United States: process overview

Published: 2010

Table of contents

Goal of the report
Process for identifying and selecting charities
Ongoing updates
Sources

Goal of the report

We sought to identify outstanding charities in the area of US equality of opportunity whose work is proven, cost-effective, and scalable (i.e., has room for more funding). We conducted the research below during 2010, and as of 2011, we have de-prioritized further work on this cause (more in our discussion of GiveWell's 2011 priorities). We do not claim that charities with these qualities are the only ones that should be funded, but rather that they are a good fit for individual donors, or people who are:

Looking to give $250,000 or less in a year, and therefore unlikely to be able to fund personalized projects or hire their own staff (or philanthropic advice).
Without personal/firsthand knowledge of particular charities' effectiveness - essentially starting with no or very limited knowledge of their options.
Without the time or capacity to visit charities' operations on the ground, develop relationships with charities, etc. - looking to give effectively but also quickly.

Also see our blog post on small, unproven charities, which argues that such donors should focus on what is proven, cost-effective and scalable.

Process for identifying and selecting charities

Generating a list of potential charities

We sought to find charities in this cause whose programs had been rigorously evaluated, preferably in a randomized controlled trial. Our page on the need for rigorously evaluated programs provides more information on why we rely on this criterion. In order to identify promising charities:

We checked every program listed on the following sites (each of which provides a list of programs that have been rigorously evaluated): (a) ChildTrends,1 (b) Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, and (c) MDRC.2
We asked for charity recommendations that met the above criterion from the members of the Alliance for Effective Social Investing3 and David Anderson at Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy.4
In addition, we considered:
- National charter school networks (e.g., KIPP, Achievement First, Green Dot).
- Organizations for which we had knowledge of a randomized controlled trial of their programs but whose trials did not appear on one of our source sites.
- The DC Central Kitchen, an organization we reviewed as part of our participation in a panel at Social Capital Markets (SoCap) 2010 conference.

Narrowing the field

The process described immediately above generated a list of both charities and programs. We initially narrowed the field by examining programs (i.e., when a charity was recommended to us we examined the programs it focuses on) and excluding any programs for which one of the following held:

We could not identify a charity running the program.
- For each program, we checked whether the source itself (e.g., ChildTrends) provided a link to a charity running the program. We also conducted a Google search for the name of the program to identify charities running the program.
- We excluded charities which listed the program among many programs they run, without evidence that the program accounted for a majority of their activities.
The summary information available for the evaluation had one of the following issues:
- The source's summary of the program reported that the program had no statistically significant positive impacts.
- The source only reported statistically significant effects at the p<.1 as opposed to p<.05 level.
- The evaluation was not yet completed and had not published any results assessing impact.
- The reported evaluation was not a randomized controlled trial. (More on why we used this heuristic)
The program was "outclassed" by another similar program with a stronger track record, i.e. the program focused on achieving a goal for which we already had a program with a stronger case for impact. For instance, we did not investigate charities running home visitation programs for young children as the Nurse-Family Partnership likely "outclassed" them in achieving this goal. For programs in this category, we have provided a link (click the name of the program) to a more detailed explanation.

The programs that were not eliminated in this process are designed priority programs.

Examining promising charities

Any charity focusing on a priority program was investigated in more depth, to determine the extent to which it meets our criteria. Note that when assessing the extent to which a charity is "proven," we included specific attention to both

Evidence of impact - i.e., whether there are any evaluations rigorously demonstrating that the charity's primary program(s) is/are effective.
Ongoing monitoring - i.e., the process by which the charity assesses the ongoing quality of its program and the likelihood that they are achieving comparable results to programs shown to work in past rigorous evaluations.

The table below provides links to these in-depth evaluations.

All programs and charities considered

The table below provides a full list of all the programs and charities we considered, the source for each, whether it met our initial heuristics, and additional information if relevant. Each item links to a program or charity review (or both), if available.

Name	Source	Conclusion
KIPP	Charter school	Standout
Nurse-Family Partnership	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	Past top-rated charity with limited room for more funding
Incredible Years Series (Invest in Kids)	ChildTrends	Reviewed
Career Academies (National Academy Foundation)	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	Reviewed
Big Brothers/Big Sisters	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	Reviewed
Enhanced Services for the Hard-to-Employ (Center for Employment Opportunities)	MDRC	Reviewed
New Hope Project	ChildTrends	Reviewed
Experience Corps	ChildTrends	Reviewed
Harlem Children's Zone	Independent knowledge of a randomized controlled trial	Reviewed
Teach for America	MDRC	Reviewed
The Children's Agenda	David Anderson, Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	Reviewed
DC Central Kitchen	Participated in panel at SoCap 2010	Full review not completed
Center for Employment Training Replication	MDRC	Full review not completed
SMART – Start Making a Reader Today	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	Full review not completed
Success for All	ChildTrends	Full review not completed
Teen Outreach Program (TOP)	ChildTrends	Full review not completed
Building Educated Leaders for Life (BELL) Summer Learning Program	ChildTrends	Full review not completed
Reach Out and Read	ChildTrends	Full review not completed
Brief Strategic Family Therapy	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Creating Lasting Connections	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Friendly PEERsuasion	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Keep a Clear Mind	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Sembrando Salud	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Big Brothers/Big Sisters
Ready to Learn	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Experience Corps
Families First	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Invest in Kids
Achievement First	Charter school	Outclassed by KIPP
Green Dot Public Schools	Charter school	Outclassed by KIPP
Replications	Charter school	Outclassed by KIPP
The SEED Foundation	Charter school	Outclassed by KIPP
Uncommon Schools	Charter school	Outclassed by KIPP
JobStart	MDRC	Outclassed by National Academy Foundation
Healthy Steps for Young Children	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Nurse-Family Partnership
Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Nurse-Family Partnership
Nurturing Program for Teenage Parents and Their Families	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Nurse-Family Partnership
Parents as Teachers	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Nurse-Family Partnership
Project CARE	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Nurse-Family Partnership
Transactional Model of Early Home Intervention	ChildTrends	Outclassed by Nurse-Family Partnership
Communities in Schools	Alliance for Effective Social Investing	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Accelerated Academics Academy	ChildTrends	No impact
Action Schools! British Columbia	ChildTrends	No impact
Adolescent Social Action Program	ChildTrends	No impact
Adventure Island	ChildTrends	No impact
Aggressors, Victims & Bystanders	ChildTrends	No impact
AIDS-preventive intervention	ChildTrends	No impact
Bay Area School Reform Collaborative	MDRC	No impact
Boot Camp	ChildTrends	No impact
Building Early Language and Literacy	ChildTrends	No impact
Cambridge-Somerville Youth Study	ChildTrends	No impact
Comprehensive Child Development Program	ChildTrends	No impact
DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)	ChildTrends	No impact
DC HOPE	ChildTrends	No impact
Direct Instruction and Mediated Learning	ChildTrends	No impact
Discharge From Parole	ChildTrends	No impact
Employment Retention and Advancement	MDRC	No impact
Ending Violence	ChildTrends	No impact
Families and Schools Together	ChildTrends	No impact
Families United to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (FUPTP)	ChildTrends	No impact
Family Planning Clinic Support Services	ChildTrends	No impact
Fit for Life Boy Scout Badge	ChildTrends	No impact
Formative Assessments of Student Thinking in Reading (FAST-R)	MDRC	No impact
Griffin-Spalding Middle School Academy	ChildTrends	No impact
Healthy for Life Project (HFL)	ChildTrends	No impact
Heritage Keepers Life Skills Education	ChildTrends	No impact
High School Smoking Prevention Program	ChildTrends	No impact
Home Visitation Trial for Urban Women	ChildTrends	No impact
Hospital and Home Support Interventions During Infancy	ChildTrends	No impact
Hutchinson Smoking Prevention Project (HSPP)	ChildTrends	No impact
Impaired Minds Produce Actions Causing Trauma (IMPACT)	ChildTrends	No impact
Kids Can Bike	ChildTrends	No impact
Making A Difference!	ChildTrends	No impact
Minnesota Competence Enhancement Project (MCEP)	ChildTrends	No impact
My Choice, My Future!	ChildTrends	No impact
Paint Creek Youth Center	ChildTrends	No impact
Parent-Child Assistance Program	ChildTrends	No impact
Parent-Targeted Intervention for Adolescent Substance Use Prevention	ChildTrends	No impact
Peer Intervention Program	ChildTrends	No impact
Phonological Awareness Training (PAT)	ChildTrends	No impact
Postponing Sexual Involvement	ChildTrends	No impact
Professional Development in Math Study	MDRC	No impact
Project ACCEL	ChildTrends	No impact
Project ALERT	ChildTrends	No impact
Project Ploughshares Puppets for Peace (P4)	ChildTrends	No impact
Project SNAPP	ChildTrends	No impact
Project Taking Charge	ChildTrends	No impact
Recapturing the Vision	ChildTrends	No impact
Safer Choices	ChildTrends	No impact
School Choice Scholarships Program	ChildTrends	No impact
SEARCH/TEACH Tutoring	ChildTrends	No impact
Skill-based intervention on condom use	ChildTrends	No impact
Teen Court	ChildTrends	No impact
Teens in Control	ChildTrends	No impact
The McMaster Teen Program	ChildTrends	No impact
Twelve Together	ChildTrends	No impact
Untitled Clinic-Based Bicycle Helmet Promotion	ChildTrends	No impact
Untitled Prevention Intervention for Hispanic Couples	ChildTrends	No impact
Virtual Environment Technology to Prevent Teen Smoking	ChildTrends	No impact
California Works for Better Health	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Chicago's New Communities Program	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Dreamkeepers and Angel Fund Emergency Financial Aid	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Extended-Service Schools	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Foundations for Success	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
High School Reform Conference Series	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Instructional Leadership Study	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Learning Communities Demonstration	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Literacy in Libraries Across America	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Neighborhood Jobs Initiative	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Project GRAD	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Project on Devolution and Urban Change	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM)	ChildTrends	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Scaling Up First Things First	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
School-to-Work Transition Project	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Supporting Healthy Marriage	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Talent Development	MDRC	Evaluation not a randomized controlled trial
Accelerated Benefits Demonstration	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
AutoSave	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Building Strong Families	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Coordinated Care for High-Cost Medicaid Recipients with Disabilities	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Evaluation of the Content Literacy Continuum	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Head Start CARES Project	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
New York City Small Schools of Choice Evaluation	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Reintegration of Ex-Offenders Random Assignment Evaluation	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Response to Intervention (RtI) Programs for Struggling Elementary Readers	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
TANF/SSI Disability Transition Project	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Texas Developmental Summer Bridge Study	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
The Camden Regional Equity Demonstration Project	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
The Developmental Education Initiative	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Transitional Jobs Reentry Demonstration	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Youth Corps	MDRC	Evaluation in progress
Career Beginnings	ChildTrends	Summary did not report significance at 5% significance level
Parent-Child Home Program	ChildTrends	Summary did not report significance at 5% significance level
Preventive Alcohol Education Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Seeking Safety	ChildTrends	No charity
Parenting Adolescents Wisely (PAW) Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Â¡CuÃdate!	ChildTrends	No charity
21st Century Community Learning Centers	ChildTrends	No charity
5-A-Day Power Plus Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Abecedarian Project	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Accelerated Schools	MDRC	No charity
Active Programme Promoting Lifestyle in Schools (APPLES)	ChildTrends	No charity
Adolescent Alcohol Prevention Trial (AAPT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach	ChildTrends	No charity
Adolescent Coping with Stress	ChildTrends	No charity
Adolescent Training and Learning to Avoid Steroids Program (ATLAS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Afrocentric Peer Counseling	ChildTrends	No charity
AIDS Education and Counseling in an Office Setting	ChildTrends	No charity
Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study (AMPS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Alcohol Skills Training Program	ChildTrends	No charity
AlcoholEdu for College	ChildTrends	No charity
All Stars	ChildTrends	No charity
All4You	ChildTrends	No charity
Al's Pals	ChildTrends	No charity
American Heart Association (AHA) Physical Activity Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Amity Prison Therapeutic Community	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Anger Coping Program	ChildTrends	No charity
ARREST (AIDS Risk Reduction Education and Skills Training Program)	ChildTrends	No charity
Arthur Television Program	ChildTrends	No charity
ASSESS	ChildTrends	No charity
Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise & Nutrition Alternatives (ATHENA)	ChildTrends	No charity
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up	ChildTrends	No charity
Be Proud! Be Responsible!	ChildTrends	No charity
Becoming A Responsible Teen (BART)	ChildTrends	No charity
Behavioral Weight Control Programme	ChildTrends	No charity
Behavioral Weight Loss Program for Children and Their Parents	ChildTrends	No charity
Bicultural Competence Skills Program (BCSP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Bienestar Health Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Block the Sun, Not the Fun	ChildTrends	No charity
BrainPower	ChildTrends	No charity
Breakthrough To Literacy (BTL)	ChildTrends	No charity
Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention of College Students (BASICS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Canada's Earnings Supplement Project	MDRC	No charity
Canada's Self-Sufficiency Project	MDRC	No charity
Canadian Self-Sufficiency Project	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Canvassing program	ChildTrends	No charity
Carolina Abecedarian Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity5
CASASTART	ChildTrends	No charity
Case-Management Program for Academic Enhancement	ChildTrends	No charity
CAST (Coping and Support Training)	ChildTrends	No charity
Catch 'Em Being Good	ChildTrends	No charity
Check and Connect	ChildTrends	No charity
Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH)	ChildTrends	No charity
Child Health Supervision	ChildTrends	No charity
Child Parent Psychotherapy for Family Violence (CPP-FV)	ChildTrends	No charity
Children Are People Too (CAP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Children Get a Head Start on the Road to Good Nutrition Head Start Curriculum Guide	ChildTrends	No charity
Children of Divorce Intervention Program (CODIP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Class Action - Project Northland Phase 2	ChildTrends	No charity
Clinic-Based AIDS Education Programs for Adolescent Females	ChildTrends	No charity
Clinician-based Cognitive Psychoeducational Intervention for Families	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitive Behavior Therapy	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitive Behavioral Family Intervention (CBFI)	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitive/Affective Empathy Training Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitive-Behavioral Training Program for Behaviorally Disordered Adolescents	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitively Guided Instruction	ChildTrends	No charity
Cognitive-Relaxation Coping Skills (CRCS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Communication Skills Condom Use Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Communication Skills Training program (CST)	ChildTrends	No charity
Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol	ChildTrends	No charity
Comprehensive Oral Hygiene Training Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Computer-Delivered Sexual Risk Reduction Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Condom Intervention With Women	ChildTrends	No charity
Condom Promotion Videos for College Students	ChildTrends	No charity
Conflict Resolution Training Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Connecticut's Jobs First	MDRC	No charity
Consulting Program for Teachers to Prevent Vandalism	ChildTrends	No charity
Contingent Math Tutoring	ChildTrends	No charity
Coping Cats	ChildTrends	No charity
Coping With Depression (CWD-A)	ChildTrends	No charity
Culturally Appropriate STD/AIDS Education in a Clinic Setting	ChildTrends	No charity
DaisyQuest	ChildTrends	No charity
Dance for Health	ChildTrends	No charity
Dare to be You	ChildTrends	No charity
Dartmouth Prevention Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Dialogic Reading	ChildTrends	No charity
Diet and Exercise Program for Families	ChildTrends	No charity
Dietary Intervention Study in Children (DISC)	ChildTrends	No charity
Doors to Discovery	ChildTrends	No charity
Draw the Line/Respect the Line	ChildTrends	No charity
Early Head Start	ChildTrends	No charity
Early Intervention Program for Adolescent Mothers	ChildTrends	No charity
Early Literacy and Learning Model	ChildTrends	No charity
Early Risers	ChildTrends	No charity
Early Start	ChildTrends	No charity
Early Training Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program and Behavior Skills Training Gun Safety Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Emergency Department-Based Asthma Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Enhanced Managing Pressures Before Marriage (MPM)	ChildTrends	No charity
Equipping Youth to Help One Another (EQUIP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Evaluation of Academic Instruction in After-School Programs	MDRC	No charity
Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies	MDRC	No charity
Evaluation of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program	MDRC	No charity
Even Start	ChildTrends	No charity
Everybody's Different	ChildTrends	No charity
Eye Movement Desensitization and Processing (EMDR)	ChildTrends	No charity
Facts & Feelings	ChildTrends	No charity
Familias Unidas	ChildTrends	No charity
Families and Schools Together (American Indian adaptation)	ChildTrends	No charity
Family Matters	ChildTrends	No charity
Family Therapy as a Supplement to Dietary Counseling for Obese Children	ChildTrends	No charity
Family/Media Approach to HIV Prevention	ChildTrends	No charity
Family-Based Behavior Modification Program to Target Obesity	ChildTrends	No charity
Fast Track Prevention Project	ChildTrends	No charity
First Step to Success (FSS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Florida's Family Transition Program	MDRC	No charity
Focus	ChildTrends	No charity
Focus on Families	ChildTrends	No charity
Focus on Kids	ChildTrends	No charity
Fostering Individualized Assistance Program (FIAP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Foundations of Learning Project	MDRC	No charity
FRIENDS Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Functional Family Therapy	ChildTrends	No charity
Gimmie 5 (4th and 5th Grade Students)	ChildTrends	No charity
Gimmie 5: A Fresh Nutrition Concept for Students	ChildTrends	No charity
Girlfriends for KEEPS	ChildTrends	No charity
GO GIRLS!	ChildTrends	No charity
Good Behavior Game	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Guiding Good Choices (formerly Preparing for the Drug Free Years)	ChildTrends	No charity
Head Start	ChildTrends	No charity
Head Strong	ChildTrends	No charity
Health Belief Model Intervention to Increase Condom Use Among High-Risk Female Adolescents	ChildTrends	No charity
Healthy Families New York (HFNY)	ChildTrends	No charity
Healthy Start Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Healthy Weight Regulation Curriculum	ChildTrends	No charity
Hear and Say Reading with Toddlers	ChildTrends	No charity
Heart Smart School Health Promotion	ChildTrends	No charity
High 5	ChildTrends	No charity
Hip-Hop to Health Jr.	ChildTrends	No charity
Home Visiting Intervention for Depressed Mothers and Their Infants	ChildTrends	No charity
Home Visiting to Vulnerable Families by Nurses	ChildTrends	No charity
Home-Based Nurse Intervention (INT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Homebuilders	ChildTrends	No charity
Howard Street Tutoring Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Hygiene Intervention for Child Care Centers	ChildTrends	No charity
Hygiene Intervention for Preschool Students	ChildTrends	No charity
Hygienic Intervention in Child Day-Care Centers	ChildTrends	No charity
Infant Health and Development Program (IHDP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Informed Parents and Children Together (ImPACT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Intensive Supervision Program in Detroit, Michigan	ChildTrends	No charity
Interactive Book Reading	ChildTrends	No charity
Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Postpartum Depression	ChildTrends	No charity
Interpersonal Skills Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Intervention to Increase Father Involvement	ChildTrends	No charity
Job Corps	ChildTrends	No charity
Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training Program (JOBS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Job Training Partnership Act	ChildTrends	No charity
Jobs-Plus Community Revitalization Initiative for Public Housing Families	MDRC	No charity
Kaiser Kids Sun Care Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Keepin' it R.E.A.L.	ChildTrends	No charity
KindergARTen Summer Camp	ChildTrends	No charity
Know Your Body	ChildTrends	No charity
Leadership Education Through Athletic Development (LEAD)	ChildTrends	No charity
Learning Language and Loving It: The Hanen Program for Early Childhood Educators	ChildTrends	No charity
Let's Begin with the Letter People	ChildTrends	No charity
Life Skills Training (LST)	ChildTrends	No charity
Lifestyle Education for Activity Program (LEAP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Linking the Interests of Families and Teachers (LIFT)	ChildTrends	No charity
LionsQuest "Skills for Adolescence"	ChildTrends	No charity
Los Angeles Jobs-First GAIN	MDRC	No charity
Los Angeles Jobs-First Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Making Proud Choices!	ChildTrends	No charity
Marvelous Me	ChildTrends	No charity
Mastery Learning	ChildTrends	No charity
Mathletics	ChildTrends	No charity
Mentor-Implemented Violence Prevention Intervention for Assault-Injured Youth	ChildTrends	No charity
Metropolitan Area Child Study (MACS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Middle School Physical Activity and Nutrition (M-SPAN)	ChildTrends	No charity
Midwestern Prevention Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Minnesota Family Investment Program	MDRC	No charity
Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Monetary Incentive Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Montreal Prevention Experiment	ChildTrends	No charity
Motivational Brief Intervention for High-Risk College Student Drinkers	ChildTrends	No charity
Moving to Opportuniy program (MTO)	ChildTrends	No charity
Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Multisystemic Therapy	ChildTrends	No charity
Multisystemic Therapy for Juvenile Offenders	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
My Baby U	ChildTrends	No charity
National Evaluation of Welfare-to-Work Strategies	MDRC	No charity
New Beginnings	ChildTrends	No charity
New Chance	ChildTrends	No charity
Next Generation	MDRC	No charity
Nuestras Familias	ChildTrends	No charity
Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-Assessment for Child Care (NAP-SACC)	ChildTrends	No charity
Obesity-Focused Active Parenting	ChildTrends	No charity
Ohio Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program (LEAP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Ohio's Learning, Earning, and Parenting Program	MDRC	No charity
Online Treatment for Pediatric Recurrent Pain	ChildTrends	No charity
Opening Doors	MDRC	No charity
Opportunity NYC Demonstrations	MDRC	No charity
Osteoporosis Prevention and Self-Management Course	ChildTrends	No charity
Parent Education Group for Families Affected by Depression	ChildTrends	No charity
Parent Management Training - Oregon Model (PMTO)	ChildTrends	No charity
Parental Training and Contingency Contracting for Overweight Children	ChildTrends	No charity
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy	ChildTrends	No charity
Parenting Through Change (PTC)	ChildTrends	No charity
Parent-Mediated Treatment Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Parents' Fair Share	MDRC	No charity
Peacebuilders	ChildTrends	No charity
Peer Coping Skills Training (PCS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Peer-led HIV Prevention Education	ChildTrends	No charity
Penn Prevention Program (PPP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Perry Preschool Project	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Phonological Awareness Training and Letter Knowledge Training	ChildTrends	No charity
Physical Activity and Teenage Health (PATH)	ChildTrends	No charity
Physical Training Program for Obese Children	ChildTrends	No charity
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Plan a Safe Strategy Program (PASS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Planet Health	ChildTrends	No charity
Portland Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Positive Action Family Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Positive Action Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Positive Parenting	ChildTrends	No charity
Positive Prevention	ChildTrends	No charity
Positive Youth Development Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Preventing Adolescent Problems	ChildTrends	No charity
Primary Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Problem Solving for Life	ChildTrends	No charity
Problem Solving Program for Childhood Obesity	ChildTrends	No charity
Professional Development in Reading Study	MDRC	No charity
Progresa Poverty Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Project 4-Health	ChildTrends	No charity
Project AIM (Adult Identity Mentoring)	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Aware	ChildTrends	No charity
Project BELONG	ChildTrends	No charity
Project CHARM	ChildTrends	No charity
Project EX	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Iris	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Northland	ChildTrends	No charity
Project RESPECT	ChildTrends	No charity
Project SAFE (Strengthening America's Families and Environment)	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Sixteen	ChildTrends	No charity
Project SPARK	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Support	ChildTrends	No charity
Project TALC	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Toward No Tobacco Use (Project TNT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Towards No Drugs	ChildTrends	No charity
Project Transition	MDRC	No charity
Project TRUST	ChildTrends	No charity
Project WIN	ChildTrends	No charity
Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PATHS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Promoting Emergent Math Skills and Math Interest in Preschool-Aged Children	ChildTrends	No charity
Quantum Opportunities Program (QOP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Raising Healthy Children	ChildTrends	No charity
Reach for Health Service Learning Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Reaching Educators, Children and Parents (RECAP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Read to Achieve Summer Literacy Day Camp	ChildTrends	No charity
Reading One-to-One	ChildTrends	No charity
Ready, Set, Leap!	ChildTrends	No charity
Real Men	ChildTrends	No charity
Reconnecting Youth	ChildTrends	No charity
Reducing Children's Television Viewing to Prevent Obesity	ChildTrends	No charity
Reducing Sedentary Behavior	ChildTrends	No charity
RELATE Program for Teens	ChildTrends	No charity
Reproductive Health Counseling for Young Men	ChildTrends	No charity
Resolve It, Solve It	ChildTrends	No charity
Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways	ChildTrends	No charity
Restorative Justice Conferencing	ChildTrends	No charity
Riverside Greater Avenues for Independence (GAIN) Program	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
Safe Child Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Safe Dates	ChildTrends	No charity
Safe Performance Curriculum	ChildTrends	No charity
Safe Teen Work Project	ChildTrends	No charity
SAFEChildren	ChildTrends	No charity
San Quentin Squires Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Saving Sex for Later	ChildTrends	No charity
School Attendance Demonstration Project	ChildTrends	No charity
School Nurse-Delivered Adolescent Smoking Cessation Counseling Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
School-Based Cardiovascular Exercise and Nutrition Program with Parent Participation	ChildTrends	No charity
School-Based Intervention to Reduce Aggressive Behavior in Maladjusted Adolescents	ChildTrends	No charity
Schools and Homes in Partnership (SHIP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Schools Without Failure (SWF)	ChildTrends	No charity
Second Step	ChildTrends	No charity
Self Sufficiency Project (SSP)	ChildTrends	No charity
SHAPEDOWN	ChildTrends	No charity
Signs of Suicide Prevention Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Sistering, Informing, Healing, Loving, and Empowering (SiHLE). Simon: correct program name seems to be Sistering, Informing, Healing, Living, and Empowering	ChildTrends	No charity
Skills for Academic and Social Success	ChildTrends	No charity
Smoke Free Class Competition	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Aggression Prevention Program (SAPP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Cognitive Training (SCT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Influences Curriculum	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Learning Parent Training	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Problem-Solving (SPS)	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Skills and Academic Skills Training for Rejected Boys	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Skills Training Program for Children With ADHD	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Skills Training Program for Children's Social Functioning	ChildTrends	No charity
Social Skills Training Program for Pre-Adolescent Girls with Few Friends	ChildTrends	No charity
Sound Foundations	ChildTrends	No charity
South Oxnard Challenge Program (SOCP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Spit Tobacco Intervention for High School Athletes	ChildTrends	No charity
Stanford Adolescent Heart Health Program	ChildTrends	No charity
STAR (Stop, Think, Ask, Respond) Parenting Program	ChildTrends	No charity
STARS (Start Taking Alcohol Risks Seriously) for Families	ChildTrends	No charity
Staying Connected With Your Teen	ChildTrends	No charity
Steps to Respect Bullying Prevention Program	ChildTrends	No charity
STOP Technique and the Insight Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Strengthening Families Program for Parents and Youth 10-14 (Formerly Iowa Strengthening Families Program)	ChildTrends	No charity
Strong African American Families (SAAF)	ChildTrends	No charity
Structured Learning Training (SLT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Student Support Partnership Integrating Resources and Education (SSPIRE)	MDRC	No charity
Students Managing Anger Resolution Together (SMART) Talk	ChildTrends	No charity
Study of Mentoring in the Learning Environment (SMILE)	ChildTrends	No charity
Summer Career Exploration Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Summer Training and Education Program (STEP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Sunny Days, Healthy Ways	ChildTrends	No charity
Superkids/Superfit	ChildTrends	No charity
Talking Parents, Healthy Teens	ChildTrends	No charity
Targeted Messages for HIV Prevention	ChildTrends	No charity
Teach Baltimore	ChildTrends	No charity
Teaching Students to be Peacemakers	ChildTrends	No charity
Team Assisted Individualization (TAI) for Math	ChildTrends	No charity
Team Building Exercise Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Technical Skills Condom Use Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Teen Intervene	ChildTrends	No charity
Teen Talk	ChildTrends	No charity
Teenage Parent Demonstration	ChildTrends	No charity
TeenSTAR	ChildTrends	No charity
The Aban Aya Youth Project	ChildTrends	No charity
The Adolescent Transitions Program – Parent and Teen Focus	ChildTrends	No charity
The Adolescent Transitions Program – Parent Focus	ChildTrends	No charity
The Buddy System	ChildTrends	No charity
The Coping Power Program	ChildTrends	No charity
The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study	MDRC	No charity
The Family Bereavement Program (FBP)	ChildTrends	No charity
The Family Health Project	ChildTrends	No charity
The Insiders Juvenile Crime Prevention Program	ChildTrends	No charity
The Reading First Impact Study	MDRC	No charity
The UK Employment Retention and Advancement Project	MDRC	No charity
The Youth AIDS Prevention Project (YAPP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Three Generations Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Tobacco Policy Options for Prevention (TPOP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Toddlers Without Tears	ChildTrends	No charity
Too Good For Drugs	ChildTrends	No charity
Tools of the Mind	ChildTrends	No charity
Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)	ChildTrends	No charity
Triple P-Positive Parenting Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Tutoring with the Lindamood Phonemic Sequencing reading curriculum	Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy	No charity
UCLA Family Development Project	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Fitness and Nutrition Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Health Care Program for First-Time Adolescent Mothers and their Infants	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Information-Based AIDS Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Lifestyle-Focused Physical Activity Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Nutrition Education Behavior Change Strategy	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Program for Siblings of Children with Disabilities	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled School Based Suicide-Prevention Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled School-based Exercise Education Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled School-based Physical Activity Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled School-based Physical Training Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Social Cognitive AIDS Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Untitled Social Cognitive Theory-Based Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Upward Bound	ChildTrends	No charity
Varying Maternal Involvement in a Weight Loss Program	ChildTrends	No charity
Varying the Timing of an HIV-Prevention Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Vermont's Welfare Restructuring Project	MDRC	No charity
Video-Based STD Patient Education	ChildTrends	No charity
Voluntary Summer Reading Intervention	ChildTrends	No charity
Washington State Client-Centered Pregnancy Prevention Programs	ChildTrends	No charity
Western Australian Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition (WASPAN)	ChildTrends	No charity
What Could You Do?	ChildTrends	No charity
Who Do You Tell	ChildTrends	No charity
WIC Nutrition Education Demonstration Study	ChildTrends	No charity
Wisconsin Works	MDRC	No charity
Woodrock Youth Development Project (WYDP)	ChildTrends	No charity
Work Advancement and Support Center Demonstration	MDRC	No charity
You Can't Say You Can't Play	ChildTrends	No charity
Youth Corps	ChildTrends	No charity

Ongoing updates

The above steps were completed between February and November of 2010. We plan to revisit our recommended charities in this cause annually, seeking updates on their progress and funding needs and revising their ratings as appropriate. Otherwise we are not currently planning ongoing updates in this cause, as it has been deprioritized. Therefore, we will continue to stand by our recommended charities, but cannot commit to actively searching for more promising charities over time.

Sources

Alliance for Effective Social Investing. Homepage. http://www.alleffective.org/ (accessed October 21, 2010). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5tdf48toX.
ChildTrends. List of all programs (A-Z). http://www.childtrends.org/Lifecourse/allprograms_menu.htm (accessed Otober 21, 2010). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5tdeJnJQl.
Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy. About this site. http://evidencebasedprograms.org/wordpress/?page_id=9 (accessed October 21, 2010). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5tdfDMWJS.
MDRC. Homepage. http://www.mdrc.org/ (accessed October 21, 2010). Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5tdeU07Po.

1. ChildTrends, "List of All Programs (A-Z)."
2. MDRC, "Homepage."
3. Alliance for Effective Social Investing, "Homepage."
4. Coalition for Evidence-Based Policy, "About this Site."
5. An email from a Children's Aid Society representative to GiveWell on December 7, 2012, indicates that Children's Aid Society implements the Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program in New York City.