The Life You Can Save Announces $24 Million Raised in 2025, Expanding Global Impact Amid Aid Cuts

The global non-profit's Annual and Impact Reports highlight donor growth, strategic investments and a shift toward scalable, data-driven solutions reaching 20 million people worldwide

SEATTLE, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Life You Can Save, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting extreme poverty, released its 2025 Annual and Impact Reports, announcing $24.07 million raised in 2025 – an 18.29% increase from the previous year. Through contributions from over 2,500 donors, millions of dollars were raised for the most effective charities fighting extreme poverty and directed to make the greatest possible impact.

2025 was an unprecedented year for The Life You Can Save and global development as a whole. Overnight, foreign aid cuts altered systems built over decades to protect the most vulnerable populations in the world without warning, and now many of the systems that previously existed will need to be rebuilt from the ground up.

"The response from donors like you was genuinely moving. You stepped forward with urgency and conviction, and that matters more than we can say," Jessica and Andrea La Mesa, Co-CEOs of The Life You Can Save, stated in the 2025 Annual Report's joint letter. "We want to be transparent about something important: 2025 was not just a year of responding to crisis, but also a year of deliberate investment in our own capacity to grow. When the aid cuts hit, we made a conscious decision to invest in the people, systems, and research capabilities needed to do this work better and at a greater scale, rather than pull back." 

The Life You Can Save's Impact Report highlights the organization's global reach across health, education, and livelihoods, with 20 million people reached in 2025. The report also breaks down the allocation of $12.5 million raised directly for the 25 organizations on The Life You Can Save's Best Charities list, while Cause Funds generated an additional $5.64 million for high-impact interventions.

The Life You Can Save's Cause Funds allow donors to direct their giving to specific sectors. In 2025, the Maximize Your Impact Fund addressed urgent needs across health, education, and living conditions, using metrics such as years of ill-health averted, high-quality years of education gained and additional income generated. The fund helped prevent 44,131 years of ill-health, delivered 25,655 years of quality education and generated $3.4M in additional household income for affected families.

"Our mission has not changed: connecting donors with the most effective organizations fighting extreme poverty, and ensuring every dollar has the greatest possible impact. What is changing is how we do that work," said the Co-CEOs. "We hold ourselves to the same standards of effectiveness we expect from the organizations we recommend, and we are investing in our own capacity to grow into this moment."

In 2025, The Life You Can Save made deliberate investments in people, systems, and research capacity to strengthen long-term impact and scale its work more effectively. The funds raised have supported transformative services in health, education and living standards through partner organizations, including Teaching at the Right Level Africa, Once Acre Fund, Village Enterprise and several others.

The Impact Report also examines the progress of The Life You Can Save's recommended nonprofits, highlighting key trends shaping global philanthropy. It finds that as programs prove effectiveness and scale, many are transitioning from direct delivery to government ownership, helping embed successful interventions into national systems for long-term impact. The report also underscores how data and technology are driving real-time decision-making, improving efficiency and ensuring resources reach those in most need. Finally, it highlights a shift toward more integrated approaches, where organizations collaborate across issues to increase cost-effectiveness and deliver broader, more lasting benefits to communities.

These reports follow the organization's first-ever Health Sector Report, which examines the sharp decline in global health funding and the projected consequences for vulnerable communities. The report will help guide the organization's funding strategy over the next two years as it expands this research approach across additional focus areas.

To make a donation or view The Life You Can Save's full 2025 Annual Report, visit https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/2025-annual-report/, and to view the Impact report, visit https://www.thelifeyoucansave.org/our-impact/impact-reports/impact-report-2025-donor/.

About The Life You Can Save 
The Life You Can Save was founded to promote high-impact philanthropy, meaning giving that is research-based and cost-effective. Its mission is to improve the lives of people living in poverty by changing the way people think about and donate to charity. The team at The Life You Can Save does research to develop a list of recommended nonprofits delivering high-impact interventions across all of the dimensions of poverty. The Life You Can Save works to raise awareness of and connect donors with its recommended giving opportunities to increase the impact of giving. Through research and funds, The Life You Can Save offers a simplified donating process for individuals who want to maximize their impact in uplifting people experiencing extreme poverty. Learn more about high-impact philanthropy at thelifeyoucansave.org.

LINK TO ANNUAL REPORT: HERE
LINK TO IMPACT REPORT: HERE

SOURCE The Life You Can Save