This is the first post (of four) we’re planning to make over the next two weeks focused on our self-evaluation and future plans. This post answers the first section of questions we posed to ourselves in January about the state of GiveWell as a donor resource. For each question, we discuss Our progress over the…
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Economic empowerment grants awarded
We have completed the process of allocating $250,000 in grants for economic empowerment organizations in sub-Saharan Africa. 49 organizations applied for our grant, out of 157 invited. From these, we felt that two stood out in making a strong, evidence-based case that they are improving the financial situations of low-income people in the developing world….
Haiti “room for more funding” at the organization level: Not enough information
In a previous post, we asked whether Haiti earthquake relief has “room for more funding” and concluded that, in general, it isn’t clear. (For more on the general topic of “room for more funding,” see our 5-post series on the topic.) Of course, it probably makes a big difference which organization we’re talking about. We’ve…
Does Haiti earthquake relief have room for more funding?
Donors have given more than $560 million to charities “to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti.” How much of that money has funded/will fund earthquake relief efforts in Haiti? How much should? Money isn’t the only thing needed to deliver relief Reports from the relief effort have stressed logistical challenges, such as blocked roads and…
GiveWell’s self-evaluation and plan
Our current top priority is assessing the state of GiveWell: what we’ve accomplished, where we stand, and where we should focus our limited resources next. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be trying to examine ourselves as dispassionately and critically as possible, and sharing our self-review in something close to real time via this blog. GiveWell’s…
Follow up re: Philanthropedia
Philanthropedia has responded to our take on its microfinance report: Philanthropedia’s response to GiveWell’s analysis – Part I Philanthropedia’s response to GiveWell’s analysis – Part II We find the response to be encouragingly straightforward. For the most part, it agrees with the concerns we have raised and commits to addressing them. Good Intentions are Not…