Find the best ways to help others

Effective altruism asks the question: how can we do the most good with our time, money, and resources?

What is effective altruism?

A philosophy

Using reason and evidence to find the most effective ways to help others. Read essay.

A movement

A global network working to put the ideas into practice.

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Is effective altruism a charity?

No, effective altruism is not a charity. It is a philosophy and movement focused on using evidence and reason to do the most good. However, there are many charities and organizations inspired by effective altruism principles. Learn more by reading the introduction to effective altruism.

What are examples of the impact of effective altruism?

People inspired by effective altruism have launched high-impact charities, guided major donations, and shaped research on global challenges. View examples here.

How do I get involved?

Learn more by reading the introduction to effective altruism
View recommended videos, books, podcasts, and articles
Get career guidance, donation recommendations, and connect with others on the take action page

Effective altruism in action

From global health to existential risk: See how people apply effective altruism across diverse fields

“Many of the concepts in effective altruism will be familiar to economists. What is unusual is to see these tools used to develop a practical guide on how to live an ethical life. It doesn’t tell you what choices to make; instead it sets out a simple framework for how to think through decisions.”

Dr. Rachel Glennerster, Associate Professor at the University of Chicago

What the community has achieved

Browse projects from the effective altruism community

Global health and economic development

Built mobile financial solutions for millions of users across Africa

Wave

Advocated for human challenge trials to understand COVID-19

1Day Sooner

Prevents deaths from malaria through seasonal malaria chemoprevention

Malaria Consortium

Prevented lead poisoning in 215,000 children in 2023

Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP)

Successfully delivered over $800 million in cash transfers to over 1.6 million people in need in 12 countries

GiveDirectly

Animal welfare

Freed more than 100 million hens from painful battery cages

Open Wing Alliance

Helped secure regulatory clearance for cultivated meat in the United States

Good Food Institute

Established a new legal avenue for animal advocates to get courts to consider animal cruelty violations

Legal Impact for Chickens

Secured commitments from top companies to adopt higher animal welfare policies

Anima International

Existential risk and the long-term future

Researched the implications of superintelligent AI for humanity's future

Forethought

Pioneered advances in the field of mechanistic interpretability

Neel Nanda research

Developed a monitoring network to detect concerning biological sequences before they spread

Nucleic Acid Observatory

Research and charity evaluation

Directed more than $2.4 billion of donations to charities recommended from 60,000+ hours of research each year

GiveWell

Produced groundbreaking research that influenced millions in philanthropic funding decisions, including studies on animal welfare, global health priorities, and existential risk reduction

Rethink Priorities

Incubated more than 40 effective nonprofits that are now reaching over 35 million humans and have the potential to improve the lives of over 2 billion animals

Charity Entrepreneurship

Influenced more than $68 million toward highly effective charities and projects helping animals

Animal Charity Evaluators

Grantmaking, fundraising, and donor advisement

Built a network of thousands of pledgers who have donated more than $300 million through their pledges

Giving What We Can (GWWC)

Enabled entrepreneurs to give more and give effectively, with over 2,500 pledges and moving $1.4 billion to the charitable sector

Founders Pledge

Redirected millions of dollars to evidence-based climate interventions

Giving Green

Established Germany's leading effective giving platform, directing millions of Euros to the highly impactful charities

Effektiv Spenden

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Four ideas you probably already agree with

That could mean you're already on board with effective altruism

1. It’s important to help others

When people are in need and we can help them, we think that we should. Most people think millionaires should give back, but few realize that even those earning the median wage in a rich country typically rank among the global top 5% of the world’s wealthy. See where you fall on the global income scale.

2. Everyone deserves equal consideration

Everyone has an equal claim to being happy, healthy, fulfilled and free, whatever their circumstances. Everyone matters, wherever they live, however rich they are, and whatever their ethnicity, age, gender, ability, or religious views.

3. Helping more is better than helping less

All else being equal, we should save more lives, help people live longer, and make more people happier. If the same resources will improve 20 lives instead of one, it’s better to improve 20.

4. Our resources are limited

We have a finite amount of money to spend. This is also true of our time. Choosing to spend money or time on one option is an implicit choice not to spend it on other options.