Evidence Action
Evidence Action is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that scales evidence-based public health interventions — deworming, iron supplementation, safe water, and maternal syphilis screening — across 10 countries in Africa and Asia through government partnerships and donor-funded technical assistance.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Evidence Action does
Evidence Action is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2013 that scales evidence-based public health interventions targeting preventable disease, malnutrition, and unsafe water conditions in low-income populations across Africa and Asia. The organization operates four core programs: Deworm the World (school-based deworming delivering 2B+ treatments since 2012), Equal Vitamin Access (IFA supplementation reaching 26M children in India), Safe Water Now (chlorine dispensers and in-line chlorination devices at community water points), and Syphilis-Free Start (maternal syphilis screening integrated into antenatal care). It also runs an Accelerator methodology that vets emerging programs against a DALY cost-effectiveness threshold of ≤½ average GDP per capita across operating countries (~$690/DALY). Two additional programs — multiple micronutrient supplementation for pregnant women and reading glasses for presbyopia — are in development with pilots scoring $75-$243/DALY.
The organization's underlying technology stack is intentionally non-proprietary: chlorine dispensers are point-of-collection dosing devices installed at boreholes and springs, in-line chlorination devices are PVC piping systems with no moving parts and no electricity requirement, and program delivery is integrated into government health and education systems rather than parallel platforms. The proprietary asset is methodological — a DALY-based program vetting framework supported by independent third-party evaluations through Innovations for Poverty Action and the Development Innovation Lab at the University of Chicago. The organization operates in 10 countries (Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria, Liberia, Zambia, Ethiopia, India, Tanzania, Cameroon) with regional HQs in Nairobi (200+ staff) and Nigeria (~40 staff), and reports 530M cumulative beneficiaries reached, 16K+ under-five lives saved, and $23B in productivity gains from deworming over its first decade.
The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. Evidence Action is entirely supported by charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and institutional philanthropy, with Open Philanthropy / Coefficient Giving (Cari Tuna / Dustin Moskovitz vehicle, $4B+ in cumulative distributions, $600M+ in fiscal 2025) documented as a major institutional funder alongside GiveWell-recognized giving channels. Program unit costs are extremely low (<$0.50 per child per year for deworming and IFA; ~$2.13 per full 180-day MMS course). Distribution is achieved through technical and financial assistance partnerships with ministries of health and education rather than direct service delivery, and the go-to-market is event- and infrastructure-driven (school enrollment cycles, community water points, antenatal care visits, community health worker networks such as Sahiyas, ASHAs, and Anganwadi workers). Recent strategic emphasis has shifted toward portfolio discipline: in 2025-2026 the organization publicly reduced its Kenya chlorine dispenser footprint by 56% and wound down Malawi / scaled back Uganda operations following an external evaluation showing ~70% lower adoption than internal monitoring had indicated, while accelerating IFA scale-up in India and adding Climate x Health and maternal health program lines.
Evidence Action firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Evidence Action
- Legal name
- Evidence Action
- Website
- https://evidenceaction.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Evidence Action is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit that scales evidence-based public health interventions — deworming, iron supplementation, safe water, and maternal syphilis screening — across 10 countries in Africa and Asia through government partnerships and donor-funded technical assistance.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Evidence Action industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Global Public Health Programs
- NAICS
- Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Program Evaluation (HLAJANAE), Community Health, Prevention & Health Education (BPAGACAC), Maternal, Child & Family Health Departments (HLAJAAAK), Healthcare Outcomes & Real-World Evidence (RWE) Analytics (BPAHALAN)
Keywords
Where Evidence Action is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Evidence Action business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Charitable Donations: Evidence Action is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that relies entirely on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations to fund program delivery. Donations may be designated for specific programs or unrestricted.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Deworming treatment cost per child per year |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Multiple Micronutrient Supplements per pregnant woman |
| Unit Pricing | Annual | Iron and Folic Acid supplementation per child per year |
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Cost per DALY averted across programs |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Evidence Action product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Evidence Action is a nonprofit organization that scales four evidence-based public health programs — Deworm the World (school-based deworming), Equal Vitamin Access (iron and folic acid supplementation), Safe Water Now (chlorine-based water treatment), and Syphilis-Free Start (maternal syphilis screening/treatment) — delivered through technical and financial assistance to government ministries that integrate the interventions into existing health and education systems across 10 countries in Africa and Asia.
Product overview
Evidence Action is a nonprofit organization that scales evidence-based health interventions rather than a technology product company. Their portfolio consists of four core programs: Deworm the World (school-based deworming), Equal Vitamin Access (iron and folic acid supplementation), Safe Water Now (chlorine-based water treatment), and Syphilis-Free Start (maternal syphilis screening and treatment). These programs are delivered through government partnerships in 10 countries across Africa and Asia, supported by their Accelerator methodology for vetting interventions. The organization also pilots emerging programs including multiple micronutrient supplementation and vision correction. Rather than a unified software platform, Evidence Action's 'products' are public health delivery programs that use data-driven approaches and technical assistance to achieve health outcomes.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Deworm the World School-based deworming program delivering treatments for soil-transmitted helminths and schistosomiasis to school-age children (5–14), delivered through ministries of education and health across multiple countries; has delivered over 2 billion treatments since 2012.
- Safe Water Now Safe water access program deploying point-of-collection chlorine dispensers at water sources and in-line chlorination (ILC) devices on piped systems to provide rural and peri-urban communities in Kenya, Uganda, and India with access to chlorinated drinking water.
- Equal Vitamin Access Iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation program delivering weekly vitamins to children and adolescents through schools and Anganwadi/community health centers to prevent anemia; reached 26 million children and adolescents with full IFA coverage in India by 2024.
- Syphilis-Free Start Program integrating syphilis screening and treatment into antenatal care to prevent congenital syphilis; scaled nationwide in Liberia with 97% of congenital syphilis cases prevented, and expanding to additional countries.
- In Development Programs (MMS and Reading Glasses Pilots) Pilot-stage programs under Evidence Action's Accelerator process, including multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) for pregnant women (~180-day WHO-recommended course at ~$2.13 per woman) and reading glasses for presbyopia, delivered through antenatal care facilities and vision screening pilots.
Quantifiable outcome
- 530 million people reached globally with health interventions
- +10 more outcomes
Companies that use Evidence Action
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Evidence Action technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Evidence Action partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Malaria ConsortiumminorGlobal health organization also receiving grants from Coefficient Giving, working in parallel on disease prevention programs.
- Helen Keller IntlminorGlobal health organization also receiving support from Coefficient Giving, focused on nutrition and health programs.
- DIL India (Development Innovation Lab)corePartnership with DIL India and Telangana Agriculture Department to deliver weather advisory initiative via WhatsApp to 17 districts, helping farmers with climate variability planning.
- Government of Nigeria (State Ministries of Health, Education, Federal Ministry)coreTechnical and financial assistance to Nigerian government for deworming programs across five states (Rivers, Cross River, Lagos, Oyo, Ogun), reaching 6 million children annually.
- Government of Uganda (Ministry of Water and Environment, Ministry of Health)corePartnership with Uganda's government ministries, Uganda Water and Sanitation Network, and local governments across 22 operational districts for safe water programs reaching 4.7 million people.
- Government of Kenya (Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, county governments)coreClose partnership with Kenyan government for school-based deworming (62M+ treatments) and safe water programs reaching 1.9 million people across the country.
- Development Innovation Lab (DIL)coreResearch partnership with DIL at University of Chicago for independent evaluations of chlorine dispenser programs in Uganda and Malawi, conducted with Innovations for Poverty Action.
- Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)coreData collection partner for independent evaluations of safe water programs, conducting census-based surveys in Uganda and Malawi.
- EAII AdvisorscoreTechnical partner in India supporting Evidence Action's work, including iron supplementation programs and in-line chlorination implementation.
Scale indicators17 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Evidence Action competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sightsavers: Sightsavers is a global NGO that scales evidence-based interventions for neglected tropical diseases (including deworming for schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminths) through government health system partnerships in Africa and Asia, directly mirroring Evidence Action's Deworm the World model.
- Malaria Consortium: Malaria Consortium is an explicit peer named in Evidence Action's partnership data, focused on disease prevention (malaria, NTDs) in Africa and Asia with government-embedded delivery and seasonal campaigns targeting school-age children and pregnant women.
- Helen Keller Intl: Helen Keller Intl is named in Evidence Action's partnerships as a fellow global health NGO focused on nutrition and disease prevention, with overlapping IFA supplementation, vitamin A, and NTD programs delivered through government health systems in similar geographies.
- PATH: PATH is a large global health nonprofit that designs, evaluates, and scales evidence-based health interventions through government partnerships, particularly in maternal and child health, nutrition, and water/sanitation, sharing Evidence Action's model of technical assistance at scale.
- Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): CHAI partners with governments in low- and middle-income countries to strengthen health systems and scale proven interventions, often in the same geographies and disease areas (maternal health, NTDs, vaccines) where Evidence Action operates.
- END Fund: The END Fund is a private philanthropic initiative specifically focused on ending neglected tropical diseases through government and NGO partnerships, directly competing with Evidence Action in deworming program funding and execution.
Broad incumbents
- GiveDirectly: GiveDirectly is a top GiveWell-rated nonprofit with a similar evidence-based, EA-aligned operating philosophy, though it delivers cash transfers rather than health interventions; it is a comparable model for donor capital allocation in the same effective giving ecosystem.
- Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: Gavi is a much larger global health financing and delivery organization that operates through government partnerships in the same low-income countries as Evidence Action, though focused on immunization rather than deworming, nutrition, or safe water.
Emerging players
- Last Mile Health: Last Mile Health trains and supports community health workers (similar to Evidence Action's ASHA/Sahiya/Anganwadi model) to deliver primary care in remote African communities, sharing the workforce-embedded delivery approach.
- VillageReach: VillageReach strengthens health supply chains and last-mile delivery in sub-Saharan Africa, overlapping with Evidence Action's chlorine dispenser distribution and community-based delivery mechanisms.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Evidence Action social profiles
Digital presenceEvidence Action financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Evidence Action leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Evidence Action funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
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Evidence Action M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Evidence Action
What does Evidence Action do?
Evidence Action is a nonprofit organization that scales four evidence-based public health programs — Deworm the World (school-based deworming), Equal Vitamin Access (iron and folic acid supplementation), Safe Water Now (chlorine-based water treatment), and Syphilis-Free Start (maternal syphilis screening/treatment) — delivered through technical and financial assistance to government ministries that integrate the interventions into existing health and education systems across 10 countries in Africa and Asia.
Is Evidence Action a public or private company?
Evidence Action is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Evidence Action founded?
Evidence Action was founded in 2013. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Evidence Action based?
Evidence Action is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Evidence Action make money?
One revenue line is on record: charitable Donations.
Who are Evidence Action's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sightsavers, Malaria Consortium, Helen Keller Intl, PATH, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and END Fund. Broad incumbents are GiveDirectly and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. Emerging players are Last Mile Health and VillageReach.
Does Evidence Action have an API?
No public API is recorded for Evidence Action.
What industry is Evidence Action in?
Evidence Action's product category is Global Public Health Programs. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAJAKAN, Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations, with a secondary code of HLAJANAE, Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Program Evaluation. Its NAICS code is 813212 and its SIC code is 8090.