Good Ventures awarded a grant of $50,000 to the Small Enterprise Foundation (SEF) for general operating support in recognition of GiveWell’s "standout" charity ranking in 2011. The purpose of the grant is to support SEF’s efforts to help alleviate poverty by providing microloans to women in South Africa and to recognize SEF's commitment to transparency and the well-being of its clients. Learn more about our rationale for supporting SEF.
GiveWell recommends charities that (1) focus on programs with a strong track record and excellent cost-effectiveness, (2) can use additional funding to expand their core programs and (3) are exceptionally transparent. Our grants to GiveWell-recommended charities are intended to help these outstanding organizations scale their programs and to signal the importance of qualities like cost-effectiveness and transparency to other charities and donors. These grants are unrestricted so that the organizations can decide for themselves how best to translate the funds into impact. Read GiveWell’s review of SEF to learn more about its activities and follow its progress.