Best charities for happiness and wellbeing – 2024
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Top recommended charities
These charities are extremely cost-effective and backed by strong evidence – especially when compared to most other charities.
StrongMinds
Treats depression by delivering free, group-based psychotherapy to those in need. Mental health services are severely underfunded in low-income countries like Uganda and Zambia.
More detail
Cause area and interventon
Mental health – Psychotherapy
Cost-effectiveness
40 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated (or $25 per WELLBY)
Quality of evidence
Low to moderate
Depth of our analysis
High
Funding need
StrongMinds has a $10 million goal for 2024 with an approximately $3 million gap to fill by the end of December. StrongMinds has raised a total of $3.4 million in pledged funds toward our $11.5 million fundraising goal in 2025. This leaves a fundraising gap of $8.1 million for 2025.
Friendship Bench
Treats people with depression and anxiety using group-based counselling. It does this primarily in Zimbabwe, where there are very few mental health services.
More detail
Cause area and interventon
Mental health – Psychotherapy
Cost-effectiveness
48 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated (or $21 per WELLBY)
Quality of evidence
Low to moderate
Depth of our analysis
High
Promising charities
These charities are likely extremely cost-effective, but we need stronger evidence for them to qualify as a “Top recommended charity”. For now, we see these charities ‘higher-risk, but possibly higher-reward’.
Pure Earth
Works to eliminate lead poisoning, a which claims as many lives as malaria and HIV/AIDS combined. It aims to reduce exposure and save lives in the hardest-hit communities.
More detail
Cause area and interventon
Pollution – reducing lead exposure through advocacy and technical assistance
Cost-effectiveness
108 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated (or $9.23 per WELLBY)
Quality of evidence
Low
Depth of our analysis
Low
Funding need
$1.8 million for the cosmetic project in Ghana for 2025-2029
Taimaka
Treats malnutrition in children, which causes severe and lasting physical and mental health issues. This improves physical and mental health outcomes.
More detail
Cause area and interventon
Nutrition – reducing extreme malnutrition through therapeutic food
Cost-effectiveness
66 WELLBYs per $1,000 (or $15 to per WELLBY)
Quality of evidence
Low
Depth of our analysis
Low
Funding need
$500k for 2025
Reach Up (programme by icddr,b)
Provides evidence-based parenting programs, which are proven to improve children’s long-term health and wellbeing. (The “Reach Up” programme is provided by the “International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh” (icddr,b).)
More detail
Cause area and interventon
Childhood development – psychosocial stimulation
Cost-effectiveness
50 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated (or $20 per WELLBY).
Quality of evidence
Low
Depth of our analysis
Low
Funding need
$5 million by 2027
Network for Empowerment & Progressive Initiative (NEPI)
Reduces crime and anti-social behaviour by providing psychotherapy and cash to young men with violent or criminal backgrounds.
More detail
Cause area and interventon
Crime – cash transfers combined with cognitive behavioural therapy
Cost-effectiveness
Conservative: 22 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated (or $46 per WELLBY).
Generous: 104 WELLBYs per $1,000 donated (or $10 per WELLBY).
Quality of evidence
Low
Depth of our analysis
Low
Funding need
$613,000 in 2025
Other great charities
Other effective charities that we think are worth a mention.
Happier Lives Institute
Finds and promotes the best charities for improving global happiness. It does this by conducting scientifically rigorous research into different cause areas, interventions, and charities.
Charities we don’t currently recommend
In our search for the best charities, inevitably some charities haven’t yet met our criteria for us to recommend them outright. We found these charities either aren’t highly cost-effective, or don’t have a current funding gap. However, they are likely still much more impactful than most other average charities.