Givewell UK

Analysis

Givewell UK is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in November 2021, 5 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO). It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Givewell UK reported income of £20.5m and spending of £19.5m, spending 95% of its income. Across the 4 years on record, from December 2022 to December 2025, income grew from £5.2m to £20.5m (+290%), an average of +57% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income rose by 490%. Over the whole period it spent 97% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, Givewell UK sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include WS Waverton Charity Fund (£17.7m), AL Philanthropies (£25.6m) and Lempriere Pringle 2015 (£17.0m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 100%. Charitable activities took 100% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £19.3m. Reserves of £1.1m would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate.