The Against Malaria Foundation (AMF) is a British charity that provides funding for mass distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets (LLINs) to populations at high risk of malaria.
In June 2003, Rob Mather, a strategy consultant based in London, decided to organize a swim with two of his friends to raise funds for a girl who had suffered severe burns in a house fire. Over the following months, Mather's initiative grew in size and scope, eventually leading to the creation of World Swim Against Malaria (WSAM), which organized a quarter of a million swims in around 160 countries. In August 2004, Mather set up AMF to handle the money raised through WSAM and to raise funds in ways other than swimming.[1][2]
AMF continues to operate mostly as it did when it first launched. Although registered as a charity in 12 countries, AMF has no offices, but is run from the back room of Mather's house.[3]
In addition to funding distribution of nets, AMF has more recently supported research on piperonyl butoxide (PBO) nets, a new type of LLIN.[4] Mosquito populations appear to have become more resistant to standard insecticides. According to GiveWell's rough estimates, this resistance has reduced the effectiveness of insecticide-treated nets by one-third in the areas where AMF operates.[5] Against resistant mosquitoes, PBO nets appear to be more effective than standard insecticide-treated nets. An AMF-funded trial—the largest such trial to assess the effectiveness of PBO nets to date—found that PBO nets reduced malaria 26%, 27% and 16% more than did conventional LLINs after 6, 12 and 18 months, respectively.[6]
As of July 2022, GiveWell estimates that AMF can deliver a LLIN at a cost of about $5, and that a donation to AMF has an average cost-effectiveness of $5,500 per life saved.[7][8][9] (The cost of delivering a net is much lower than the cost of saving a life because a small fraction of people who receive a net would otherwise have died of malaria, and because of other factors.)[8]
AMF has been a GiveWell top-rated charity every year since 2010, with the exception of 2013, when it was excluded from their ranking due to lack of room for more funding .[10] AMF is also included in The Life You Can Save's list of "best charities".[11]
As of June 2022, AMF has received over $58 million in funding from Open Philanthropy,[12] and over $6.5 million from Effective Altruism Funds.[13][14][15]
AMF is a highly transparent organization. The AMF website lists every donation received[16] and every LLIN distributed,[17] as well as other pertinent information.[18]