New research lab at the University of Amsterdam to investigate the effectiveness of charities
With governments pulling back, philanthropic money is becoming increasingly important, says UvA professor of philanthropy and sustainable finance Paul Smeets. On Friday 13 June, he will open the Impact Lab Amsterdam, a research lab at the UvA that will investigate how philanthropic money can best be spent and what ultimately persuades donors to give.
The Impact Lab will focus on the “start-ups” among charities, particularly in the areas of health, extreme poverty and gender equality in low-income countries where donated money makes the biggest difference. The research lab was initiated by UvA professor Paul Smeets, who will lead the research into both the effectiveness of charities and the motivation of donors to give money.
Zweinstein for world improvers
One of the charities with which the Impact Lab will be collaborating is the Lafiya Nigeria foundation, founded by Dutchwoman Céline Kamsteeg. Kamsteeg followed a programme at Charity Entrepreneurship, an incubator for charities in London – also referred to as “the Hogwarts for world improvers” by writer Rutger Bregman – with which the Impact Lab works closely.
Lafiya Nigeria is committed to helping women in Nigeria. One in 22 Nigerian women dies during pregnancy or childbirth. Every year, this affects around 90,000 women in Nigeria. The foundation enlists local nurses to educate women in hard-to-reach regions of Nigeria and give them access to the contraceptive pill, which protects women against pregnancy for three months at a cost of 85 cents per pill.
Together with the Impact Lab, Kamsteeg will conduct a Randomised Control Trial. This study aims to demonstrate how effective the intervention really is. If the goal proves to be as effective as expected, it can be scaled up. It will then also be eligible for leading quality marks for effective charities. Consider rankings of effective charities worldwide, such as the American independent research institute GiveWell and the Dutch foundation DoneerEffectief.
Funding
The Impact Lab Amsterdam is funded by philanthropic donations from third parties via the Amsterdam University Fund and by money contributed by the charities themselves. In addition, Professor Smeets appoints researchers himself from his Vidi grant.
According to Smeets, philanthropy is now more important than ever with the withdrawal of governments in the United States and also in the Netherlands. “The discontinuation of the American aid organisation USAID means that six people die every second. That gap must now be filled by philanthropic money, which is only available in limited quantities. It is therefore important to know how that money can best be spent and to inform donors about this. That’s what gets me out of bed every morning.”
The Lab will be opened on Friday 13 June between 4.30 and 6 p.m. in the Maagdenhuis in the presence of several prominent figures from the UvA, the charity world
