Published: November 2025 (March 2021 version)
Our mission is to help people in need as much as we can by researching the most cost‑effective ways to save and improve lives, sharing our work openly, and directing donations to the programs we believe will do the most good.
Our core values of truth-seeking and transparency underpin our work, which aims to find and fund extraordinary giving opportunities.
- Truth-seeking drives us to challenge assumptions and ask tough questions. We want to know what is true about the world, even if the truth is inconvenient or refutes our previous beliefs. We prioritize empirical data, seek out feedback, search for information that might change our minds, and change course when new findings emerge.
- Transparency demands that we show our work, not just our conclusions. We make public the evidence, reasoning, and uncertainties that underlie our decisions. We put unusual effort into this because we believe it helps others evaluate our work and helps us make better decisions.
Our operating principles define key characteristics about how we individually and collectively pursue GiveWell’s mission.
- We do the most good we can with the resources we have. By prioritizing quantification and cost-effectiveness, we strive to maximize our impact.
- We are considerate. In all relationships, we think about how our actions affect others and aspire to treat people with respect and empathy.
- We aim to be clear and accurate. Our communications, both internal and external, always seek to represent the truth, even when it’s hard to share.
- We work to better GiveWell and ourselves. We constantly pursue ways to improve, both individually and as an organization.
- We prioritize delivering the most impact over time. We make decisions that are primarily guided by GiveWell's long-term impact, not short-term gains.