity.
At a glance
How many WELLBYsOne WELLBY is equivalent to a 1-point increase on a 0-10 wellbeing scale for one year. Read more each charity creates per $1,000 donated, how strong the evidence is, and how deeply we have looked.
| Charity | Our verdict | WELLBYs per $1,000 | Evidence | Our depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Our Top Charities | Recommended | 40.37 to 48.52 | Low to Moderate | In-depth |
| GiveDirectly | Our benchmark | 7.55 | High | In-depth |
| Fortify Health | A good buy, not a best buy | 21.65 | Low | Low |
| Against Malaria Foundation | Depends on how you value saving lives | Not stated | Moderate | Shallow |
| Deworming charities | Too uncertain to recommend | Uncertain | Very low | Not rated |
| NEPI | No longer recommended | Not shown | Not shown | Not shown |
GiveDirectly
Our benchmarkGiveDirectly lets donors send money directly to the world’s poorest households.
Why we don’t recommend it
GiveDirectly is the well-evidenced reference point we compare all our cost-effectiveness analyses to. The evidence behind it is strong, but we estimate its programme is several times less cost-effective at increasing wellbeing than the charities we recommend.
It could still be a good fit for donors who value the certainty of the evidence, the simplicity of the intervention, or the autonomy it gives recipients.
Last updated December 2024
Fortify Health
A good buy, not a best buyFortify Health addresses iron-deficiency anaemia at scale in India by fortifying wheat flour. Iron deficiency may be a major contributing factor to mental illnesses such as depression.
Why we don’t recommend it
Fortify Health is more cost-effective than GiveDirectly’s cash transfers, but less cost-effective than the charities we recommend: a ‘good buy’ for improving wellbeing, but not among the ‘best buys’ we have found so far.
Our conclusion rests on thin evidence (one RCT of the long-term wellbeing effects of exposure in the womb) and some speculative assumptions. We hold a positive view of the organisation itself.
Last updated December 2024
Against Malaria Foundation
Depends on how you value saving livesThe Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) prevents deaths from malaria by distributing bed nets that protect people from mosquito bites. Malaria killed 627,000 people worldwide in 2020.
Why we don’t recommend it
AMF mainly saves lives, and how cost-effective that is depends heavily on philosophical views about the value of saving lives compared with improving them. Under views more favourable to improving lives, AMF is less cost-effective than treating depression with psychotherapy; under views more favourable to saving lives, it is more cost-effective.
We focus on charities that mainly improve lives, but AMF may be a good option for donors who highly value saving lives. Our online app shows its cost-effectiveness under the view you hold.
Last updated November 2023
Deworming charities
Too uncertain to recommendDeworming charities treat parasitic worm infections, mostly in children in low- and middle-income countries.
Why we don’t recommend it
The evidence on deworming and wellbeing is very limited. The one long-term trial with wellbeing data finds a small, non-significant effect on happiness, some of it positive and some negative.
Because the evidence is so uncertain, we do not recommend donations to deworming programmes for now.
Last updated November 2023
NEPI
No longer recommendedNEPI (Network for Empowerment & Progressive Initiative) ran STYL in Liberia, a programme of cognitive behavioural therapy and cash transfers for young men at high risk of crime. We recommended NEPI as a Promising Charity from November 2024. As of September 2025, we no longer recommend it.
Why we no longer recommend it
NEPI’s board found financial irregularities in its operations, and NEPI has closed.
In September 2025, NEPI’s board told its stakeholders:
‘The NEPI Board discovered financial irregularities in the operations of NEPI. Combined with a challenging funding environment, this meant that NEPI, unfortunately, had to end its programs and operations.’
- Please do not donate to NEPI, including to its Liberian entity, whose website may still be online.
- The donations raised through HLI had not yet been transferred, so they were not affected by the alleged fraud. Every donor chose to redirect their gift to another of our recommended charities.
- Our evaluation of the STYL programme stays in its report, which now opens with a note that we no longer recommend NEPI.
Looking for where your donation does the most good?
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