The nonprofits we feature in this toolkit are exemplars of how to create high impact, but they are just the beginning. Once you have chosen a cause area and impact goal, the information sources and organizations on this page will help you find other nonprofits and conduct research on their leadership, programs, and impact potential.
Resources for Understanding High Impact Philanthropy
From CHIP
Defining Social Impact
- Three Questions to Ask to Incorporate Impact Thinking Into Your Philanthropy
- Five Myths About Impact: The truth about high impact philanthropy
Understanding Evidence
Linking Impact and Cost
Measuring Impact
- Cycle of Assessment: How to Learn and Improve for High Impact Philanthropy
- How Funders Can Measure to Learn and Improve: 3 Questions and Recommendations
More Resources
High Impact Philanthropy
Measuring impact
- What Is Impact Measurement and How Can Organizations Use It?: guidance from Bridgespan
- For funders and nonprofits engaged in community-driven change: How to Assess Community-Driven Change: Four Guiding Principles for Funders and Nonprofits and the Community-Driven Change Assessment Toolkit
- For systems change organizations: How Nonprofits and NGOs Can Measure Progress Towards Systems Change
- Philanthropic collaboratives: How Philanthropic Collaboratives Measure, Evaluate, and Learn
Resources for Finding and Researching Nonprofits
Researching Cause Areas
From CHIP
Guidance by Issue Area includes toolkits, resources, and guidance for high impact opportunities in many areas.
More resources
Giving Compass curates content from many expert sources, including the Center for High Impact Philanthropy, to provide donors with guidance on effective giving, trends in philanthropy, and creating meaningful social change. Now offers Guide to Good, an AI powered search too.
Grantmakers in Health helps health-focused grantmakers maximize their impact in addressing complex health challenges through resources, programs, and opportunities for collaboration.
Innovations for Poverty Action conducts research on over 300 potential solutions to global poverty, testing interventions in real-world settings to identify effective approaches that improve the lives of the world’s poor.
IssueLab (a service of Candid) collects, organizes, and shares research from social sector organizations across more than 30+ cause areas. Supports funders, nonprofits, and policymakers with the knowledge needed to address critical social challenges by providing thousands of freely accessible reports and studies.
The Jameel Poverty Action Lab hosts a comprehensive database of over 850 publicly available randomized evaluations, showcasing evidence from programs proven to be effective in reducing poverty.
NAVi Nonprofit Aid Visualizer is a free public tool from Vanguard Charitable that allows users to easily search for and identify nonprofits addressing critical issues like hunger and homelessness.
Root Cause Social Impact Research (SIR) produces reports on various cause areas and social issues, providing actionable insights for driving social change.
Nonprofit Due Diligence
Accountability Lab is a global network for good governance that supports active citizens, responsible leaders, and accountable nonprofit and governmental institutions.
AskGive, an AI-powered giving tool offered by BBB Wise Giving Alliance, can answer questions about specific nonprofits and offer funding tips based on BBB data.
Candid (merger of GuideStar and Foundation Center) is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofits and foundations, providing comprehensive, up-to-date information to help donors, funders, and researchers make informed decisions.
Charity Navigator evaluates nonprofits based on their financial health, accountability, and transparency to help donors assess the efficiency and effectiveness of charitable organizations, ensuring their contributions support responsible and impactful causes.
GiveWell evaluates nonprofits using empirical data to assess their cost-effectiveness, transparency, and ability to scale with increased funding.
Great Nonprofits features community-sourced reviews and stories about nonprofits, written by donors, volunteers, and beneficiaries to give insights into the impact and effectiveness of organizations.
Impact Genome Registry is a database that registers and verifies impact data from nonprofits, social enterprises, and government programs to standardize and measure outcomes across sectors.
IRS Exempt Organizations Business Master File is a resource where you can verify an organization’s legal tax-exempt status with the IRS.
The Life You Can Save curates a list of nonprofits that have been vetted for their proven effectiveness in improving the lives of those in extreme poverty.
Mutual Aid Hub connects individuals to mutual aid and community organizations across the U.S. and Canada, focusing on grassroots efforts outside of traditional licensed organizations.
Disaster Relief and Response
Center for Disaster Philanthropy helps donors make strategic, informed decisions about disaster-related giving and ensures that contributions are directed to long-term recovery and resilience efforts.
Disaster Accountability Project provides independent, long-term oversight of disaster management systems through advocacy, research, and public reporting.
The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System is a collaborative framework between the United Nations, the European Commission, and disaster managers worldwide, designed to improve early alerts, information sharing, and coordination in the immediate aftermath of major sudden-onset disasters.
Global Giving‘s Hope in Crisis Fund supports communities whose needs have faded from the headlines or were never covered by mainstream media.
International Federation of the Red Cross, the world’s largest humanitarian network, provides assistance before, during, and after disasters and health emergencies.
International Medical Corps is a global healthcare organization that delivers essential care, trains local health workers, and strengthens healthcare systems in the world’s most vulnerable regions with a focus on emergency response and long-term recovery.
MSF/Doctors Without Borders delivers urgent healthcare services to those most in need, often working in challenging and remote environments, including conflict areas, natural disasters, or disease outbreaks.
Myriad USA’s DisasterLink Network links donors to grassroots organizations in disaster-prone areas are pre-vetted for rapid response in crises.
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) is an association of organizations involved in the mitigation and alleviation of disasters.
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction is the international coordinating body promoting disaster preparedness, mitigation, and risk reduction strategies worldwide.
Reducing Structural Inequality
Bolder Advocacy, a service of Alliance for Justice, equips nonprofits with the tools, maps, training, events, and resources to advance their missions through policy advocacy.
Demographics via Candid provides comprehensive data on the representation and diversity of nonprofit leadership and funding recipients, offering insights into race, gender, and other demographic factors.
Fund for Shared Insight is an nonprofit that aims to improve philanthropy by listening to communities most affected by structural inequality and advocating for power shifts and shared decision-making.
Giving Gap is nonprofit platform that connects donors with underfunded initiatives, helping to direct resources to where they are most needed to advance equity and racial justice by offering a searchable database of Black-run nonprofits.
JustFund streamlines the grantmaking process by enabling nonprofits to submit proposals to hundreds of funders simultaneously, making funding more accessible and reducing barriers for grassroots initiatives focused on equity and inclusion.
Listen4Good an initiative of the Fund for Shared Insight, helps nonprofits actively listen to and incorporate feedback from the people they serve by using structured feedback tools.