Kanika Bahl, Chief Executive Officer & President
Kanika is CEO of Evidence Action where she has been on the Board since 2015. She is also on the Board of TechnoServe where she serves on the Strategy Working Group. Previously she served as Managing Director at Results for Development (R4D), where she established and led the Market Dynamics practice. The practice has increased access to products such as childhood pneumonia treatments and malaria bed nets for millions of individuals in Africa and Asia. Prior to R4D, Kanika served as an Executive Vice President at the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) where she established greenfield operations in 17 African countries. She launched and led a $400M, 33-country public-private facility focused on driving access to new HIV/AIDS drugs and diagnostics. She received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and her BA in Mathematical Economics from Rice University.
Our Approach and History
Our Approach to Development
Reducing poverty and spurring growth in developing countries requires strategic, high-value investment of scarce resources, whether they come from donors, governments, or communities. Interventions to reduce the burden of poverty need to be rigorously identified, tested, and scaled up to be cost-effective and have high impact.
Evidence Action develops and de-risks models for such interventions that allow tens of millions of people to be served and return on investment be measured.
We bridge the gap between rigorous research and pilot interventions on one hand, and institutionalized programs on the other. By focusing on promising approaches backed by rigorous evidence, we support programs that are measurably effective; by seeking to solve the challenge of scale, we provide cost-effective impact for many.
Our History
Evidence Action launched formally in 2013 to scale up poverty interventions that have been proven to be effective in order to benefit millions of people.
Evidence Action leads and manages two programs incubated initially by Innovations for Poverty Action: Dispensers for Safe Water and the Deworm the World Initiative. While Evidence Action grew out of a need to manage these programs, the larger goal of the organization was to design a process to bridge the gap between proven interventions that work and scaling them up to produce measurable impact for millions of people.
This led to the creation of Evidence Action Beta in 2014, which sought to test other rigorously-evaluated interventions to be implemented as sustainable programs at scale. Beta tested interventions including No Lean Season, Winning Start, and No Sugar, including conducting randomized controlled trials on programs to determine their suitability for further scaling.
In 2019, our Accelerator replaced Evidence Action Beta, maintaining the emphasis on robust evidence, cost-effectiveness, and impact at scale and prioritizing ready-to-scale interventions that leverage our capabilities in scaled delivery, in particular of health-related programs. The Accelerator employs a program development process designed for rapid scaling and identification of the next generation of flagship programs.
Evidence Action values iteration, evaluation, learning, and adapting. We envision our role as leading a strategic approach to development that fills the gap between “what works” and implementing interventions at scale. By both incubating these proven interventions and also providing technical support and other functional services to our fully scaled programs, we span the continuum of evidence-based development that allows us to lay the foundations for effective monitoring and evaluation from the beginning. By strategically partnering, collaborating, and working with researchers, community members, institutions, and governments, we are looking to build a world where millions of people living in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved.
Who We Are
Evidence Action today
Evidence Action is dedicated to improving the lives of millions of people across Africa and Asia. Our approach fills the gap between research about “what works” and implementing solutions for people in need. We operate in nine countries across the globe and positively impact hundreds of millions of lives every year in a measurable way by delivering our evidence-based interventions where the need and opportunity are greatest.
We provide services to the most vulnerable people in these countries irrespective of their race, religion, gender, or political affiliation. Some of the countries where we operate are representative democracies while others are not. Our operations in a given country in no way reflects an endorsement of that country’s form of government, and we continuously evaluate the political situation wherever we operate.
Evidence Action’s programs in India are implemented through a partnership with EAII Advisors Pvt. Ltd, a for-profit private limited company registered in India.
What makes Evidence Action unique is our process: we spend much of our energy identifying evidence-based interventions, pressure-testing them for scalable feasibility, and designing them to serve millions. We identify innovative, appropriate financing mechanisms and build best practice operational models. We voraciously self-evaluate, learn, and improve our models for scaling with a commitment to transparency on progress, impact, and value for money.
We lead with our values, putting evidence first. By going where the evidence leads us, it allows our decision making process–how we choose which innovations to scale up and how to constantly evaluate them–to produce programs that have the largest impact for investment.
Our Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision
Building a world where hundreds of millions of people in the poorest places have better opportunities and their lives are measurably improved.
Mission
Evidence Action aims to be a world leader in scaling evidence-based and cost-effective programs to reduce the burden of poverty.
Values
Evidence first. We are led by the facts. We go where the data takes us. Robust, rigorous evidence informs our choices and decisions.
Think big, act urgently. We are unrelenting in our pursuit of results at scale. We know that poverty does not wait. We act so that the best ideas deliver benefit to millions.
Iterate, again. We reflect constantly and adapt accordingly. We test, measure, and improve to ensure impact. If we can do something, we can do it better.
Economize without compromise. The biggest impact at the lowest cost is what we are after. We ensure value for money for all our stakeholders, but know there is no substitute for quality.
Challenge convention. We ask “why” and “why not” in equal measure. We are sincere in our skepticism and incessant in our search for solutions.
Passion throughout. We are driven to lessen inequality, to improve lives. We take action, converting impatience into impact.
Our Board and Advisors
Evidence Action is grateful for the leadership and counsel of our Board of Directors and Advisors. They lead us to live up to our organizational values of rigor, evidence, and action. We greatly appreciate the considerable commitment and time that they contribute.
Board of Directors
SHIKHAR GHOSH
Chair of the Board, EVIDENCE ACTION
Professor of Management Practice, HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL
Shikhar Ghosh is currently a Professor of Management Practice at Harvard Business School. Ghosh has been a successful entrepreneur for the last 20 years. He was the founder and CEO or Chairman of eight technology-based entrepreneurial companies and was the past Chairman of the Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council and The Indus Entrepreneurs. He was selected by Business Week as one of the best Entrepreneurs in the US, by Forbes as one of the ‘Masters of the Internet Universe’, and by Fortune as the CEO of one of the 10 most innovative companies in the US.
DOUGLAS B. MARSHALL, JR. FAMILY FOUNDATION
Amrita Ahuja is a founder of Evidence Action. An accidental social-entrepreneur, she led the the start-up of Dispensers for Safe Water, and chaired the board of Deworm the World as it grew to reach 30 million children. She leads the Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation, an innovative funder of international education. Ahuja also worked as a management consultant for the Monitor Group where she led projects to evaluate market-based approaches to delivering products and services to the poor. There she developed consumer marketing strategies, distribution models, and best practices for health and other products. Ahuja brings experience in marketing and distribution of consumer goods in the public and private sectors in India and Africa as well as significant experience with innovation and evidence in international development. She holds a Ph.D. in Business Economics from Harvard University.
KANIKA BAHL
Chief Executive Officer, EVIDENCE ACTION
Kanika Bahl is CEO of Evidence Action where she has been on the Board since 2015. Previously she served as Managing Director at Results for Development (R4D), where she established and led the Market Dynamics practice. The practice has increased access to products such as childhood pneumonia treatments and malaria bed nets for millions of individuals in Africa and Asia. It achieves this by aligning the interests of manufacturers, donors, and country governments to develop and execute healthcare solutions for under-served markets at scale. Bahl is on the Board of TechnoServe and previously acted as Market-Shaping Co-Chair for the UN Commission on Life Saving Commodities. Prior to R4D, Bahl served as an Executive Vice President at the Clinton Foundation Health Access Initiative (CHAI). Bahl received her MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and her BA in Mathematical Economics from Rice University.
DINA POMERANZ
Assistant Professor, UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH
Dina Pomeranz is an expert on impact evaluations and studies public policies in developing countries, with a particular focus on taxation and public procurement. She is an affiliate professor at the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), the Bureau for Research and Economic Analysis of Development (BREAD) and the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), a non-resident fellow at the Center for Global Development (CGD) and a member of the International Growth Centre (IGC). In 2018, she was elected to the Council of the European Economic Association for a 5-year term. Besides her academic interests, she serves on the boards and advisory boards of a number of social enterprise ventures committed to translating research into practice.
CHRISTINA RIECHERS
Payment Partnerships, SQUARE
Christina Riechers is passionate about building innovative business models with social benefit. In her current role she makes commerce easier for small businesses at Square, the financial services and payments start-up. A co-founder of Evidence Action, Riechers was previously Evidence Action’s Director of Global Programs as well as Director of Business Development and Strategy. In these capacities, she was a key player in Evidence Action’s start-up phase, generating resources for the organization, creating a vision for growth, and establishing organizational systems. Prior, Riechers worked with d.light design to make solar lighting affordable to rural households in India. She was also a management consultant for Bain & Company where she advised clients on strategy and operations. Riechers has a MBA from MIT Sloan and MPA/International Development from Harvard Kennedy School.
DR. OWENS WIWA
Executive Vice President, CLINTON HEALTH ACCESS INITIATIVE
Dr. Owens Wiwa is an Executive Vice President, Regional Director of West and Central Africa, and the Country Director in Nigeria for the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI). He joined CHAI in 2007 where he heads the Nigeria office and plays a leadership role in health policy development and implementation at the Federal and State levels. From 1998 to 2007, Dr. Wiwa worked with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto, designing and leading research projects that focused on infectious diseases (especially HIV), and community and mental health in Africa. Prior to CHAI, Dr. Wiwa worked extensively as a physician in rural Nigeria and as a human and environmental rights activist with organizations such as Sierra Club and Amnesty International. Dr. Wiwa has an MPH from Johns Hopkins University and an MB BCH from the University of Calabar.
ELIZABETH YOUNG MCNALLY
Executive Vice President, SCHMIDT FUTURES
Elizabeth Young McNally serves as Executive Vice President of Schmidt Futures. She is responsible for bringing teams of people together to solve problems in science, technology, and shared prosperity. Previously, Young McNally was a Partner at McKinsey & Company and Global Partner Lead for McKinsey Academy. She was also a US Army Military Police officer, where she deployed twice to Iraq and served as General David Petraeus’s speechwriter. A graduate of West Point and Oxford, Young McNally is a Rhodes and Truman Scholar. She was appointed twice by President Obama to the US Military Academy Board of Visitors. The through lines of her career are a commitment to public service, a desire to empower individuals and teams to solve hard problems sustainably, and a deep belief that individuals and groups can cut down silos and collaborate for a higher purpose.
Board of Advisors
Steffano Bertozzi is Professor and Dean of the School of Public Health at the University of California at Berkeley. He has led impact evaluations of large, national health and social programs in Mexico as well as in Africa, Asia and Latin America. His research has covered a diverse range of projects in health economics and policy, focusing on the economic aspects of HIV/AIDS and on the health impact of large social programs. Bertozzi was previously the director of the HIV Global Health Program at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He holds a Ph.D. in health policy and management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and earned his medical degree at UC San Diego.
STEPHEN LUBY
Stephen Luby is Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine at Stanford University and Deputy Director for Research at the Center for Global Health Innovation. He previously served at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh where he directed the Centre for Communicable Diseases exploring causes and prevention of diarrheal disease in settings where diarrhea is a leading cause of childhood death. Luby holds a medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School at Dallas. He studied epidemiology and preventive medicine at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HARI MENON
Hari Menon is Country Director for India at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he works on policy, advocacy and government relations. Previously, Menon was the Deputy Director of India Country Office Programs for the Foundation where he supported a wide portfolio of work in public health in areas such as HIV prevention, and maternal and child health. Prior to joining the Gates Foundation, he served as strategic philanthropy adviser to Rohini Nilekani, a leading Indian philanthropist in areas including water & sanitation, environment conservation, education and governance & accountability. He holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from XLRI, Jamshedpur, India.
C.K. MISHRA
C.K. Mishra is a highly distinguished career civil servant of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and retired in 2020 following 37 years of public service. He held numerous roles including Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. He led the Indian negotiations at forums including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties. He has served as an administrator, policymaker, and public health strategist holding a wide range of assignments in the fields of health, education, industry and power. Mishra is recognized for his significant contributions to improving the Indian public health landscape, leading one of the largest public health programs globally. Through the National Health Mission, he drove implementation of ‘Mission Indradhanush’ – the largest ever focused campaign to immunize children. Mishra holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Delhi University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Media Law from NALSAR, Hyderabad, India.
MUSHFIQ MOBARAK
Mushfiq Mobarak is Associate Professor at Yale University with interests in environment and public finance issues. He has two main lines of research: (1) field experiments exploring ways to induce people in developing countries to adopt technologies or behaviors that are likely to be welfare improving, and (2) using field experiments and other methods to study the management of water resources and other infrastructure. He has experiments on migration, infrastructure (roads and electricity), water user associations, rainfall insurance, and environmental technologies (stoves, rainwater harvesting, conservation agriculture) ongoing in Bangladesh, India, Malawi, Nigeria and Uganda. Mobarak holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland.
SUSAN NAZZARO
Susan Nazzaro is an access to medicines expert with experience across the not-for-profit and private sectors. She is currently the market access lead for early pipeline assets at Seagen, the industry leader in antibody-drug conjugates for treatment of cancer. There, she is developing the company’s strategy to ensure early pipeline clinical development plans maximize patient access. Previously, Susan led efforts to ensure access to essential health products for patients in low- and middle-income countries at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, including all new product introduction for the malaria team. She was also part of the team managing the foundation’s engagement with the Global Fund and served on the UNITAID Board from 2010-2016. She has served as an advisor at the World Bank and a Peace Corps volunteer in Madagascar. She holds an M.Sc. in Development Economics from the London School of Economics and a B.A. from Wellesley College.
ERIK NIELSEN
Erik Nielsen brings over twenty years of academic and professional experience at the nexus of governance, innovation, advocacy, and strategic partnership creation. Nielsen is currently the Portfolio Director of Nutrition Leverage for Influence and Transformation, Nutrition International’s global innovation fund that leverages greater collaboration and resources for improved nutrition in developing countries. Nielsen has worked with a variety of international development agencies including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Transparency International, EcoAgriculture Partners, and Global Affairs Canada. Erik has studied at Guelph, Cornell and Harvard universities and holds a doctorate focused on networked governance from MIT, where he was a Presidential Scholar.
HENK VAN STOKKOM
Henk van Stokkom is a long-time entrepreneur and philanthropic advisor. He currently guides foundations and families in structuring and implementing charitable investments. Previously, he was the managing director of an investment company active on the Dutch stock exchange. Van Stokkom has worked for a number of companies such as Salomon Smith Barney Netherlands where he was involved in launching investment products (Managed Futures, Socially Responsible Investment, Emerging Market Debt & Private Equity/Venture Capital) for institutional investors, and has held positions as financial director for the De Waal Foundation and Hemar BV. For the De Waal Foundation, he was active in Latin America where the foundation was (co-) financing projects for children with disabilities. Van Stokkom has served on the boards of several charitable organizations including as chairman of Stichting Beheer Oikocredit Nederland Fonds (2002 -2006), a Dutch investment fund for micro credit.
Our People
Global Leadership Team
Kanika Bahl, Chief Executive Officer & President
Paul Byatta, Executive Vice President, Africa Region
Jenny Choi-Fitzpatrick, Chief Operating Officer
John de Wet, Chief Financial Officer
Jeff Grosz, Executive Vice President, Accelerator & Programs
Grace Hollister, Chief Engagement Officer
Brett Sedgewick, Executive Vice President, Programs
Anne Stoehr, Chief People Officer
Anil Tambay, Country Director & Executive Vice President, India (EAII Advisors)
Global Programs
Ayo Abogan, Associate Director, Expansion Team Lead, Safe Water
Parth Bahuguna, Director, Neonatal, Maternal, & Child Health, Accelerator
Moses Baraza, Associate Director, Safe Water
Rebekah Chang, Associate Director, Nutrition, Accelerator
Paul Gunstensen, Director, Safe Water
Kate McCracken, Director, Deworm the World Initiative
Anam Abdulla, Associate Director, Deworm the World Initiative
Dr. Mark Minnery, Associate Director and Lead Epidemiologist
Charles Wando, Associate Director, Operations, Africa Region
Africa Regional and Country Leadership
Benson Botha, Country Director, Malawi
Ima Chima, Director, West & Central Africa
Emilie Efronson, Country Director, Liberia
Rajab Hamisi, Head of Regional Planning & Coordination
Evans Ithiria, Director, Finance & Administration
Richard Kibuuka, Country Director, Uganda
Temitope Ogunbi, Country Director, Nigeria
Chrispin Owaga, Country Director, Kenya
Grace Tambatamba, Country Director, Zambia
Maarten van de Reep, Director, East & Southern Africa
Marinette Ngo Nemb, Country Director, Cameroon
Cross-Cutting and Technical Functions
Natalie Duarte, Director, Monitoring, Learning, & Evaluation Strategy
Illah Evance, Associate Director, Monitoring, Learning, & Evaluation
Kevin Kelsey, Associate Director, New Program Development & Cost-Effectiveness, Accelerator
Global Departments
Kali Bell, Associate Director, Talent Strategy
Carlita Bevege, Associate Director, External Relations
Christopher Dunn, General Counsel
Sherzod Gulamov, Associate Director, Strategic Financial Planning & Budgeting
Adrienne Lee, Associate Director, Communications
Joann Phelan, Associate Director, Global Operations
Allen Rozario, Director, Global Information & Technology
Alexis Tobolski, Director, Global Finance & Accounting
Joanna Wald, Director, Global Grants & Contracts
Zach Watson, Chief of Staff
EAII Advisors, Evidence Action’s technical partner in India
Sanjeev Chauhan, Director, Finance & Operations
Sucharita Dutta, Director, Programs
Jyoti Puri, Director, Human Resources
Dr. Shrabanti Sen, Director, Monitoring, Learning, & Evaluation
Our Financials
Financial Reports, Tax Returns, and Annual Reports
Evidence Action was launched in 2013 when we began leading and managing Dispensers for Safe Water and the Deworm the World Initiative. The full transition from Innovations for Poverty Action which incubated both programs, took place in 2014.
Our program expenses and revenue are detailed in our most recent financial documents:
- 2016 audited financial report (pdf)
- 2017 audited financial report (pdf)
- 2018 audited financial report (pdf)
- 2019 audited financial report (pdf)
- 2020 audited financial report (pdf)
- 2021 audited financial report (pdf)
- 2016 nonprofit federal tax return, Form 990 (pdf)
- 2017 nonprofit federal tax return, Form 990 (pdf)
- 2018 nonprofit federal tax return, Form 990 (pdf)
- 2019 nonprofit federal tax return, Form 990 (pdf)
- 2020 nonprofit federal tax return, Form 990 (pdf)
- 2021 nonprofit federal tax return, Form 990 (pdf)
Evidence Action is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization in the United States, and contributions to us are tax deductible in the U.S. to the fullest extent allowable by law. Our EIN number is 90 087 4591.
Our determination letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service can be found here.
Our Policy Plan can be found here and our Privacy Statement here.
Our Supporters
Our Supporters
Reducing poverty and improving livelihoods requires strategic investment of scarce resources. The generous contributions of our supporters help make this critical work possible. Our focus on solutions that are cost-effective and scalable, underpinned by rigorous evidence, requires that value for money in our programs and operations is of the utmost importance, maximizing our impact–and yours.
We are deeply grateful to those that have and continue to partner with us and recognize our supporters that gave $50,000 or more (2017-2022) to support Evidence Action’s work. Thank you!
Astellas Global Health Foundation
Butler Law Firm
Centre For Effective Altruism
Conrad N. Hilton Foundation through Millennium Water Alliance
Double Up Drive
Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation
Dubai Cares
Effective Altruism Australia Ltd.
Effective Altruism Foundation (Stiftung Für Effektiven Altruism)
Effective Giving Netherlands
Effektiv Spenden Schweiz
Epic Foundation France
Epic Foundation UK Ltd.
Founders Pledge
Fundación Ayuda Efectiva
The Generation Foundation
GiveWell
Giving What We Can Trust
Global Innovation Fund
Good Ventures
Hempuli Oy
IMC Pacific Foundation
Innovations for Poverty Action
J-PAL’s Governance Initiative
Jackson Kemper Foundation
Latter-day Saints Charities
Mackenzie Scott
Ocorian Trustees
One Acre Fund
Open Philanthropy Project Fund
Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Steadview Capital Management
Stichting Dioraphte
Team Shakti NZ Limited
The Clorox Company
The End Fund
The International Growth Centre
The James Percy Foundation
The Stone Family Foundation
The World Bank Group, Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund*
Three Graces Foundation
The Waterloo Foundation
The Life You Can Save
UES Gemeinnützige GmbH für Effektives Spenden
* IMPACT EVALUATION: BUILDING STATE CAPACITY AND NATIONAL UNITY WITH MARKET DESIGN:THE PROBLEM OF VOLUNTEER ASSIGNMENT IN KENYA’S G-UNITED PROGRAM