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The Clear Fund (GiveWell)

Annual Giving
$397.0M
Grant Range
$12000K - $150.0M

The Clear Fund (GiveWell)

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $397 million (2024 metrics year)
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed (highly selective - only ~4 current Top Charities)
  • Decision Time: No formal timeline (no standard application process)
  • Grant Range: $12 million - $150 million to Top Charities; smaller amounts for research and program development
  • Geographic Focus: International (primarily low and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia)

Contact Details

Address: 1714 Franklin Street #100335, Oakland, CA 94612

Phone: 415-689-5803

Email:

Website: www.givewell.org

Tax ID: 20-8625442 (US) | UK Charity Number: 1196392

Overview

The Clear Fund, operating as GiveWell, was founded in 2007 by former finance professionals Elie Hassenfeld and colleagues who sought better information about high-impact charitable giving. The organization is dedicated to researching the most cost-effective ways to save and improve lives, focusing primarily on interventions in global health and development. With over 150,000 donors contributing more than $2.6 billion through their recommendations, GiveWell has directed approximately $1.4 billion to current Top Charities, expected to save over 340,000 lives. In the 2024 metrics year (February 2024 - January 2025), GiveWell raised $415 million and directed $397 million across 55 grants to 34 organizations working in 22 countries, estimated to help around 34 million people and save an additional 74,000 lives.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Top Charities Fund (76% of 2024 funding - $302 million total):

  • Against Malaria Foundation: $150 million for insecticide-treated nets to prevent malaria
  • Malaria Consortium: $87 million for seasonal malaria chemoprevention programs
  • Helen Keller International: $54 million for vitamin A supplementation programs
  • New Incentives: ~$12 million for conditional cash transfers to increase vaccination rates

All Grants Fund (24% of 2024 funding - $95 million total):

  • Supports newer programs, policy change initiatives, scoping and research, and other high-impact cost-effective opportunities
  • Individual grants typically range from $500,000 to several million dollars
  • Examples include Medicines Development for Global Health ($637,549) and various research initiatives

Funding raised includes: Top Charities Fund ($64M), All Grants Fund ($59M), Unrestricted Fund ($111M), and committed funding from Open Philanthropy ($100M).

Priority Areas

GiveWell focuses exclusively on programs with strong empirical evidence of effectiveness, including:

  • Malaria prevention and treatment
  • Vaccine delivery and uptake
  • Vitamin A supplementation
  • Deworming programs
  • Maternal and child health interventions
  • Cash transfer programs as a benchmark

What They Don't Fund

  • Programs without rigorous evidence of effectiveness
  • Organizations unwilling to undergo intensive investigation
  • Programs that don't meet their cost-effectiveness threshold (currently 8x cash transfers for Top Charities; 10x for other programs)
  • Programs primarily in developed countries
  • Programs without capacity to deploy significant additional funding

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

  • Timothy Ogden (Chair): Managing Director of Financial Access Initiative and adjunct professor at NYU-Wagner
  • Cari Tuna: Co-Founder and Chair of Good Ventures; Chair of Open Philanthropy
  • Daniela Amodei: President and co-founder of Anthropic; former VP of Safety and Policy at OpenAI

Executive Leadership

  • Elie Hassenfeld, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer: Sets strategy and oversees GiveWell's work with emphasis on research direction. Previously worked in hedge funds before co-founding the organization in 2007.
  • Paige Henchen, Chief of Staff: Supports strategic projects for the CEO with backgrounds in management consulting and philanthropy

Research Leadership

  • Teryn Mattox, Director of Research: Leads the research team; previously worked at RAND Corporation on maternal and child well-being research
  • Alex Cohen, Principal Researcher: Leads research quality review with a PhD in economics from Yale

Operations Leadership

  • Lisa McCandless, Head of Philanthropy: Nearly two decades of social impact experience, formerly Executive Director of Living Goods
  • Steven Profaizer, Head of Communications: Nearly two decades developing strategic communications for complex research
  • Araceli Steger, Head of People
  • Nicole Bouchard, Head of Technology
  • Sai Jahann, General Counsel

Quote from GiveWell's mission: "A nonprofit dedicated to helping people in need as much as we can by researching the most cost‑effective ways to save and improve lives."

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process. GiveWell does not accept standard grant applications. Instead, they:

  • Occasionally issue formal requests for proposals when opportunities align with their priorities
  • Conduct proactive research to identify promising programs
  • Accept inquiries via email at research@givewell.org from organizations that believe they are a strong match

Important note: GiveWell has limited capacity and can only conduct thorough reviews of programs likely to meet their rigorous cost-effectiveness standards. They may not respond to all inquiries.

Decision Timeline

No formal timeline exists. The evaluation process includes:

Historical timeline:

  • 2007: Initial open application process reviewing 59 organizations
  • 2009-2012: Expanded website reviews of 300+ organizations
  • 2014-2016: Targeted solicitation and addition of specialized programs
  • Present: Continuous evaluation with annual updates

Review stages:

  1. Shallow Review: Initial assessment of programs based on evidence strength, cost-effectiveness, and funding gaps
  2. Intensive Evaluation: Deep investigation of promising candidates including comprehensive budget analysis, operations review, and evidence assessment
  3. Site Visits: Field observation of charity operations
  4. Ongoing Monitoring: Continuous assessment of funded organizations

Success Rates

Highly selective. GiveWell currently has only 4 Top Charities receiving the majority of funding (76% of total). Dozens of organizations are reviewed annually, with very few achieving Top Charity status or significant grant awards.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - GiveWell conducts proactive research rather than accepting periodic applications. Organizations that have been in contact with GiveWell may be reconsidered as their programs evolve or as GiveWell's priorities shift.

Application Success Factors

Critical Evaluation Criteria

Evidence of Effectiveness: Organizations must implement "programs that have been studied rigorously and ideally repeatedly" with results generalizable to broad populations. Academic research validating program effectiveness is essential.

Cost-Effectiveness: Programs must be approximately 8-10 times more cost-effective than unconditional cash transfers. As of 2024, the funding bar for Top Charities is 8x cash, while other programs must meet a 10x threshold. GiveWell calculates detailed metrics like cost per life saved.

Room for More Funding: Grants must enable activities beyond what organizations would accomplish independently. Organizations need demonstrated capacity to deploy additional funding quickly and effectively - typically in the millions to tens of millions of dollars.

Transparency: Organizations must "welcome intensive investigation and public discussion of both successes and challenges." GiveWell publishes detailed reviews discussing strengths as well as concerns, and funded organizations must be comfortable with this level of scrutiny.

Additional Top Charity Requirements

Beyond baseline criteria, top-tier organizations must demonstrate:

  • Sustained GiveWell support potential ($10+ million single grant or $20+ million cumulative)
  • High likelihood of substantial impact with reasonable certainty
  • Focus on direct program implementation rather than research value
  • Specific funding gaps aligned with cost-effectiveness thresholds

Organizations facing significant qualitative concerns—financial instability, leadership changes, or inadequate responses to fraud—may be disqualified despite meeting numerical criteria.

What GiveWell Values

Based on their publicly stated criteria:

  • Rigorous evidence: Multiple high-quality studies demonstrating impact
  • Scale potential: Ability to deploy significant funding efficiently
  • Transparency: Willingness to share detailed operational and financial information
  • Focus on cost-effectiveness: Programs delivering measurable outcomes per dollar spent
  • Proven track record: Demonstrated effectiveness with GiveWell funding over time

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No traditional application process exists - GiveWell conducts proactive research rather than reviewing unsolicited proposals. Organizations should only contact them if they have strong evidence of exceptional cost-effectiveness.

  • Evidence is paramount - Programs must have rigorous, peer-reviewed research demonstrating effectiveness. Anecdotal evidence or self-reported outcomes are insufficient.

  • Meet the cost-effectiveness bar - Programs must demonstrate they are 8-10x more cost-effective than cash transfers. This is a quantitative threshold that GiveWell calculates using detailed models.

  • Prepare for intensive scrutiny - GiveWell publishes detailed analyses including concerns and criticisms. Organizations must be willing to share comprehensive financial and operational data publicly.

  • Scale matters significantly - GiveWell primarily funds organizations that can effectively deploy millions of dollars. Small programs or those without capacity for rapid scaling are unlikely to be funded.

  • Focus on priority interventions - Programs should address global health and development challenges in low and middle-income countries with interventions that have strong evidence bases (e.g., malaria prevention, vaccination, nutrition).

  • Contact strategically - Before emailing research@givewell.org, thoroughly review GiveWell's existing funded programs, prioritized interventions, and cost-effectiveness models to ensure genuine alignment.

References

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