About us

The majority of wealth is clustered in the hands of a small minority, with tremendous power to do good. Philanthropy has a unique role to play here, by tackling the problems that governments and markets can’t or won’t address. But philanthropy can be hard to navigate, and figuring out how to do the most good can be confusing and frustrating.

Effective Giving was founded by philanthropists and scientists who are excited about changing this narrative. Philanthropy’s success stories show that we can afford to be truly ambitious, especially if we are willing to think in the long term, take risks and sometimes fail.

We are independent: there are no fees or dues involved in working with us, and our funders have no control over our operations.

Guiding Principles

Our approach to giving effectively is built upon three principles:

Maximizing

We’re interested in doing as much good as possible. Our question is not “is this a good thing?” but “what is the very best thing we can do with the resources we have available?”

Science-aligned

We use evidence and reason to work out how to do the most good. When we come across a strong piece of evidence or a sound logical argument, we’re likely to update our views accordingly.