Join our February-March 2024 Incubation Program to start nonprofits in Mass Media (Global Health) and Animal Welfare.
In this post, we announce our top four charity ideas to launch in February 2024. They are the results of months of work by our research team, who selected them through a seven-stage research process. We pick interventions that exceed ambitious cost-effectiveness bars (e.g., for global health policy, this is 5x top GiveWell evaluated charities), have a high quality of evidence, minimal failure modes, and high expected value.
We’re seeking people to launch these ideas through our February-March 2024 Incubation Program. No particular previous experience is necessary - if you could plausibly see yourself excited to launch one of these charities, we encourage you to apply. The deadline for applications is September 30, 2024.
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In the Incubation Program, we provide two months of cost-covered training, stipends, funding up to $200,000, operational support in your first months, a co-working space at our CE office in London, ongoing mentorship, and access to a community of alumni, funders, and experts. Learn more on our refreshed CE Incubation Program page.
Disclaimer:
To be brief, we have sacrificed nuance, the details of our considerable uncertainties, and the downside risks discussed in the extended reports. Full reports will be published on our website and the EA Forum and announced in our newsletter in the upcoming weeks.
Please note that previous incubatees attest to the ideas becoming increasingly exciting over the course of the program.
One-Sentence Summaries
Childhood vaccination reminders
An organization that sends SMS or voice messages to remind caregivers to attend their child’s vaccination appointments.
A non-profit that produces and delivers educational entertainment content focusing on preventing intimate partner violence.
One-Paragraph Summaries
Childhood vaccination reminders
In 2021, 25 million children under one went unvaccinated. Studies show that mobile messages can effectively remind caregivers to keep up with their child's vaccination schedule, thereby mitigating disease risk and improving overall health outcomes (1, 2, 3). Yet, such beneficial services are rarely implemented on a large scale. Suvita, a non-profit incubated by CE, is delivering this impactful service in India. A new non-profit organization will launch it in the next top-priority country. This new organization will likely coordinate closely with Suvita to expand to numerous priority countries or operate under the same umbrella. This intervention can be expected to help avert one disability-adjusted life year (DALY) for approximately $80, making it a highly cost-effective means to improve global health.
Almost 500 million women aged 15 to 49 have been subjected to violence from an intimate partner at least once since they turned 15. Countless women continually face threats to their safety within their homes, experiencing physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Fueled by societal norms and attitudes, this pervasive form of violence remains prevalent in many societies worldwide. Evidence from robust experimental (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and quasi-experimental studies suggests that media content designed to address these behaviors can prevent intimate partner violence. This newly-formed non-profit will produce and disseminate such media on a large scale, working to curb this problem. In doing so, it should contribute to a growing body of evidence outlining effective strategies to prevent violence against women.
More Detailed Summaries
Childhood vaccination reminders
In 2021, 25 million children under one went unvaccinated. For example, in 2021, only 80% of children in Africa received the BCG vaccine (protecting against tuberculosis), while just 71% received the third dose of the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine.
The solution we propose is straightforward and has demonstrated effectiveness. It involves sending reminders and encouragement to caregivers about upcoming vaccination opportunities via mobile phone (SMS or voice messages).
Various meta-analytic reviews, including several from Cochrane (1, 2, 3), support using reminders to boost child vaccination rates. However, despite their proven effectiveness, these reminders are underutilized. Many countries with low vaccination rates have not yet scaled their use.
We constructed a model for a theoretical 20-year program in Angola to assess the cost-effectiveness of this intervention. We estimated the cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted to be between $38 and $78, considering solely the costs to the charity and including additional government expenses, respectively.
Challenges
Various factors can hinder scaling health technologies, including lack of resources, competing priorities, inadequate digital health information systems, poor governance, and insufficient advocacy.
Establishing and maintaining robust monitoring systems integrated with routine immunization data may be vital to the organization’s work. An organization in this field may need to develop strategies to mitigate poor data availability, prioritizing data access and robustness while acknowledging that limited or unreliable information could pose a constraint.
Particularly helpful co-founder backgrounds
No particular previous experience is necessary to apply for this idea. However, the co-founding team would benefit from the following skills and experiences: 1. Experience working with government stakeholders, such as Ministries of Health; 2. Knowledge of health data systems and routine health service provision; 3. Expertise in logistics and operational efficiencies; 4. Skills in monitoring and evaluation, with a focus on extensive data monitoring. We also expect strong generalists to be able to acquire these skills on the job or hire additional team members to fill critical gaps.
Collaboration with Suvita
Drawing on the successful model of Suvita, a CE-incubated organization that has effectively delivered this service in parts of India, we envision a new non-profit that could implement this service in another high-priority country. This organization will likely coordinate closely with Suvita to expand to numerous priority countries in the future or could even operate under the same umbrella.
Conclusion
Addressing under-vaccination is a global health priority. While mobile phone reminders are not a panacea, they can significantly aid in achieving this goal at a low cost and large scale.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a substantial, preventable human rights violation impacting millions of women worldwide. Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) suggest that nearly one-third (31%) of women have encountered physical or sexual violence since turning 15. IPV poses significant health and economic challenges, with extensive consequences for victims.
Educational entertainment offers a promising solution to alleviate IPV's burden. It is theoretically robust, with some supportive evidence among strategies to prevent violence against women. Despite growing recognition of edutainment as an effective social intervention, not many organizations still conduct this type of work. We think there are gaps in implementation that a new organization could fill.
The evidence on the effectiveness of mass media in IPV is limited but cautiously optimistic: While only one experimental study measured effects on behavior, four other experimental (1, 2, 3, 4) and quasi-experimental studies found sizable shifts in attitudes and norms related to IPV. Combining these findings with the broader literature on the effects of mass media on behavior change, we believe there is a strong case for scaling up an edutainment approach in this space.
Our cost-effectiveness analysis of a hypothetical 5-year intervention in Lesotho, Rwanda, Angola, and Ethiopia revealed a cost per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted ranging from $28 to $1419, depending on assumptions and the country chosen. Based on our estimates, this may be among the most cost-effective interventions in the IPV space.
Challenges
Key data indicators will likely be scarce. Collecting IPV data may prove challenging, particularly in regions with cultural reluctance to discuss these issues. We have reservations about how easy it will be to evaluate and communicate impact to funders reliably. Effective monitoring will necessitate the triangulation of different data sources and creative utilization of impact-evaluation methodologies.
Particularly helpful co-founder backgrounds
No particular previous experience is necessary to apply for this idea. However, given the subject's sensitivity, the ideal co-founder team should be aware of IPV's complexities. Experience with or knowledge of gender equality issues and advocacy would be advantageous. As this idea is based on indicative studies and requires further testing, co-founders should be comfortable with uncertainty and exhibit a scientific mindset.
We also value organizations capable of producing high-quality, engaging content. Experience in artistic and communication fields, such as theater, TV, and writing, would be advantageous, although such skills could also be acquired through early hiring.
Conclusion
IPV is a significant, preventable issue. Edutainment can broadly and inexpensively address it. Encouraging evidence suggests that mass media approaches can effectively shift attitudes and behaviors towards gendered violence, positioning them among the most cost-effective interventions for this issue.
Our cause areas for the August- September 2024 Incubation Program
You can now also apply (using the same form) to the August-September 2024 Incubation Program that will focus on:
1) The most cost-effective Sustainable Development Goals
2) Organophosphate pesticides and other neurotoxicants
Information about our top ideas will be announced in Spring 2024.
How to apply
To apply, fill out the [APPLICATION FORM], which should only take around 30 minutes. We have designed the application process also to give you a better sense of whether you are excited by this career path.
Application deadline: September 30, 2023
Would you like to explore whether this could be a good career fit for you? [TAKE OUR NEW IMPROVED QUIZ]
More information about the application process and a resource list that can help you prepare: https://www.charityentrepreneurship.com/apply
More information about how the program is run: https://www.charityentrepreneurship.com/how-it-works
Any questions about the program: [email protected]
By the most recent World Bank and FAO data, as well as the 2017 FAO data you link to, Greece isn't close to being the largest producer of fish in the EU nor the 15th largest producer in the world. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think the correct claim is that Greece farms the greatest number of fish in the EU. Fish production statistics are generally by total weight rather than fish number, and I see how the latter is more relevant to welfare concerns. However I think your phrasing is a bit misleading, as Greece has a very unique fish industry for the EU. It farms a huge amount of low-weight fish and has a relatively small wild-catch industry. For most (all?) other European countries, total national fish catch (by weight and number) is still dominated by fishing fleet capture rather than aquaculture. I'd be curious to know how your model weights welfare impacts on humane slaughter method adoption vs improving living conditions on farms. If the latter is a bigger deal, I see how Greece can be a high-leverage country to start with, especially considering the growing proportion of aquaculture in fish production worldwide.
Hi – thanks for your comment.
You're correct in that we are prioritizing for the greatest number of fish on farms rather than the total tonnage produced. Our claim that Greece is the largest producer in the EU (and the 15th largest in the world) is based on estimates (using the FAO data linked) of the number of fish alive on farms in each country at any given time. This has to do with the total farmed as well as their lifespans and expected mortality rates on farms pre-slaughter.
We generally prioritize farmed fish as you can impact their whole lives, whereas for wild-caught fish, you can only impact the end of their lives. However, if the new charity chooses to focus on humane slaughter, then there could be scope to focus on both farmed and wild-caught fish. Note, however, that protections for wild-caught fish, to the best of my knowledge, don't exist in legislation anywhere yet, so we might not expect this to be very tractable. Overall, at least in the short-term, we would recommend that a new org should focus on farmed fish and should try to push for the inclusion of stocking density and water quality parameters as well as humane slaughter in any ask where possible. Still, we could see that the new org chooses to only focus on slaughter – at least at first – as this seems to be what the rest of the movement is likely to focus on, and there could be benefits from all being on the same page and asking for the same thing.