This is an online portal with information on donations that were announced publicly (or have been shared with permission) that were of interest to Vipul Naik. The git repository with the code for this portal, as well as all the underlying data, is available on GitHub. All payment amounts are in current United States dollars (USD). The repository of donations is being seeded with an initial collation by Issa Rice as well as continued contributions from him (see his commits and the contract work page listing all financially compensated contributions to the site) but all responsibility for errors and inaccuracies belongs to Vipul Naik. Current data is preliminary and has not been completely vetted and normalized; if sharing a link to this site or any page on this site, please include the caveat that the data is preliminary (if you want to share without including caveats, please check with Vipul Naik). We expect to have completed the first round of development by the end of March 2022. See the about page for more details. Also of interest: pageview data on analytics.vipulnaik.com, tutorial in README, request for feedback to EA Forum.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Affiliated organizations (current or former; restricted to potential donees or others relevant to donation decisions) | GiveWell Good Ventures |
| Best overview URL | https://causeprioritization.org/Open%20Philanthropy%20Project |
| Facebook username | openphilanthropy |
| Website | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/ |
| Donations URL | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants |
| Twitter username | open_phil |
| PredictionBook username | OpenPhilUnofficial |
| Page on philosophy informing donations | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/about/vision-and-values |
| Grant application process page | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/guide-for-grant-seekers |
| Regularity with which donor updates donations data | continuous updates |
| Regularity with which Donations List Website updates donations data (after donor update) | continuous updates |
| Lag with which donor updates donations data | months |
| Lag with which Donations List Website updates donations data (after donor update) | days |
| Data entry method on Donations List Website | Manual (no scripts used) |
| Org Watch page | https://orgwatch.issarice.com/?organization=Open+Philanthropy+Project |
Brief history: The Open Philanthropy Project (Open Phil for short) spun off from GiveWell, starting as GiveWell Labs in 2011, beginning to make strong progress in 2013, and formally separating from GiveWell in June 2017
Brief notes on broad donor philosophy and major focus areas: The Open Philanthropy Project is focused on openness in two ways: open to ideas about cause selection, and open in explaining what they are doing. It has endorsed "hits-based giving" and is working on areas of AI risk, biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, and other global catastrophic risks, criminal justice reform (United States), animal welfare, and some other areas.
Notes on grant decision logistics: See https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-grantmaking-so-far-approach-and-process for the general grantmaking process and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/questions-we-ask-ourselves-making-grant for more questions that grant investigators are encouraged to consider. Every grant has a grant investigator that we call the influencer here on Donations List Website; for focus areas that have Program Officers, the grant investigator is usually the Program Officer. The grant investigator has been included in grants published since around July 2017. Grants usually need approval from an executive; however, some grant investigators have leeway to make "discretionary grants" where the approval process is short-circuited; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/discretionary-grants for more. Note that the term "discretionary grant" means something different for them compared to government agencies, see https://www.facebook.com/vipulnaik.r/posts/10213483361534364 for more
Notes on grant publication logistics: Every publicly disclosed grant has a writeup published at the time of public disclosure, but the writeups vary significantly in length. Grant writeups are usually written by somebody other than the grant investigator, but approved by the grant investigator as well as the grantee. Grants have three dates associated with them: an internal grant decision date (that is not publicly revealed but is used in some statistics on total grant amounts decided by year), a grant date (which we call donation date; this is the date of the formal grant commitment, which is the published grant date), and a grant announcement date (which we call donation announcement date; the date the grant is announced to the mailing list and the grant page made publicly visible). Lags are a few months between decision and grant, and a few months between grant and announcement, due to time spent with grant writeup approval
Notes on grant financing: See https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/guide-for-grant-seekers or https://www.openphilanthropy.org/about/who-we-are for more information. Grants generally come from the Open Philanthropy Project Fund, a donor-advised fund managed by the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, with most of its money coming from Good Ventures. Some grants are made directly by Good Ventures, and political grants may be made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. At least one grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york was made by Cari Tuna personally. The majority of grants are financed by the Open Philanthropy Project Fund; however, the source of financing of a grant is not always explicitly specified, so it cannot be confidently assumed that a grant with no explicit listed financing is financed through the Open Philanthropy Project Fund; see the comment https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/october-2017-open-thread?page=2#comment-462 for more information. Funding for multi-year grants is usually disbursed annually, and the amounts are often equal across years, but not always. The fact that a grant is multi-year, or the distribution of the grant amount across years, are not always explicitly stated on the grant page; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/october-2017-open-thread?page=2#comment-462 for more information. Some grants to universities are labeled "gifts" but this is a donee classification, based on different levels of bureaucratic overhead and funder control between grants and gifts; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/october-2017-open-thread?page=2#comment-462 for more information.
Miscellaneous notes: Most GiveWell-recommended grants made by Good Ventures and listed in the Open Philanthropy Project database are not listed on Donations List Website as being under Open Philanthropy Project. Specifically, GiveWell Incubation Grants are not included (these are listed at https://donations.vipulnaik.com/donor.php?donor=GiveWell+Incubation+Grants with donor GiveWell Incubation Grants), and grants made by Good Ventures to GiveWell top and standout charities are also not included (these are listed at https://donations.vipulnaik.com/donor.php?donor=Good+Ventures%2FGiveWell+top+and+standout+charities with donor Good Ventures/GiveWell top and standout charities). Grants to support GiveWell operations are not included here; they can be found at https://donations.vipulnaik.com/donor.php?donor=Good+Ventures%2FGiveWell+support with donor "Good Ventures/GiveWell support".The investment https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/impossible-foods in Impossible Foods is not included because it does not fit our criteria for a donation, and also because no amount was included. All other grants publicly disclosed by the Open Philanthropy Project that are not GiveWell Incubation Grants or GiveWell top and standout charity grants should be included. Grants disclosed by grantees but not yet disclosed by the Open Philanthropy Project are not included; some of them may be listed at https://issarice.com/open-philanthropy-project-non-grant-funding
| Cause area | Count | Median | Mean | Minimum | 10th percentile | 20th percentile | 30th percentile | 40th percentile | 50th percentile | 60th percentile | 70th percentile | 80th percentile | 90th percentile | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 541 | 299,320 | 973,354 | 2,000 | 45,000 | 80,000 | 120,000 | 200,000 | 299,320 | 426,000 | 558,000 | 1,026,253 | 2,054,142 | 55,000,000 |
| History of philanthropy | 4 | 25,000 | 60,708 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 2,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 165,833 | 165,833 | 165,833 |
| AI safety | 31 | 429,770 | 1,929,430 | 2,539 | 25,000 | 100,000 | 199,000 | 299,320 | 429,770 | 1,135,000 | 1,337,600 | 1,994,000 | 2,400,000 | 30,000,000 |
| Criminal justice reform | 198 | 145,000 | 361,579 | 5,000 | 40,000 | 50,000 | 75,000 | 100,000 | 145,000 | 200,000 | 279,000 | 425,000 | 850,000 | 4,000,000 |
| Animal welfare | 121 | 426,000 | 689,247 | 6,683 | 67,110 | 107,200 | 170,000 | 265,000 | 426,000 | 500,000 | 683,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,489,201 | 10,000,000 |
| Effective altruism | 11 | 1,125,000 | 1,799,491 | 10,000 | 153,750 | 510,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,032,947 | 1,125,000 | 2,500,000 | 2,688,000 | 2,756,250 | 3,222,653 | 4,795,803 |
| Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | 34 | 452,545 | 1,364,467 | 14,605 | 32,621 | 49,942 | 169,600 | 300,000 | 452,545 | 500,000 | 613,380 | 1,904,942 | 3,500,000 | 16,000,000 |
| Global catastropihic risks | 1 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 | 15,000 |
| Migration policy | 15 | 400,000 | 595,273 | 24,000 | 30,000 | 50,000 | 285,000 | 360,000 | 400,000 | 550,000 | 709,888 | 1,000,000 | 1,310,483 | 1,800,000 |
| Macroeconomic stabilization policy | 20 | 305,000 | 451,275 | 31,500 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 250,000 | 305,000 | 400,000 | 500,000 | 700,000 | 1,100,000 | 1,429,000 |
| Land use reform | 15 | 275,000 | 349,324 | 37,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 97,865 | 150,000 | 275,000 | 300,000 | 350,000 | 400,000 | 500,000 | 2,000,000 |
| Scientific research | 44 | 1,214,437 | 2,572,410 | 40,000 | 150,000 | 200,000 | 495,000 | 1,021,318 | 1,214,437 | 2,000,000 | 2,368,300 | 3,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 17,500,000 |
| Global poverty | 1 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 | 46,696 |
| Organ donation | 3 | 100,000 | 116,667 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 | 200,000 |
| Global catastrophic risks | 15 | 493,425 | 1,728,528 | 76,234 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 260,000 | 400,352 | 493,425 | 500,000 | 2,000,000 | 2,500,000 | 3,000,000 | 12,051,809 |
| Biomedical research | 2 | 100,000 | 200,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| International relations | 2 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| Drug policy | 4 | 150,000 | 468,658 | 103,000 | 103,000 | 103,000 | 150,000 | 150,000 | 150,000 | 250,000 | 250,000 | 1,371,630 | 1,371,630 | 1,371,630 |
| Macroecononic stabilization policy | 1 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| Global health and development | 3 | 3,000,000 | 2,100,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 |
| Rationality improvement | 4 | 340,000 | 669,750 | 304,000 | 304,000 | 304,000 | 340,000 | 340,000 | 340,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,035,000 | 1,035,000 | 1,035,000 |
| Forecasting | 2 | 500,000 | 1,025,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 1,550,000 | 1,550,000 | 1,550,000 | 1,550,000 | 1,550,000 |
| Public services improvement and transparency | 1 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 |
| Global health | 3 | 724,929 | 741,643 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 | 724,929 | 724,929 | 724,929 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Politics | 2 | 628,600 | 1,214,300 | 628,600 | 628,600 | 628,600 | 628,600 | 628,600 | 628,600 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 | 1,800,000 |
| Global catastrophic risks|Global health|Animal welfare | 1 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 | 1,000,000 |
| Cause prioritization | 1 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 | 2,674,284 |
| 1 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | 5,000,000 | |
| Security | 1 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 | 55,000,000 |
If you hover over a cell for a given cause area and year, you will get a tooltip with the number of donees and the number of donations.
Note: Cause area classification used here may not match that used by donor for all cases.
Graph of spending by cause area and year (incremental, not cumulative)
Graph of spending by cause area and year (cumulative)
If you hover over a cell for a given subcause area and year, you will get a tooltip with the number of donees and the number of donations.
For the meaning of “classified” and “unclassified”, see the page clarifying this.
| Subcause area | Number of donations | Number of donees | Total | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI safety | 31 | 21 | 59,812,342.00 | 4,687,500.00 | 4,153,809.00 | 43,221,048.00 | 6,563,985.00 | 1,186,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Security/Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness/Global catastrophic risks/AI safety | 1 | 1 | 55,000,000.00 | 55,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | 33 | 22 | 45,891,891.00 | 2,065,525.00 | 9,362,753.00 | 28,840,546.00 | 5,323,067.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Criminal justice reform | 89 | 65 | 37,076,556.00 | 708,300.00 | 11,595,885.00 | 11,623,433.00 | 8,803,938.00 | 900,000.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 445,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research | 18 | 16 | 36,965,878.00 | 0.00 | 17,410,766.00 | 16,717,500.00 | 2,837,612.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Animal welfare/factory farming | 29 | 24 | 28,031,456.00 | 7,861,928.00 | 15,503,232.00 | 3,666,296.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research/malaria/gene drive testing and governance | 1 | 1 | 17,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 17,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research/Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | 1 | 1 | 17,500,000.00 | 17,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Global catastrophic risks | 7 | 5 | 15,499,961.00 | 437,800.00 | 12,702,161.00 | 2,360,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | 18 | 15 | 12,090,944.00 | 1,781,498.00 | 3,379,107.00 | 4,430,339.00 | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | 29 | 20 | 11,359,340.00 | 1,550,000.00 | 3,100,000.00 | 4,657,240.00 | 2,052,100.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research/transformative R01 | 4 | 4 | 10,900,544.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10,900,544.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Macroeconomic stabilization policy | 20 | 8 | 9,025,500.00 | 400,000.00 | 2,450,000.00 | 1,405,000.00 | 2,156,500.00 | 2,179,000.00 | 435,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Effective altruism/movement growth | 4 | 2 | 7,954,250.00 | 2,756,250.00 | 2,688,000.00 | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 10,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research/transformative basic science | 4 | 4 | 7,648,300.00 | 6,868,300.00 | 780,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | 11 | 10 | 6,867,461.00 | 551,840.00 | 1,053,813.00 | 5,261,808.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research/human health and wellbeing | 4 | 4 | 6,648,525.00 | 1,648,525.00 | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Effective altruism/movement growth/career counseling | 3 | 1 | 6,430,803.00 | 4,795,803.00 | 510,000.00 | 1,125,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Global health and development | 3 | 1 | 6,300,000.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Land use reform | 15 | 10 | 5,239,865.00 | 2,550,000.00 | 890,000.00 | 640,000.00 | 387,000.00 | 772,865.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Criminal justice reform/decriminalization | 8 | 8 | 4,888,990.00 | 0.00 | 1,066,000.00 | 552,000.00 | 3,210,000.00 | 60,990.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Effective altruism/donor pledges | 2 | 1 | 4,255,600.00 | 0.00 | 3,222,653.00 | 0.00 | 1,032,947.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Animal welfare/factory farming/cage-free | 1 | 1 | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scientific research/transformative basic science/stem cell research | 1 | 1 | 4,000,000.00 | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Migration policy/international labor mobility | 3 | 1 | 3,694,608.00 | 709,888.00 | 0.00 | 1,800,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,184,720.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | 13 | 10 | 3,664,500.00 | 0.00 | 1,920,000.00 | 355,000.00 | 1,389,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free campaign/international | 5 | 5 | 3,611,986.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 111,986.00 | 3,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Classified total | 540 | 322 | 521,584,521.00 | 130,943,560.00 | 112,648,846.00 | 188,410,468.00 | 72,187,589.00 | 7,655,855.00 | 7,843,203.00 | 795,000.00 | 1,100,000.00 |
| Unclassified total | 1 | 1 | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Total | 541 | 323 | 526,584,521.00 | 130,943,560.00 | 117,648,846.00 | 188,410,468.00 | 72,187,589.00 | 7,655,855.00 | 7,843,203.00 | 795,000.00 | 1,100,000.00 |
Graph of spending by subcause area and year (incremental, not cumulative)
Graph of spending by subcause area and year (cumulative)
| Donee | Cause area | Metadata | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center for Security and Emerging Technology (filter this donor) | 55,000,000.00 | 55,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| OpenAI (filter this donor) | AI safety | FB Tw WP Site TW | 30,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 30,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security (filter this donor) | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | FB Tw WP Site | 18,913,600.00 | 0.00 | 169,600.00 | 16,000,000.00 | 2,744,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Sherlock Biosciences (filter this donor) | 17,500,000.00 | 17,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Target Malaria (filter this donor) | 17,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 17,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Humane League (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/Diet change/Veganism/Factory farming | FB Tw WP Site TW | 17,315,000.00 | 2,315,000.00 | 10,000,000.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Future of Humanity Institute (filter this donor) | Global catastrophic risks/AI safety/Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | FB Tw WP Site TW | 14,161,461.00 | 0.00 | 12,051,809.00 | 1,994,000.00 | 115,652.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Nuclear Threat Initiative (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 11,938,574.00 | 0.00 | 5,461,715.00 | 6,476,859.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Alliance for Safety and Justice (filter this donor) | 11,750,000.00 | 0.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 4,000,000.00 | 4,750,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of Washington (Institute for Protein Design) (filter this donor) | 11,367,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 11,367,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Center for Global Development (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 10,428,100.00 | 4,043,438.00 | 49,942.00 | 1,800,000.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,184,720.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | |
| Centre for Effective Altruism (filter this donor) | Effective altruism/movement growth | FB Site | 7,944,250.00 | 2,756,250.00 | 2,688,000.00 | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| University of California, Berkeley (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 7,926,595.00 | 131,579.00 | 1,345,000.00 | 6,450,016.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Machine Intelligence Research Institute (filter this donor) | AI safety | FB Tw WP Site CN GS TW | 6,512,500.00 | 2,112,500.00 | 150,000.00 | 3,750,000.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 80,000 Hours (filter this donor) | Career coaching/life guidance | FB Tw WP Site | 6,430,803.00 | 4,795,803.00 | 510,000.00 | 1,125,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Arizona State University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 6,421,402.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6,421,402.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group (filter this donor) | 5,970,000.00 | 0.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 2,970,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Animal Equality (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 5,674,890.00 | 0.00 | 2,772,430.00 | 2,402,460.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Center for Human-Compatible AI (filter this donor) | AI safety | Site TW | 5,555,550.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5,555,550.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Carl Shulman Discretionary Fund (filter this donor) | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| EicOsis Human Health, Inc. (filter this donor) | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 5,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| VasoRx (filter this donor) | 4,700,000.00 | 0.00 | 4,700,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Compassion in World Farming (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 4,693,975.00 | 1,891,890.00 | 10,720.00 | 2,791,365.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense (filter this donor) | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | FB Tw WP Site | 4,688,162.00 | 0.00 | 2,588,162.00 | 500,000.00 | 1,300,000.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Center for Popular Democracy (filter this donor) | WP | 4,579,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,200,000.00 | 1,100,000.00 | 0.00 | 2,179,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| JustLeadershipUSA (filter this donor) | 4,440,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 3,440,000.00 | 900,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Founders Pledge (filter this donor) | Effective altruism/donor pledges | FB Tw WP Site | 4,255,600.00 | 0.00 | 3,222,653.00 | 0.00 | 1,032,947.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Prevent Cruelty California (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/factory farming | FB Tw Site | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw Site | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Kyoto University (filter this donor) | 4,000,000.00 | 4,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of Southern California (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 3,988,500.00 | 2,250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,738,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Mercy For Animals (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/Diet change/Veganism/Factory farming | FB Tw WP Site TW | 3,875,000.00 | 0.00 | 375,000.00 | 500,000.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security (filter this donor) | 3,544,627.00 | 0.00 | 44,627.00 | 3,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Humane Slaughter Association (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | Tw WP Site | 3,518,316.00 | 570,402.00 | 0.00 | 2,947,914.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Global Food Partners (filter this donor) | 3,500,000.00 | 3,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Humane Society International (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 3,464,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,464,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Open Phil AI Fellowship (filter this donor) | 3,460,000.00 | 2,325,000.00 | 1,135,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Justice Collaborative (filter this donor) | 3,101,280.00 | 0.00 | 1,800,000.00 | 1,301,280.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| World Animal Protection (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 3,043,693.00 | 1,981,498.00 | 0.00 | 517,588.00 | 544,607.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Fair and Just Prosecution (filter this donor) | 3,000,000.00 | 1,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| ClimateWorks Foundation (filter this donor) | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Pew Public Safety Performance Project (filter this donor) | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Alliance for Safety and Justice Action Fund (filter this donor) | 3,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Rutgers University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,982,206.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,982,206.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Color of Change (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,937,872.00 | 0.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 1,030,000.00 | 907,872.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (filter this donor) | WP | 2,934,400.00 | 0.00 | 2,934,400.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| California YIMBY (filter this donor) | 2,850,000.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 850,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Center for Applied Rationality (filter this donor) | Rationality | FB Tw WP Site TW | 2,679,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 340,000.00 | 1,339,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Global Priorities Institute (filter this donor) | Cause prioritization | Site | 2,674,284.00 | 0.00 | 2,674,284.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Duke University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,631,671.00 | 0.00 | 2,550,171.00 | 81,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| University of Michigan (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,546,696.00 | 2,500,000.00 | 46,696.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Harvard University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative (filter this donor) | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Good Food Institute (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/meat alternatives | FB Tw WP Site | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,500,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| The Center for Election Science (filter this donor) | 2,428,600.00 | 1,800,000.00 | 0.00 | 628,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (filter this donor) | AI capabilities/AI safety | Site | 2,400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| University of California, Los Angeles (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,368,300.00 | 2,368,300.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| New Partnership for Africa’s Development (filter this donor) | 2,350,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,350,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of California, San Francisco (filter this donor) | 2,346,318.00 | 0.00 | 1,521,318.00 | 825,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| UCLA School of Law (filter this donor) | Tw WP Site | 2,312,317.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,312,317.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Center for International Security and Cooperation (filter this donor) | WP | 2,268,415.00 | 1,625,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 643,415.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| CDC Foundation (filter this donor) | Tw Site | 2,258,938.00 | 0.00 | 1,044,501.00 | 0.00 | 1,214,437.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Compassion in World Farming USA (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/corporate campaigns | FB Tw Site | 2,080,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,500,000.00 | 30,000.00 | 550,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| University of Notre Dame (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,054,142.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,054,142.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| University of Pennsylvania (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,050,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,550,000.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Impact Justice (filter this donor) | 2,050,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,050,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| California Institute of Technology (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,000,000.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Global Animal Partnership (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw WP Site | 2,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Life Sciences Research Foundation (filter this donor) | 1,950,000.00 | 1,170,000.00 | 780,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| People's Action (filter this donor) | 1,927,640.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,927,640.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| International Refugee Assistance Project (filter this donor) | Migration policy/refugee assistance/legal help | FB Tw Site | 1,700,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 700,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Boston Children's Hospital (filter this donor) | 1,695,376.00 | 0.00 | 1,695,376.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Future of Life Institute (filter this donor) | AI safety/other global catastrophic risks | FB Tw WP Site | 1,636,000.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 1,186,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Rockefeller University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,600,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,600,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| The Humane Society of the United States (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Chinese Animal Welfare Institute (filter this donor) | 1,489,201.00 | 0.00 | 1,489,201.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Stanford University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,465,139.00 | 0.00 | 102,539.00 | 1,362,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| PICO National Network (filter this donor) | 1,444,250.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,444,250.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Contemporaries (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | WP Site | 1,429,046.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,429,046.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Drug Policy Alliance (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,371,630.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,371,630.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Association L214 (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/broiler chicken welfare | WP Site | 1,347,742.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,347,742.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Texas Organizing Project (filter this donor) | 1,319,900.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,195,500.00 | 124,400.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| U.S. Association for International Migration (filter this donor) | 1,310,483.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,310,483.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative (filter this donor) | 1,291,000.00 | 491,000.00 | 800,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Real Justice PAC (filter this donor) | 1,250,000.00 | 50,000.00 | 1,200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,228,845.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,228,845.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| WildAid (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,200,000.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 700,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Economic Policy Institute (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,200,000.00 | 0.00 | 700,000.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Just Liberty (filter this donor) | 1,199,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 569,000.00 | 0.00 | 530,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Eurogroup for Animals (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw WP Site | 1,176,060.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 640,361.00 | 535,699.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| University Health Network (filter this donor) | WP | 1,134,975.00 | 1,134,975.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,110,000.00 | 0.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 425,000.00 | 0.00 | 335,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,059,748.00 | 0.00 | 231,677.00 | 828,071.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Anima (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/factory farming | FB Tw WP Site | 1,050,222.00 | 367,222.00 | 0.00 | 683,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Effective Altruism Foundation (filter this donor) | Effective altruism/movement growth | FB Tw Site | 1,000,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Ohio Safe and Healthy Communities Campaign (filter this donor) | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| MIT Media Lab (filter this donor) | 1,000,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Population Services International (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,000,000.00 | |
| Brooklyn Community Bail Fund (filter this donor) | 909,600.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 404,800.00 | 404,800.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Peterson Institute for International Economics (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 900,000.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Essie Justice Group (filter this donor) | 900,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 600,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Sightline Institute (filter this donor) | 900,000.00 | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Faith in Texas (filter this donor) | 887,000.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 637,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| theguardian.org (filter this donor) | Site | 886,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 886,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| PICO Action Fund (filter this donor) | 866,188.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 866,188.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls (filter this donor) | 850,000.00 | 0.00 | 850,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Blackbird (filter this donor) | WP | 850,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 425,000.00 | 425,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund (filter this donor) | 821,000.00 | 0.00 | 56,000.00 | 765,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Faith in Action (filter this donor) | 800,000.00 | 0.00 | 800,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Harvard University Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management (filter this donor) | 783,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 783,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Niskanen Center (filter this donor) | WP | 760,000.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 360,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| The Ordinary People Society (filter this donor) | 755,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 280,000.00 | 475,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Floridians for a Fair Democracy (filter this donor) | 750,000.00 | 0.00 | 750,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Compassion Over Killing (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 750,000.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (filter this donor) | 736,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 688,000.00 | 48,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Project Peanut Butter (filter this donor) | 724,929.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 724,929.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 713,380.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 613,380.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund (filter this donor) | 700,000.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Ayni Institute (filter this donor) | Criminal justice reform | FB Tw Site | 664,000.00 | 264,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Center for a New American Security (filter this donor) | 660,352.00 | 0.00 | 400,352.00 | 260,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (filter this donor) | AI safety/other global catastrophic risks | Site TW | 653,890.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 403,890.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Dignity and Power Now (filter this donor) | 632,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 632,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Voters Organized to Educate (filter this donor) | 627,500.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 305,000.00 | 222,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education (filter this donor) | 624,004.00 | 368,188.00 | 0.00 | 255,816.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| American Conservative Union Foundation (filter this donor) | 612,000.00 | 0.00 | 212,000.00 | 200,000.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Protect the People (filter this donor) | 600,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 600,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Early-Career Funding for Global Catastrophic Biological Risks (filter this donor) | 570,000.00 | 0.00 | 570,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| LatinoJustice (filter this donor) | 550,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Aquaculture Stewardship Council (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw WP Site | 546,849.00 | 0.00 | 13,813.00 | 533,036.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| FAI Farms (filter this donor) | 533,200.00 | 533,200.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Brighter Green (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw Site | 529,360.00 | 0.00 | 430,000.00 | 0.00 | 99,360.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Ought (filter this donor) | AI safety | Site | 525,000.00 | 0.00 | 525,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Humane Society Legislative Fund (filter this donor) | 525,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 525,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| International Genetically Engineered Machine Foundation (filter this donor) | 520,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 520,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Soze Agency (filter this donor) | 516,500.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 216,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Mijente (filter this donor) | 510,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 255,000.00 | 255,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Center for American Progress (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Alliance for Open Society International (filter this donor) | WP | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Animal Charity Evaluators (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/factory farming/meta/charity evaluator | FB Tw WP Site TW | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Research Institute of Industrial Economics (filter this donor) | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| International Development Association (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| The Greenfield Project (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | Site | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Dream Corps (filter this donor) | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Youth First Initiative (filter this donor) | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Gamechanger Labs (filter this donor) | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Rita Allen Foundation (filter this donor) | 495,000.00 | 495,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of Cape Town (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 493,425.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 493,425.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Otwarte Klatki (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw Site | 483,214.00 | 0.00 | 10,350.00 | 472,864.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Yale University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 479,320.00 | 180,000.00 | 0.00 | 299,320.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Genspace (filter this donor) | WP | 469,025.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 469,025.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| University of Oxford (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 455,856.00 | 0.00 | 455,856.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| fair-fish international association (filter this donor) | Animal welfare/fish | Site | 453,841.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 453,841.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (filter this donor) | 452,545.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 452,545.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Future of Research (filter this donor) | 450,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Altruistic Technology Labs (filter this donor) | 440,525.00 | 440,525.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Ethan Alley (filter this donor) | 437,800.00 | 437,800.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund (filter this donor) | 436,500.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 305,000.00 | 31,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| ImmigrationWorks Foundation (filter this donor) | 435,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 285,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Global Aquaculture Alliance (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | WP Site | 435,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 435,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Farm Forward (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw WP Site GS | 431,691.00 | 166,000.00 | 165,691.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Court Watch NOLA (filter this donor) | 425,000.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 125,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| International Genetically Engineered Medicine Foundation (filter this donor) | 420,000.00 | 0.00 | 420,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Southerners On New Ground (filter this donor) | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Million Voters Project Action Fund (filter this donor) | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Wilson Center (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Justice Team Network (filter this donor) | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Dyrevernalliansen (filter this donor) | FB Tw Site | 378,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 378,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| MoveOn.org Civic Action (filter this donor) | 375,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 375,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Vera Institute of Justice (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 358,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 308,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Accountable Justice Project (filter this donor) | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| ACTAsia (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw Site | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition (filter this donor) | 336,600.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 136,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Working Families Party (filter this donor) | 336,500.00 | 117,300.00 | 109,600.00 | 109,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw WP Site | 332,944.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 332,944.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Voice of the Educated (filter this donor) | 325,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 325,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Color of Change Education Fund (filter this donor) | 321,228.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 321,228.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Fórum Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Animal (filter this donor) | Animal welfare | FB Tw Site | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Justice Strategies (filter this donor) | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Safety and Justice Action Fund (filter this donor) | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Smithsonian Institution (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Cochrane Collaboration (filter this donor) | Tw WP Site | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Employ America (filter this donor) | 300,000.00 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Rescuing Biomedical Research (filter this donor) | 299,112.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 299,112.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| People's Action Institute (filter this donor) | 279,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 279,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| George Mason University (filter this donor) | FB WP Site | 277,435.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 277,435.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Smart Growth America (filter this donor) | WP | 275,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 275,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Grassroots Leadership, Inc. (filter this donor) | 275,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 275,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| New Virginia Majority Education Fund (filter this donor) | 270,000.00 | 0.00 | 220,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Citizen Action of New York (filter this donor) | 266,000.00 | 0.00 | 266,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Charity Science (filter this donor) | Effective altruism/movement growth | FB Tw Site | 265,000.00 | 0.00 | 265,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Urban Institute (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 263,698.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 165,833.00 | 0.00 | 97,865.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| North Carolina State University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 252,725.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 252,725.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Georgetown University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Workers Center for Racial Justice (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 125,000.00 | 125,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The People’s Lobby Education Institute (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 125,000.00 | 125,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Corrections Accountability Project (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Plant Based Foods Association (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Community Justice Exchange (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Greater Greater Washington (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Vote Safe (filter this donor) | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Waitlist Zero (filter this donor) | WP | 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Washington Office on Latin America (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 245,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 245,000.00 | 0.00 | |
| We Animals (filter this donor) | 240,000.00 | 240,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Animal Welfare Standards Project (filter this donor) | 238,212.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 238,212.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| New York University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 235,840.00 | 125,840.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 110,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| The Pollination Project (filter this donor) | 233,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 233,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Green Monday (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 226,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 226,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Science Philanthropy Alliance (filter this donor) | 225,000.00 | 0.00 | 225,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Civil Rights Corps (filter this donor) | 225,000.00 | 0.00 | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Forward Justice (filter this donor) | 225,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 75,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Griffith University (filter this donor) | WP Site | 220,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 120,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Prison Policy Initiative (filter this donor) | WP | 216,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 66,000.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Citizens for Juvenile Justice (filter this donor) | 215,000.00 | 0.00 | 75,000.00 | 75,000.00 | 65,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| People for Animals (filter this donor) | WP | 209,392.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 120,000.00 | 89,392.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Texas Inmate Families Association (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Yes on Prop. 57 (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| ColorOfChange PAC (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Rethink Priorities (filter this donor) | Cause prioritization | Site | 200,000.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| BetaGov (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Accountable Justice Collaborative (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| LEAD National Support Bureau (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Roosevelt Institute (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| We Got Us Now (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| protocols.io (filter this donor) | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Electronic Frontier Foundation (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 199,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 199,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| International Society for Applied Ethology (filter this donor) | WP | 175,412.00 | 0.00 | 135,412.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Princeton University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 170,000.00 | 170,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| The Ahimsa Collective (filter this donor) | 165,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 15,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| National Network for Safe Communities (filter this donor) | WP | 161,040.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 161,040.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Center for Court Innovation (filter this donor) | WP | 160,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 160,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| AI Scholarships (filter this donor) | 159,000.00 | 0.00 | 159,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Promise of Justice Initiative (filter this donor) | 156,000.00 | 0.00 | 75,000.00 | 0.00 | 81,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| One for the World (filter this donor) | 153,750.00 | 0.00 | 153,750.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Family Farm Action (filter this donor) | 153,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 153,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| BioBricks Foundation (filter this donor) | 152,950.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 152,950.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Texas Freedom Network Education Fund (filter this donor) | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities (filter this donor) | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Ladies of Hope Ministries (filter this donor) | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of Bern (filter this donor) | Tw WP Site | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Pepperdine University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 150,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon (filter this donor) | 145,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 145,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Media Mobilizing Project (filter this donor) | 140,000.00 | 0.00 | 140,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| ReFrame Mentorship (filter this donor) | 137,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 37,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| AI Impacts (filter this donor) | AI safety | Site | 132,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 32,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Royal Veterinary College (filter this donor) | 130,850.00 | 130,850.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Project NIA (filter this donor) | 121,000.00 | 0.00 | 121,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Mass Liberation Project (filter this donor) | 120,000.00 | 0.00 | 120,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| National Family Defense Project (filter this donor) | 120,000.00 | 0.00 | 120,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Justice Solutions (filter this donor) | 112,613.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 112,613.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| RAND Corporation (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 103,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 103,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| University of Edinburgh (filter this donor) | 102,041.00 | 0.00 | 102,041.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Florida State University Project on Accountable Justice (filter this donor) | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Brookings Institution (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Food Frontier (filter this donor) | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Washington Center for Equitable Growth (filter this donor) | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| US Cochrane Center (filter this donor) | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | ||
| Common Justice (filter this donor) | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| National Alliance of Faith and Justice (filter this donor) | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Cynthia Schuck & Wladimir Alonso (filter this donor) | 96,130.00 | 0.00 | 96,130.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Wageningen UR (filter this donor) | 88,345.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 88,345.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Aubin Pictures (filter this donor) | 85,000.00 | 0.00 | 60,000.00 | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Institute for Advancement of Animal Welfare Science (filter this donor) | 80,400.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 80,400.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Chicago Community Bond Fund (filter this donor) | 80,000.00 | 0.00 | 80,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Better Eating International (filter this donor) | 79,800.00 | 0.00 | 79,800.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Animal Welfare Action Lab (filter this donor) | 79,100.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 79,100.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Forum for Climate Engineering Assessment (filter this donor) | 76,234.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 76,234.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| VOCAL-NY (filter this donor) | 75,000.00 | 0.00 | 75,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (filter this donor) | 70,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 70,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| David Manheim (filter this donor) | 65,308.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 65,308.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Katal Center for Health, Equity, and Justice (filter this donor) | 64,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 64,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Innovative Genomics Institute (filter this donor) | 63,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 63,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Texas Fair Defense Project (filter this donor) | 63,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 63,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Human Impact Partners (filter this donor) | 60,990.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 60,990.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Mission: Launch, Inc. (filter this donor) | 55,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 55,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Texas After Violence Project (filter this donor) | 52,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 52,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of British Columbia (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 50,186.00 | 0.00 | 50,186.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| National Association of Community and Restorative Justice (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Changing Tastes (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| World Animal Net (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Institute of the Black World (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Columbia University (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| College and Community Fellowship (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Smart Justice CA (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 25,000.00 | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Prosecutor Impact (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Correctional Association of New York (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Project South (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Georgia Institute of Technology (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Detroit Justice Center (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Mothers Against Police Brutality (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Players Coalition Charitable Foundation (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Seattle for Everyone (filter this donor) | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 50,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation (filter this donor) | 45,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 45,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| American Society for Microbiology (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 43,149.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 43,149.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| New Economy Organisers Network (filter this donor) | 42,285.00 | 0.00 | 42,285.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| SPIN Academy (filter this donor) | 42,000.00 | 0.00 | 42,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| New York Working Families (filter this donor) | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| East Bay Forward (filter this donor) | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| VOCAL-NY Action Fund (filter this donor) | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Voice of the Ex-Offender (filter this donor) | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Mamoreruinochi wo Mamorukai (filter this donor) | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Harborlight Community Partners (filter this donor) | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 40,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Better Boulder (filter this donor) | 37,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| University of Sydney (filter this donor) | 32,621.00 | 0.00 | 32,621.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Commonwealth Veterinary Association (filter this donor) | 31,355.00 | 0.00 | 31,355.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Just Outcomes (filter this donor) | 30,000.00 | 30,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Distill (filter this donor) | AI capabilities/AI safety | Tw Site | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Rockefeller Archive Center (filter this donor) | FB Tw Site | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 25,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Free Migration Project (filter this donor) | 24,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 24,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Silicon Valley De-Bug (filter this donor) | 20,600.00 | 0.00 | 20,600.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice (filter this donor) | 20,000.00 | 0.00 | 20,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| The Prodigal Child Project (filter this donor) | 20,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 20,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Momentum (filter this donor) | 15,000.00 | 0.00 | 15,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Tampere University (filter this donor) | 15,000.00 | 15,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| InterAcademy Partnership (filter this donor) | 14,605.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 14,605.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Photo Patch Foundation (filter this donor) | 10,000.00 | 0.00 | 10,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Associated Students of the University of California, Berkeley (filter this donor) | 10,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 10,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| GoalsRL (filter this donor) | AI safety | Site | 7,500.00 | 0.00 | 7,500.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics (filter this donor) | 6,683.00 | 0.00 | 6,683.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Initiate Justice (filter this donor) | 5,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 5,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| ARNOVA (filter this donor) | FB Tw WP Site | 2,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Total | -- | -- | 526,584,521.00 | 130,943,560.00 | 117,648,846.00 | 188,410,468.00 | 72,187,589.00 | 7,655,855.00 | 7,843,203.00 | 795,000.00 | 1,100,000.00 |
Graph of spending by donee and year (incremental, not cumulative)
Graph of spending by donee and year (cumulative)
If you hover over a cell for a given influencer and year, you will get a tooltip with the number of donees and the number of donations.
For the meaning of “classified” and “unclassified”, see the page clarifying this.
Graph of spending by influencer and year (incremental, not cumulative)
Graph of spending by influencer and year (cumulative)
If you hover over a cell for a given disclosures and year, you will get a tooltip with the number of donees and the number of donations.
For the meaning of “classified” and “unclassified”, see the page clarifying this.
| Disclosures | Number of donations | Number of donees | Total | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holden Karnofsky | 3 | 3 | 33,274,000.00 | 30,000,000.00 | 3,274,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Dario Amodei | 2 | 2 | 32,970,000.00 | 30,000,000.00 | 2,970,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Paul Christiano | 3 | 3 | 30,804,000.00 | 30,000,000.00 | 804,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Kevin Esvelt | 2 | 2 | 18,020,000.00 | 17,500,000.00 | 520,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Jaime Yassif | 1 | 1 | 16,000,000.00 | 16,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Nick Beckstead | 7 | 7 | 8,356,435.00 | 3,119,000.00 | 4,051,435.00 | 1,186,000.00 |
| Daniel Dewey | 4 | 4 | 5,171,435.00 | 4,394,000.00 | 777,435.00 | 0.00 |
| Unknown, generic, or multiple | 4 | 4 | 3,846,000.00 | 1,125,000.00 | 1,535,000.00 | 1,186,000.00 |
| Lewis Bollard | 4 | 3 | 3,464,000.00 | 2,464,000.00 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Carl Shulman | 2 | 2 | 3,029,000.00 | 1,994,000.00 | 1,035,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Luke Muehlhauser | 4 | 3 | 3,025,000.00 | 0.00 | 1,839,000.00 | 1,186,000.00 |
| Adam Marblestone | 1 | 1 | 2,970,000.00 | 0.00 | 2,970,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Claire Zabel | 1 | 1 | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 | 2,500,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Chris Olah | 1 | 1 | 2,400,000.00 | 2,400,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Helen Toner | 3 | 3 | 1,990,000.00 | 0.00 | 804,000.00 | 1,186,000.00 |
| Chloe Cockburn | 6 | 5 | 1,828,000.00 | 395,000.00 | 1,433,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Ben Hoffman | 1 | 1 | 1,186,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,186,000.00 |
| Jacob Steinhardt | 2 | 2 | 804,000.00 | 0.00 | 804,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Alexander Berger | 2 | 2 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 300,000.00 | 200,000.00 |
| Howie Lempel | 1 | 1 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 |
| Classified total | 26 | 23 | 84,103,435.00 | 71,878,000.00 | 10,839,435.00 | 1,386,000.00 |
| Unclassified total | 515 | 313 | 442,481,086.00 | 116,532,468.00 | 61,348,154.00 | 6,269,855.00 |
| Total | 541 | 323 | 526,584,521.00 | 188,410,468.00 | 72,187,589.00 | 7,655,855.00 |
Graph of spending by disclosures and year (incremental, not cumulative)
Graph of spending by disclosures and year (cumulative)
If you hover over a cell for a given country and year, you will get a tooltip with the number of donees and the number of donations.
For the meaning of “classified” and “unclassified”, see the page clarifying this.
| Country | Number of donations | Number of donees | Total | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 263 | 164 | 110,962,787.00 | 3,968,300.00 | 39,621,691.00 | 24,534,103.00 | 34,002,838.00 | 4,552,855.00 | 3,738,000.00 | 445,000.00 | 100,000.00 |
| China | 19 | 14 | 9,822,448.00 | 3,737,278.00 | 2,489,387.00 | 1,893,604.00 | 1,702,179.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Alexander Berger | 4 | 2 | 3,200,000.00 | 2,000,000.00 | 850,000.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| United States|Brazil|Italy|Mexico|Spain | 1 | 1 | 2,772,430.00 | 0.00 | 2,772,430.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| India | 7 | 6 | 2,465,691.00 | 0.00 | 31,355.00 | 2,344,944.00 | 89,392.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Germany|Italy|Spain|United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 2,110,460.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,110,460.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| United Kingdom | 3 | 2 | 1,606,308.00 | 0.00 | 231,677.00 | 1,374,631.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Japan|South Korea | 1 | 1 | 1,364,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,364,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| France | 1 | 1 | 1,347,742.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,347,742.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Germany | 2 | 1 | 1,317,060.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,317,060.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| United States|Europe | 1 | 1 | 1,035,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,035,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Germany|France|Sweden | 1 | 1 | 1,032,947.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,032,947.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Myanmar | 1 | 1 | 1,000,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,000,000.00 |
| Thailand|Indonesia | 1 | 1 | 781,498.00 | 781,498.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Scandinavia | 1 | 1 | 683,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 683,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Albania | 1 | 1 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 500,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Poland|Ukraine | 1 | 1 | 472,864.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 472,864.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Norway | 1 | 1 | 378,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 378,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Brazil | 2 | 1 | 300,000.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| India|China | 2 | 2 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 200,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Australia|New Zealand | 1 | 1 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 100,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| United States|United Kingdom | 1 | 1 | 42,285.00 | 0.00 | 42,285.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| United States|Canada | 1 | 1 | 37,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 37,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Argentina|Brazil|Columbia|Chile|Mexico | 1 | 1 | 30,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 30,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Classified total | 318 | 197 | 143,561,520.00 | 10,487,076.00 | 46,338,825.00 | 38,200,408.00 | 37,999,356.00 | 4,752,855.00 | 4,238,000.00 | 445,000.00 | 1,100,000.00 |
| Unclassified total | 223 | 145 | 383,023,001.00 | 120,456,484.00 | 71,310,021.00 | 150,210,060.00 | 34,188,233.00 | 2,903,000.00 | 3,605,203.00 | 350,000.00 | 0.00 |
| Total | 541 | 323 | 526,584,521.00 | 130,943,560.00 | 117,648,846.00 | 188,410,468.00 | 72,187,589.00 | 7,655,855.00 | 7,843,203.00 | 795,000.00 | 1,100,000.00 |
Graph of spending by country and year (incremental, not cumulative)
Graph of spending by country and year (cumulative)
| Title (URL linked) | Publication date | Author | Publisher | Affected donors | Affected donees | Document scope | Cause area | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Update on the Global Priorities Institute's (GPI) activities (GW, IR) | 2019-12-24 | Hilary Greaves | Global Priorities Institute | Open Philanthropy Project | Global Priorities Institute | Donee periodic update | Cause prioritization | The Global Priorities Institute shares a short annual report, also available at https://globalprioritiesinstitute.org/global-priorities-institute-annual-report-2018-19/ on its website. In addition, the post contains links for following GPI's research and current opportunities. The annual report has three sections: (1) Research (agenda focused on "longtermism") (2) Academic outreach (various two-day workshops and the Early Career Conference Programme (ECCP)) (3) Current team and growth ambitions (plans to expand, helped by £2.5m from the Open Philanthropy Project and £3m from other private donors; fundraising is ongoing). |
| Effective Altruism Foundation: Plans for 2020 (GW, IR) | 2019-12-23 | Jonas Vollmer | Effective Altruism Foundation | Open Philanthropy Project | Effective Altruism Foundation Raising for Effective Giving Wild-Animal Suffering Research Utility Farm Wild Animal Initiative Sentience politics | Donee periodic update | Effective altruism/movement growth/s-risk reduction | The document includes the 2019 review and plans for 2020 of the Effective Altruism Foundation (EAD). Key highlights: EAD plans to change its name in 2020 as a rebranding effort to highlight its focus on s-risk reduction, rather than the effective altruism; as part of this, the Foundational Research Institute brand will also be deprecated. Wild-Animal Suffering Research and Utility Farm merged to form Wild Animal Initiative, which is now completely separate from EAF. Raising for Effective Giving and Sentience Politics continue to be housed under EAF. The post also describes communication guidelines developed along with Nick Beckstead of the Open Philanthropy Project (that also made a $1 million grant to EAF). The guidelines "recommend highlighting beliefs and priorities that are important to the s-risk-oriented community" and "recommend communicating in a more nuanced manner about pessimistic views of the long-term future by considering highlighting moral cooperation and uncertainty, focusing more on practical questions if possible, and anticipating potential misunderstandings and misrepresentations." The post also says the guidelines will soon be made public, and that it was a mistake to not announce the guidelines earlier; doing so might have addressed https://www.simonknutsson.com/problems-in-effective-altruism-and-existential-risk-and-what-to-do-about-them/ and related concerns |
| 2019 AI Alignment Literature Review and Charity Comparison (GW, IR) | 2019-12-19 | Ben Hoskin | Effective Altruism Forum | Ben Hoskin Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Open Philanthropy Project Survival and Flourising Fund | Future of Humanity Institute Center for Human-Compatible AI Machine Intelligence Research Institute Global Catastrophic Risk Institute Centre for the Study of Existential Risk Ought OpenAI AI Safety Camp Future of Life Institute AI Impacts Global Priorities Institute Foundational Research Institute Median Group Center for Security and Emerging Technology Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative AI Pulse | Review of current state of cause area | AI safety | Cross-posted to LessWrong at https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/SmDziGM9hBjW9DKmf/2019-ai-alignment-literature-review-and-charity-comparison (GW, IR) This is the fourth post in a tradition of annual blog posts on the state of AI safety and the work of various organizations in the space over the course of the year; the previous year's post is at https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/BznrRBgiDdcTwWWsB/2018-ai-alignment-literature-review-and-charity-comparison (GW, IR) The post has sections on "Research" and "Finance" for a number of organizations working in the AI safety space, many of whom accept donations. A "Capital Allocators" section discusses major players who allocate funds in the space. A lengthy "Methodological Thoughts" section explains how the author approaches some underlying questions that influence his thoughts on all the organizations |
| Suggestions for Individual Donors from Open Philanthropy Staff - 2019 | 2019-12-18 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Chloe Cockburn Jesse Rothman Michelle Crentsil Amanda Hungerfold Lewis Bollard Persis Eskander Alexander Berger Chris Somerville Heather Youngs Claire Zabel | National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls Life Comes From It Worth Rises Wild Animal Initiative Sinergia Animal Center for Global Development International Refugee Assistance Project California YIMBY Engineers Without Borders 80,000 Hours Centre for Effective Altruism Future of Humanity Institute Global Priorities Institute Machine Intelligence Research Institute Ought | Donation suggestion list | Criminal justice reform|Animal welfare|Global health and development|Migration policy|Effective altruism|AI safety | Continuing an annual tradition started in 2015, Open Philanthropy Project staff share suggestions for places that people interested in specific cause areas may consider donating. The sections are roughly based on the focus areas used by Open Phil internally, with the contributors to each section being the Open Phil staff who work in that focus area. Each recommendation includes a "Why we recommend it" or "Why we suggest it" section, and with the exception of the criminal justice reform recommendations, each recommendation includes a "Why we haven't fully funded it" section. Section 5, Assorted recomendations by Claire Zabel, includes a list of "Organizations supported by our Committed for Effective Altruism Support" which includes a list of organizations that are wiithin the purview of the Committee for Effective Altruism Support. The section is approved by the committee and represents their views |
| The Center for Election Science Year End EA Appeal (GW, IR) | 2019-12-17 | Aaron Hamlin | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project | The Center for Election Science | Donee donation case | Politics | Aaron Hamlin of the Center for Election Science (CES), an organization that promotes approval voting in the United States, posts an end-of-year fundraising appeal post for CES to the Effective Altruism Forum. The post talks about the finances of CES, and compares the funding of CES to the much larger total funding going to ranked choice voting (RCV), a competing effort that he considers inferior. He argues that with slightly more funds, CES could show much more than RCV in terms of victories in adoption of approval voting, per dollar spent |
| How frequently do ACE and Open Phil agree about animal charities? (GW, IR) | 2019-12-17 | Ben West | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund | Animal Charity Evaluators Compassion in World Farming International Animal Ethics Faunalytics Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira | Miscellaneous commentary | Animal welfare | Ben West compares the grantees of the Open Philanthropy Project (Open Phil) in its focus area of farm animal welfare against the charities recommended by Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE). He finds a substantial overlap: Open Phil has made grants to all charities that ACE has ever given top charity status, about half of the charities ACE has ever given standout charity status, and only one charity that ACE reviewed but did not recommend. Also, "5% of the charities ACE did an "exploratory" review of received a grant, as did 3% of the ones they "considered" but did not review." A spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NRSVnSgg33vtOByfYwCFhB6VrytZGYeJ/edit with the data is linked. The post also notes: "Three charities which were named “Standout Charities” by ACE but did not receive Open Phil grants did receive grants from the Centre for Effective Altruism’s Animal Welfare Fund (Animal Ethics, Faunalytics, and Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira)." |
| Recommendation to Open Philanthropy for Grants to Top Charities | 2019-11-26 | GiveWell | Open Philanthropy Project Good Ventures/GiveWell top and standout charities | Malaria Consortium Helen Keller International Sightsavers Against Malaria Foundation END Fund GiveDirectly Development Media International Dispenses for Safe Water Food Fortification Initiative Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition Georgetown University Initiative on Innovation, Development, and Evaluation Iodine Global Network Living Goods Project Healthy Children | Periodic donation list documentation | Global health and development | The document details GiveWell's recommendation in 2019 for grants by Good Ventures (via the Open Philanthropy Project) to GiveWell top and standout charities. The overall amount of money recommended for allocation is $54.6 million, and the document explains that Open Phil's calculation that it may make sense to spend down more slowly was the reason for reducing the allocation from last year. It discusses the principles used for allocation: (1) Put significant weight on cost-effectiveness estimates, (2) Consider additional information not explicitly modeled about the organization, (3) Consider additional information not explicitly modeled about the funding gap, (4) Assess funding gaps at the margin, (5) Default to not imposing restrictions on charity spending, (6) Default to funding on a 3-year horizon, and (7) Ensure charities are incentivized to engage with the process. The three charities that get significant grants are Malaria Consortium for its SMC program ($33.9 million), Helen Keller International ($9.7 million), and Sightsavers ($2.7 million). Against Malaria Foundation, END Fund, and GiveDirectly receive the minimum "incentive grant" amount of $2.5 million that all top charities should receive. The top charity Deworm the World Initiative is not given an incentive grant because it received a previous grant through GiveWell discretionary grant that more than covers the incentive grant amount. 8 standout charities get $100,000 each | |
| ALLFED 2019 Annual Report and Fundraising Appeal (GW, IR) | 2019-11-23 | Aron Mill | Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters | Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Donor lottery Effective Altruism Grants Open Philanthropy Project | Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters Future of Humanity Institute | Donee donation case | Alternative foods | Aron Mill provides a summary of the work of the Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters (ALLFED) in 2019. He lists key supporters as well as partners that ALLFED worked with during the year. The blog post proceeds to make an appeal and a case for fundraising ALLFED. Sections of the blog post include: (1) research output, (2) preparedness and alliance-building, (3) ALLFED team, (4) current projects, and (5) projects in need of funding. |
| Message exchange with EAF | 2019-11-12 | Simon Knutsson | Open Philanthropy Project | Effective Altruism Foundation | Reasoning supplement | Effective altruism|Global catastrophic risks | This is a supplement to https://www.simonknutsson.com/problems-in-effective-altruism-and-existential-risk-and-what-to-do-about-them/ The supplement documents an email exchange between Knutsson and Stefan Torges of the Effective Altruism Foundation where Knutsson asks Torges for comment on some of the points in the article. Torges's reply is not quoted as he did not give permission to quote the replies, but Knutsson summarizes the replies as saying that EAF can't share further information, and does not wish to engage Knutsson on the issue. | |
| E-mail exchange with the Open Philanthropy Project | 2019-11-10 | Simon Knutsson | Open Philanthropy Project | Effective Altruism Foundation | Reasoning supplement | Effective altruism|Global catastrophic risks | This is a supplement to https://www.simonknutsson.com/problems-in-effective-altruism-and-existential-risk-and-what-to-do-about-them/ The supplement documents an email exchange between Knutsson and Michael Levine of the Open Philanthropy Project where Knutsson asks Levine for comment on some of the points in the article. Levine's reply is not quoted as he did not give permission to quote the replies, but Knutsson summarizes the replies as saying that "[Open Phil] do not have anything to add beyond the grant page https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/effective-altruism-foundation-research-operations | |
| Problems in effective altruism and existential risk and what to do about them | 2019-10-16 | Simon Knutsson | Open Philanthropy Project Effective Altruism Foundation Centre for Effective Altruism | Effective Altruism Foundation Future of Humanity Institute | Miscellaneous commentary | Effective altruism|Global catastrophic risks | Simon Knutsson, a Ph.D. student who previously worked at GiveWell and has, since then, worked on animal welfare and on s-risks, writes about what he sees as problematic dynamics in the effective altruism and x-risk communities. Specifically, he is critical of what he sees as behind-the-scenes coordination work on messaging, between many organizations in the space, notably the Open Philanthropy Project and the Effective Altruism Foundation, and the possible use of grant money to pressure EAF into pushing for guidelines for writers to not talk about s-risks in specific ways. He is also critical of what he sees as the one-sided nature of the syllabi and texts produced by the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA). The author notes that people have had different reactions to his text, with some considering the behavior described as unproblematic, while others agreeing with him that it is problematic and deserves the spotlight. The post is also shared to the Effective Altruism Forum at https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/EescnoaBJsQWz4rii/problems-in-effective-altruism-and-what-to-do-about-them (GW, IR) where it gets a lot of criticism in the comments from people including Peter Hurford and Holly Elmore. | |
| Thanks for putting up with my follow-up questions. Out of the areas you mention, I'd be very interested in ... (GW, IR) | 2019-09-10 | Ryan Carey | Effective Altruism Forum | Founders Pledge Open Philanthropy Project | OpenAI Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Broad donor strategy | AI safety|Global catastrophic risks|Scientific research|Politics | Ryan Carey replies to John Halstead's question on what Founders Pledge shoud research. He first gives the areas within Halstead's list that he is most excited about. He also discusses three areas not explicitly listed by Halstead: (a) promotion of effective altruism, (b) scholarships for people working on high-impact research, (c) more on AI safety -- specifically, funding low-mid prestige figures with strong AI safety interest (what he calls "highly-aligned figures"), a segment that he claims the Open Philanthropy Project is neglecting, with the exception of MIRI and a couple of individuals. |
| How Life Sciences Actually Work: Findings of a Year-Long Investigation (GW, IR) | 2019-08-16 | Alexey Guzey | Effective Altruism Forum | National Institutes of Health Howard Hughes Medical Institute Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Open Philanthropy Project Amgen | Life Sciences Research Foundation Harvard University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Stanford University | Review of current state of cause area | Biomedical research | Guzey surveys the current state of biomedical research, primarily in academia in the United States. His work is the result of interviewing about 60 people. Emergent Ventures provided financial support. His takeaways: (1) Life science is not slowing down (2) Nothing works the way you would naively think it does (for better or for worse) (3) If you're smart and driven, you'll find a way in (4) Nobody cares if you're a genius (5) Almost all biologists are solo founders. This is probably suboptimal (6) There's insufficient space for people who just want to be researchers and not managers (7) Peer review is a disaster (8) Nobody agrees on whether big labs are good or bad (9) Senior scientists are bound by their students' incentives (10) Universities seem to maximize their profits, with good research being a side-effect (11) Large parts of modern scientific literature are wrong (12) Raising money is very difficult even for famous scientists. Final conclusion: "academia has a lot of problems but it's less broken than it seems from the outside." |
| Questions We Ask Ourselves Before Making a Grant | 2019-08-06 | Michael Levine | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project Sandler Foundation | Center for Security and Emerging Technology University of Washington (Institute for Protein Design) | Broad donor strategy | Michael Levine describes some guidance that the Open Philanthropy Project has put together for program officers on questions to consider before making a grant. This complements guidance published three years ago about internal grant writeups: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-grantmaking-so-far-approach-and-process | |
| GiveWell’s Top Charities Are (Increasingly) Hard to Beat | 2019-07-09 | Alexander Berger | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | GiveDirectly Against Malaria Foundation Schistosomiasis Control Initiative Target Malaria JustLeadershipUSA | Broad donor strategy | Global health and development|Criminal justice reform|Scientific research | In the blog post, Alexander Berger discusses how, originally, Open Philanthropy Project donations for near-term human well-being (primarily in the areas of criminal justice reform and scientific research) are compared against a cost-effectiveness benchmark of direct cash transfers, which is set as 100x (every $1 donated should yield $100 in benefits). However, since GiveWell has recently made its cost-effectiveness calculations for top charities more thorough, and now estimates that top charities are 5-15x as cost-effective as cash (or 500-1500x, with 1000x as a median), Berger is now comparing all the existing near-term human well-being grants against the 1000x benchmarks. He finds that, using the back-of-the-envelope calculations (BOTECs) done at the time of justifying the grants, many of the criminal justice reform grants do not clear the bar; in total only $32 million of the grants clears the bar, and about half of it is a single grant to Target Malaria. Berger links to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GsE2_TNWn0x6MWL1PTdkZT2vQNFW8VFBslC5qjk4sgo/edit?ts=5cc10604 for some sample BOTECs |
| Explaining Our Bet on Sherlock Biosciences’ Innovations in Viral Diagnostics | 2019-06-10 | Heather Youngs Chris Somerville | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Sherlock Biosciences | Single donation documentation | Scientific research | In this new-style blog post, the reasons for the Open Philanthropy Project grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/sherlock-biosciences-research-viral-diagnostics to Sherlock Biosciences are explained in a conversational style. The conversation participants include Michael Levine (Communications Officer) and the grant investigators Chris Somerville and Heather Youngs |
| 80,000 Hours Annual Review – December 2018 | 2019-05-07 | Benjamin Todd | 80,000 Hours | Open Philanthropy Project Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund | 80,0000 Hours | Donee periodic update | Effective altruism/movement growth/career counseling | This blog post is the annual self-review by 80,000 Hours, originally written in December 2018. Publication was deferred because 80,000 Hours was waiting to hear back on the status of some large grants (in particular, one from the Open Philanthropy Project), but most of the content is still from the December 2018 draft. The post goes into detail about 80,000 Hours' progress in 2018, impact and plan changes, and future expansion plans. Funding gaps are discussed (the funding gap for 2019 is $400,000, and further money will be saved for 2020 and 2021). Grants from the Open Philanthropy Project, BERI, and the Effective Altruism Funds (EA Meta Fund) are mentioned |
| Will splashy philanthropy cause the biosecurity field to focus on the wrong risks? | 2019-04-25 | Filippa Lentzos | Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists | Open Philanthropy Project | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | Filippa Lentzos examines the Open Philanthropy Project's funding in the biosecurity field. She argues that the scale and speed of Open Phil's grantmaking may hurt the field by shaping the agenda of the field to be too focused on global catastrophic risks, and to be less diverse on the whole. The post is linked and discussed on the Effective Altruism Forum at https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Kkw8uDwGuNnBhiYHi/will-splashy-philanthropy-cause-the-biosecurity-field-to (GW, IR) by Tessa Alexanian. Howie Lempel, in the comments, describes more of the post author's views based on her past article https://thebulletin.org/2017/07/ignore-bill-gates-where-bioweapons-focus-really-belongs/ Others who share thoughts in the comments include Alex Foster, Denise Melchin, and Rob Bensinger. | |
| Our Progress in 2018 and Plans for 2019 | 2019-04-15 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Criminal justice reform|Animal welfare | The post compares progress made by the Open Philanthropy Project in 2018 against plans laid out in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-progress-2017-and-plans-2018 and then lays out plans for 2019. The post notes that grantmaking was sustained at over $100 million. Hints of impact in the areas of criminal justice reform and animal welfare continue to be seen. Hiring to grow research analyst capacity was a top focus, led by Luke Muehlhauser, with the results detailed in the blog post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/reflections-our-2018-generalist-research-analyst-recruiting by Muehlhauser. Operations capacity grew significantly under Beth Jones, who joined in May as Director of Operations | |
| New grants from the Open Philanthropy Project and BERI | 2019-04-01 | Rob Bensinger | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Open Philanthropy Project Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Donee periodic update | AI safety | MIRI announces two grants to it: a two-year grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2019 totaling $2,112,500 from the Open Philanthropy Project, with half of it disbursed in 2019 and the other half disbursed in 2020. The amount disbursed in 2019 (of a little over $1.06 million) is on top of the $1.25 million already committed by the Open Philanthropy Project as part of the 3-year $3.75 million grant https://intelligence.org/2017/11/08/major-grant-open-phil/ The $1.06 million in 2020 may be supplemented by further grants from the Open Philanthropy Project. The grant size from the Open Philanthropy Project was determined by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support. The post also notes that the Open Philanthropy Project plans to determine future grant sizes using the Committee. MIRI expects the grant money to play an important role in decision-making as it executes on growing its research team as described in its 2018 strategy update post https://intelligence.org/2018/11/22/2018-update-our-new-research-directions/ and fundraiser post https://intelligence.org/2018/11/26/miris-2018-fundraiser/ |
| With Launch Of New CRISPR Company, Competition Extends To Diagnostics | 2019-03-21 | Ellie Kincaid | Forbes | Open Philanthropy Project | Sherlock Biosciences | Launch | Scientific research | The article describes the launch of Sherlock Biosciences, a company that aims to use CRISPR technology for diagnostics. It mentions the $17.5 million donation https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/sherlock-biosciences-research-viral-diagnostics plus undisclosed investment from the Open Philanthropy Project, as well as separate investment. Together, Sherlock Biosciences has raised $35 million |
| Important But Neglected: Why an Effective Altruist Funder Is Giving Millions to AI Security | 2019-03-20 | Tate Williams | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project | Center for Security and Emerging Technology | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | AI safety|Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness|Global catastrophic risks|Security | The article focuses on grantmaking by the Open Philanthropy Project in the areas of global catastrophic risks and security, particularly in AI safety and biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. It includes quotes from Luke Muehlhauser, Senior Research Analyst at the Open Philanthropy Project and the investigator for the $55 million grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/georgetown-university-center-security-and-emerging-technology to the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Muehlhauser was previously Executive Director at the Machine Intelligence Research Institute. It also includes a quote from Holden Karnofsky, who sees the early interest of effective altruists in AI safety as prescient. The CSET grant is discussed in the context of the Open Philanthropy Project's hits-based giving approach, as well as the interest in the policy space in better understanding of safety and governance issues related to technology and AI |
| Committee for Effective Altruism Support | 2019-02-27 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Centre for Effective Altruism Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Center for Applied Rationality Machine Intelligence Research Institute Future of Humanity Institute | Broad donor strategy | Effective altruism|AI safety | The document announces a new approach to setting grant sizes for the largest grantees who are "in the effective altruism community" including both organizations explicitly focused on effective altruism and other organizations that are favorites of and deeply embedded in the community, including organizations working in AI safety. The committee comprises Open Philanthropy staff and trusted outside advisors who are knowledgeable about the relevant organizations. Committee members review materials submitted by the organizations; gather to discuss considerations, including room for more funding; and submit “votes” on how they would allocate a set budget between a number of grantees (they can also vote to save part of the budget for later giving). Votes of committee members are averaged to arrive at the final grant amounts. Example grants whose size was determined by the community is the two-year support to the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI) https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2019 and one-year support to the Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-effective-altruism-general-support-2019 | |
| Suggestions for Individual Donors from Open Philanthropy Project Staff - 2018 | 2018-12-20 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Chloe Cockburn Lewis Bollard Amanda Hungerford Alexander Berger Luke Muelhhauser | National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls Texas Organizing Project Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund The Humane League Center for Global Development International Refugee Assistance Project Donor lottery | Donation suggestion list | Criminal justice reform|Animal welfare|Global health and development|Migration policy|Effective altruism | Open Philanthropy Project staff give suggestions on places that might be good for individuals to donate to. Each suggestion includes a section "Why I suggest it", a section explaining why the Open Philanthropy Project has not funded (or not fully funded) the opportunity, and links to relevant writeups. The post continues a tradition of similar posts published once a year |
| Scaling OFTW: Our First Hire And Funding From The Open Philanthropy Project | 2018-08-01 | Rossa O'Keeffe-O'Donovan | One for the World | Open Philanthropy Project Luke Ding | One for the World | Donee periodic update | Effective altruism/fundraising | One for the World announces grants to it recommended by GiveWell, of $153,750 from the Open Philanthropy Project and $51,250 from Luke Ding. The funding is to cover two years of expenses, including hiring a COO for the first year, and a CEO in the second year. The post also announces the hiring of Evan McVail as COO, fulfilling part of the plan for the grant |
| Occasional update July 5 2018 | 2018-07-05 | Katja Grace | AI Impacts | Open Philanthropy Project Anonymous | AI Impacts | Donee periodic update | AI safety | Katja Grace gives an update on the situation with AI Impacts, including recent funding received, personnel changes, and recent publicity.In particular, a $100,000 donation from the Open Philanthropy Project and a $39,000 anonymous donation are mentioned, and team members Tegan McCaslin, Justis Mills, consultant Carl Shulman, and departing member Michael Wulfsohn are mentioned |
| The Most Unorthodox Big Foundation in America | 2018-05-18 | Marc Gunther | Nonprofit Chronicles | Open Philanthropy Project | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | The article primarily links to and explains https://ssir.org/articles/entry/giving_in_the_light_of_reason which is a much longer article about the Open Philanthropy Project and its grantmaking. Unlike the linked article, the author goes more into his personal take on the subject, including how his recent visit to Rwanda, and how that has shifted him in the direction of donating to meet present-day needs | ||
| Giving in the Light of Reason | 2018-05-17 | Marc Gunther | Stanford Social Innovation Review | Open Philanthropy Project Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Future Justice Fund Good Ventures | The Humane League Direct Action Everywhere Target Malaria University of Washington (Institute for Protein Design) Alliance for Safety and Justice The Marshall Project | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Criminal justice reform|Animal welfare|Scientific research | An in-depth profile of the Open Philanthropy Project and its grantmaking, with a particular focus on discussion of the top grants in animal welfare and scientific research. The organizational history, grantmaking process, and internal culture are also discussed. Referenced in https://nonprofitchronicles.com/2018/05/18/the-most-unorthodox-big-foundation-in-america/ by the same author |
| Update on Partnerships with External Donors | 2018-05-16 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project Future Justice Fund Accountable Justice Action Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund | Accountable Justice Action Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund | Miscellaneous commentary | Criminal justice reform,Animal welfare | The Open Philanthropy Project describes how it works with donors other than Good Ventures (the foundation under Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna that accounts for almost all Open Phil grantmaking). The blog post reiterates that the long-term goal is to inform many different funders, but that is not a short-term priority because the Open Philanthropy Project is not moving enough money to even achieve the total spend that Good Ventures is willing to go up to. The post mentions that Chloe Cockburn, the program officer for criminal justice reform, is working with other funders in criminal justice reform, and they have created a separate vehicle, the Accountable Justice Action Fund, to pool resources. Also, Mike and Kaitlyn Krieger, who previously worked with the Open Philanthropy Project, now have their own criminal justice-focused Future Justice Fund, and are getting help from Cockburn to allocate money from the fund. For causes outside of criminal justice reform, the role of Effective Altruism Funds (whose grantmaking is managed by Open Philanthropy Project staff members) is mentioned. Also, Lewis Bollard is said to have moved ~10% as much money through advice to other donors as he has moved through the Open Philanthropy Project |
| With the Backing of Top Funders, This Group is Taking the Criminal Justice System to Court | 2018-04-24 | Philip Rojc | Inside Philanthropy | MacArthur Foundation Laura and John Arnold Foundation Open Philanthropy Project Chan Zuckerberg Initiative | Civil Rights Corps | Evaluator review of donee | Criminal justice reform/litigation | The article describes the efforts of Civil Rights Corps, an organization dedicated to challenging criminal justice abuses in court. It includes the Open Philanthropy Project and Chan Zuckerberg Initiative among its funders |
| This Powerhouse Funder is Still New to Scientific Research. Where Are Grants Going? | 2018-04-17 | Paul Karon | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project | MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center University of Washington (Institute for Protein Design) | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Scientific research | The article discusses grantmaking by the Open Philanthropy Project in the domain of scientific research, noting that the grants were often made in areas overlapping with other interests (such as global health). The large donation to the Institute for Protein Design in connection with influenza research is highlighted |
| Hiring analytical thinkers to help give away billions | 2018-03-30 | Ajeya Cotra | Medium | Open Philanthropy Project | Job advertisement | Open Philanthropy Project research analyst Ajeya Cotra speaks highly of the work there, and highlights the new research analyst positions the organization is hiring for. The post would be shared on Facebook by Claire Zabel at https://www.facebook.com/claire.zabel/posts/10216805589078395 and 80,000 Hours at https://www.facebook.com/80000Hours/posts/1703309639750767 | ||
| Managing Funder-Grantee Dynamics Responsibly | 2018-03-30 | Michael Levine | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Miscellaneous commentary | Michael Levine of the Open Philanthropy Project discusses how big donors (like the Open Philanthropy Project) can unduly influence the plans of existing and potential grantees, and what the organization is doing to mitigate that impact | ||
| Hi, I'm Holden Karnofsky. AMA about jobs at Open Philanthropy | 2018-03-26 | Holden Karnofsky | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project | Job advertisement | Holden Karnofsky opens himself up to questions about what it is like to work at the Open Philanthropy Project. This is part of a concerted push by Open Phil to increase its number of research analysts | ||
| Our Progress in 2017 and Plans for 2018 | 2018-03-20 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Criminal justice reform|Animal welfare|Scientific research|Cause prioritization | The post compares progress made by the Open Philanthropy Project in 2017 against plans laid out in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-progress-2016-and-plans-2017 and then lays out plans fo 2018. The post notes that grantmaking was sustained at the expected level of over $100 million, and that hints of impact are being seen in the areas where they would be expected, namely criminal justice reform and animal welfare. Deep independent investigations, such as https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Focus_Areas/Criminal_Justice_Reform/The_impacts_of_incarceration_on_crime_10.pdf by David Roodman for criminal justice reform and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/how-will-hen-welfare-be-impacted-transition-cage-free-housing by Ajeya Cotra for animal welfare, are highlighted. Scientific research is identified as an area of strong progress, with the transformative R01 second chance program https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-second-chance-program-nih-transformative-research-applicants highlighted. The separation from GiveWell was completed in 2017. For 2018, hiring is a top priority, while the level of giving is expected to be maintained at the current level of over $100 million | |
| An Update to How We’re Thinking About Grant Check-Ins | 2018-03-09 | Morgan Davis | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Miscellaneous commentary | Morgan Davis of the Open Philanthropy Project describes the process that the organization uses to check in on and learn from past grants. A check-in has three goals: updates (most frequent, and quite minor), lessons (less frequent, more important, and more wide-ranging), and impact (most rare, but really important when it occurs) | ||
| The world’s most intellectual foundation is hiring. Holden Karnofsky, founder of GiveWell, on how philanthropy can have maximum impact by taking big risks. | 2018-02-27 | Robert Wiblin Kieran Harris Holden Karnofsky | 80,000 Hours | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | AI safety|Global catastrophic risks|Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness|Global health and development|Animal welfare|Scientific research | This interview, with full transcript, is an episode of the 80,000 Hours podcast. In the interview, Karnofsky provides an overview of the cause prioritization and grantmaking strategy of the Open Philanthropy Project, and also notes that the Open Philanthropy Project is hiring for a number of positions | |
| New Job Opportunities | 2018-02-14 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Job advertisement | Holden Karnofsky links to job opening pages for generalist Research Analyst and Senior Research Analyst roles, specialized roles related to AI risk, roles such as Grants Associate, Operations Associate, and General Counsel, and the Director of Operations | ||
| Where, why and how I donated in 2017 | 2018-02-01 | Ben Kuhn | Ben Kuhn Open Philanthropy Project Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund Effective Altruism Grants | GiveWell GiveWell top charities EA Giving Group Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund | Periodic donation list documentation | Global health and development | Kuhn describes his decision to allocate his donation amount ($60,000, calculated as 50% of his income for the year) between GiveWell, GiveWell top charities, and his own donor-advised fund managed by Fidelity. Kuhn also discusses the Open Philanthropy Project, EA Funds, and EA Grants, and the EA Giving Group he donated to the previous year | |
| Update on Cause Prioritization at Open Philanthropy | 2018-01-26 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Cause prioritization | This very long blog post describes how the Open Philanthropy Project currently views its trade-off between near-termist human welfare, near-termist animal welfare, and long-termism. It also discusses allocation to different causes within these broad cause types. It builds upon ideas discussed at http://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/worldview-diversification and http://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/good-ventures-and-giving-now-vs-later-2016-update | |
| Fish: The Forgotten Farm Animal | 2018-01-18 | Lewis Bollard | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | The blog post, cross-posted from a newsletter published by the author, makes the case that fish welfare is neglected within the domain of factory farming, and provides suggestions for how to address that problem, including suggestions that the Open Philanthropy Project (where Bollard is the Program Officer for Farm Animal Welfare) is acting upon | |
| A Research Funder Knocks on the NIH's Door Looking for Ideas—And Big Grants Flow | 2018-01-11 | Tate Williams | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project | Arizona State University University of Notre Dame Rockefeller University University of California, San Francisco | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Scientific research | The article discusses the Open Philanthropy Project second chance funding program for rejected applicants of the National Institutes of Health transformative R01 program |
| Suggestions for Individual Donors from Open Philanthropy Project Staff - 2017 | 2017-12-21 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Jaime Yassif Chloe Cockburn Lewis Bollard Nick Beckstead Daniel Dewey | Center for International Security and Cooperation Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Good Call Court Watch NOLA Compassion in World Farming USA Wild-Animal Suffering Research Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund Donor lottery Future of Humanity Institute Center for Human-Compatible AI Machine Intelligence Research Institute Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Centre for Effective Altruism 80,000 Hours Alliance to Feed the Earth in Disasters | Donation suggestion list | Animal welfare|AI safety|Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness|Effective altruism|Criminal justice reform | Open Philanthropy Project staff give suggestions on places that might be good for individuals to donate to. Each suggestion includes a section "Why I suggest it", a section explaining why the Open Philanthropy Project has not funded (or not fully funded) the opportunity, and links to relevant writeups |
| Our ‘Second Chance’ Program for NIH Transformative Research Applicants | 2017-12-20 | Heather Youngs | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Arizona State University University of Notre Dame Rockefeller University Univesity of California San Francisco | Broad donor strategy | Scientific research/transformative R01 | The blog post describes a "second chance" program that the Open Philanthropy Project ran for rejected applications to the National Institutes of Health transformative R01 program https://commonfund.nih.gov/tra Four grants were made based on this, totaling $10.8 million. The grants were also covered in Nature at https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08795-0 |
| Staff Members’ Personal Donations for Giving Season 2017 | 2017-12-18 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Holden Karnofsky Alexander Berger Nick Beckstead Helen Toner Claire Zabel Lewis Bollard Ajeya Cotra Morgan Davis Michael Levine | GiveWell top charities GiveWell GiveDirectly EA Giving Group Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative Effective Altruism Funds: Meta Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Long-Term Future Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Animal Welfare Fund Effective Altruism Funds: Global Health and Development Fund Sentience Institute Encompass The Humane League The Good Food Institute Mercy For Animals Compassion in World Farming USA Animal Equality Donor lottery Against Malaria Foundation GiveDirectly | Periodic donation list documentation | Open Philanthropy Project staff members describe where they are donating this year, and the considerations that went into the donation decision. By policy, amounts are not disclosed. This is the first standalone blog post of this sort by the Open Philanthropy Project; in previous years, the corresponding donations were documented in the GiveWell staff members donation post | |
| Reasoning Transparency | 2017-12-12 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Reasoning supplement | The document describes what sort of document structure for discourse and research exposition is most helpful to the Open Philanthropy Project as a consumer of the work. Announced at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/i2F6YxE14O8 | |||
| Update on Investigating Neglected Goals in Biological Research | 2017-11-30 | Nick Beckstead | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project Good Ventures/not recommended by GiveWell or Open Philanthropy Project | Target Malaria | Broad donor strategy | Scientific research,Global health,Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness,Agriculture | The blog post describes the way the Open Philanthropy Project is identifying neglected goals in biological research. Previously the hope was to investigate sub-areas deeply and produce write-ups. Now, the approach is more "opportunistic": rather than do public write-ups, staff look out for good opportunities for shovel-ready or highly promising grants in the specific topics identified as having strong potential |
| How to end animal agriculture as soon as possible | 2017-09-27 | Robert Wiblin Lewis Bollard | 80,000 Hours | Open Philanthropy Project | Mercy For Animals Compassion in World Farming The Humane League The Humane Society of the United States Humane Society International The Good Food Institute Animal Equality Animal Charity Evaluators | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming | Podcast with interview of Lewis Bollard (Farm Animal Welfare Program Officer at the Open Philanthropy Project) by Robert Wiblin of 80000 Hours, along with transcript. The podcast covers the strategy of the Open Philanthropy Project. 80000 Hours is an Open Philanthropy Project grant recipient and Wiblin was also on the board of Animal Charity Evaluators, an animal welfare-focused grant recipient that is discussed in the podcast |
| The impacts of inacercation on crime | 2017-09-25 | David Roodman | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Reasoning supplement | Criminal justice reform | The document reviews three mechanisms through which incarceration might reduce crime: deterrence, incapacitation, and aftereffects. It is also published in the form of four blog posts https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/reasonable-doubt-new-look-whether-prison-growth-cuts-crime https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/deterrence-de-minimis https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/incapacitation-how-much-does-putting-people-inside-prison-cut-crime-outside https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/aftereffects-us-evidence-says-doing-more-time-typically-leads-more-crime-after and is also available as http://files.openphilanthropy.org/files/Focus_Areas/Criminal_Justice_Reform/impacts_of_incarceration_v4.mobi (Kindle) and http://files.openphilanthropy.org/files/Focus_Areas/Criminal_Justice_Reform/impacts_of_incarceration_v4.epub (Mobi) | |
| How Will Hen Welfare Be Impacted by the Transition to Cage-Free Housing? | 2017-09-15 | Ajeya Cotra | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Reasoning supplement | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free campaign | A followup to https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/initial-grants-support-corporate-cage-free-reforms which described the original cage-free campaign funding strategy. This report compares aviaries (cage-free living environments) with cages for hens. It tempers original enthusiasm for cage-free by noting higher mortality rates, but continues to support the position that cage-free is likely better on net for hens. Described in blog post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/new-report-welfare-differences-between-cage-and-cage-free-housing that expresses regret for not investigating this more thoroughly earlier, and thanks Direct Action Everywhere for highlighting the issue. See https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/cnK5yNlYHuc for the announcement | |
| The Open Philanthropy Project AI Fellows Program | 2017-09-12 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | AI safety | This annouces an AI Fellows Program to support students doing Ph.D. work in AI-related fields who have interest in AI safety. See https://www.facebook.com/vipulnaik.r/posts/10213116327718748 and https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/long-term-world-improvement/FeZ_h2HXJr0 for critical discussions | ||
| A major grant from the Open Philanthropy Project | 2017-09-08 | Malo Bourgon | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Donee periodic update | AI safety | MIRI announces that it has received a three-year grant at $1.25 million per year from the Open Philanthropy Project, and links to the announcement from Open Phil at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2017 and notes "The Open Philanthropy Project has expressed openness to potentially increasing their support if MIRI is in a position to usefully spend more than our conservative estimate, if they believe that this increase in spending is sufficiently high-value, and if we are able to secure additional outside support to ensure that the Open Philanthropy Project isn’t providing more than half of our total funding." |
| Should EAs think twice before donating to GFI? (GW, IR) | 2017-08-31 | Kevin Watkinson | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project | The Good Food Institute | Third-party case against donation | Animal welfare | The post argues against donations to The Good Food Institute, noting its limited track record as well as the huge amount of funding it is already receiving from the Open Philanthropy Project. This post is made shortly after an exchange between the post author (Kevin Watkinson) and Holden Karnofsky of the Open Philanthropy Project in http://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/march-2017-open-thread?page=1#comment-305 (the open thread of the Open Philanthropy Project). The post also critiques Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) for a positive assessment of GFI, and comments include a response from an ACE employee and an ACE board member (neither in an official capacity) |
| Relationship Disclosure Policy | 2017-08-30 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Miscellaneous commentary | The document, announced on a mailing list at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/4-0KIw2aVmQ (2017-08-30) describes a change in relationship disclosure policy on grant pages published by the Open Philanthropy Project. Relationship disclosures would now no longer be included on grant pages. See https://www.facebook.com/vipulnaik.r/posts/10212973153219475 (cross-posted at https://github.com/vipulnaik/working-drafts/blob/master/open-phil/relationship-disclosure-policy.txt to GitHub) for a critique | |||
| Fear and Loathing at Effective Altruism Global 2017 | 2017-08-16 | Scott Alexander | Slate Star Codex | Open Philanthropy Project | GiveWell Centre for Effective Altruism Center for Effective Global Action Raising for Effective Giving 80,000 Hours Wild-Animal Suffering Research Qualia Research Institute Foundational Research Institute | Miscellaneous commentary | Scott Alexander describes his experience at Effective ALtruism Global 2017. He describes how the effective altruism movement has both the formal-looking, "suits" people who are in charge of large amounts of money, and the "weirdos" who are toying around with ideas that seem strange and are not mainstream even within effective altruism. However, he feels that rather than being two separate groups, the two groups blend into and overlap with each other. He sees this as a sign that the effective altruism movement is composed of genuinely good people who are looking to make a difference, and explains why he thinks they are succeeding | |
| Grants to Support Farm Animal Welfare Work in China | 2017-08-09 | Lewis Bollard | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Compassion in World Farming WildAid World Animal Protection Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Humane Slaughter Association Jeanne Marchig Centre Animal Welfare Standards Project Green Monday Griffith University Brighter Green | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming/China | The document describes the strategy of the Open Philanthropy Project to focus on farm animal welfare advocacy in China, and lists ten grants that are part of this strategy. It is announced 2017-08-09 at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/ngrjni1iKLg on the mailing list; this comes 9.5 months after the strategy was unofficially announced by Lewis Bollard at https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/permalink/656583861179155/ (2016-10-25) on Facebook |
| My current thoughts on MIRI’s highly reliable agent design work (GW, IR) | 2017-07-07 | Daniel Dewey | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Evaluator review of donee | AI safety | Post discusses thoughts on the MIRI work on highly reliable agent design. Dewey is looking into the subject to inform Open Philanthropy Project grantmaking to MIRI specifically and for AI risk in general; the post reflects his own opinions that could affect Open Phil decisions. See https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/long-term-world-improvement/FeZ_h2HXJr0 for critical discussion, in particular the comments by Sarah Constantin |
| Hi, I’m Luke Muehlhauser. AMA about Open Philanthropy’s new report on consciousness and moral patienthood | 2017-06-28 | Luke Muehlhauser | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project | Dyrevernalliansen Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Contemporaries Eurogroup for Animals | Reasoning supplement | Moral patienthood/animal welfare | Luke Muehlhauser hosts an Ask Me Anything (AMA) on the Effective Altruism Forum about his recently published report https://www.openphilanthropy.org/2017-report-consciousness-and-moral-patienthood (2017-06-06). The post gets 61 comments |
| The Open Philanthropy Project Is Now an Independent Organization | 2017-06-12 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project Good Ventures | Status change | The Open Philanthropy Project announces that it is now a separate entity from GiveWell, and that it has incorporated as a LLC. The change was effective 2017-06-01. See https://blog.givewell.org/2017/06/12/separating-givewell-open-philanthropy-project/ for the complementary post on the GiveWell blog | ||
| 2017 Report on Consciousness and Moral Patienthood | 2017-06-06 | Luke Muehlhauser | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Dyrevernalliansen Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Contemporaries Eurogroup for Animals | Reasoning supplement | Moral patienthood/animal welfare | The writeup announced at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/new-report-consciousness-and-moral-patienthood provides an overview of the findings of Luke Muehlhauser on moral patienthood -- a broad subject covering what creatures are the subject of moral concern. As described at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/radical-empathy Open Phil identifies with radical empathy, extending concern to beings considered of moral concern, even if they are not traditionally subjects of empathy and concern. See https://www.facebook.com/groups/effective.altruists/permalink/1426329927423360/ for a discussion of the post on the Effective Altruism Facebook group, and see http://effective-altruism.com/ea/1c3/hi_im_luke_muehlhauser_ama_about_open/ for a related AMA. The writeup influenced the Open Philanthropy Project Farm Animal Welfare Officer Lewis Bollard to investigate and donate in the domain of fish welfare; see http://effective-altruism.com/ea/1c3/hi_im_luke_muehlhauser_ama_about_open/b8o for a comment clarifying this effect |
| An Open Letter to SOZE and the Open Philanthropy Project: The Right of Return Fellowship and Ethics in Funding | 2017-04-27 | Taylar Nuevelle | Medium | Open Philanthropy Project | The Soze Agency | Third-party case against donation | Criminal justice reform | The writer, a contestant for the Right of Return Fellowship, feels that the contest was rigged, and is writing to bring that to the attention of the Open Philanthropy Project, that funded the Soze Agency for this work |
| Soros Connected Groups Dominate Ayala’s Personal & Professional Life | 2017-04-19 | Jacob Engels | Central Florida Post | Open Philanthropy Project | Florida Rights Restoration Coalition Fair and Just Prosecution | Third-party case against donation | Criminal justice reform | The writer notes how the Open Philanthropy Project (that he mistakenly believes to be a Soros-funded group) has been attempting to influence Orange and Osceola County State Attorney Aramis Ayala, and argues for more openness. See https://www.facebook.com/vipulnaik.r/posts/10212752692588097 for a discussion |
| Why Are the US Corporate Cage-Free Campaigns Succeeding? | 2017-04-11 | Lewis Bollard | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | The Humane League Mercy For Animals The Humane Society of the United States Compassion in World Farming USA | Review of current state of cause area | Animal welfare/factory farming/cage-free campaign | Lewis Bollard, Open Philanthropy Project Program Officer for Animal Welfare, who brought passion about cage-free campaigns to the organization when he joined, provides a timeline of cage-free campaigns and an assessment of the success of these campaigns, and the role of the Open Philanthropy Project as a funder |
| Open Philanthropy Project non-grant funding | 2017-04-02 | Issa Rice | Open Philanthropy Project | Miscellaneous commentary | The document lists some funding by the Open Philanthropy Project that is publicly disclosed (either by Open Philanthropy Project or by the donee or another reliable source) but is not part of the Open Philanthropy Project grants database, and is not included in employee salaries and benefits. | |||
| Criminal Justice Reform Strategy | 2017-03-27 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Criminal justice reform | Explanation of the criminal justice reform strategy of the Open Philanthropy Project in the United States, under the leadership of Chloe Cockburn. Discusses broad goals, types of organizations funded, other funders in the space, and expected impact. Announced in email https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/_aKeLKRqtQY by Devin Jacob on 2017-03-27 | ||
| Our Progress in 2016 and Plans for 2017 | 2017-03-14 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Scientific research|AI safety | The blog post compares progress made by the Open Philanthropy Project in 2016 against plans laid out in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-progress-2015-and-plans-2016 and then lays out plans for 2017. The post notes success in scaling up grantmaking, as hoped for in last year's plan. The spinoff from GiveWell is still not completed because it turned out to be more complex than expected, but it is expected to be finished in mid-2017. Open Phil highlights the hiring of three Scientific Advisors (Chris Somerville, Heather Youngs, and Daniel Martin-Alarcon) in mid-2016, as part of its scientific research work. The organization also plans to focus more on figuring out how to decide how much money to allocate between different cause areas, with Karnofsky's worldview diversification post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/worldview-diversification also highlighted. There is no plan to scale up staff or grantmmaking (unlike 2016, when the focus was to scale up hiring, and 2015, when the focus was to scale up staff) | |
| A conversation with Lewis Bollard, February 23, 2017 | 2017-02-23 | Lewis Bollard Luke Muehlhauser | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Animal welfare | Farm animal welfare program officer Lewis Bollard speaks with Luke Muehlhauser, investigator into moral patienthood, on the history of the animal rights and welfare movements as well as recent developments | |
| Daniel May: "Open Science: little room for more funding." | 2017-02-15 | Daniel May | Oxford Prioritisation Project | Oxford Prioritisation Project Laura and John Arnold Foundation Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Scientific research | The summary states: "I consider open science as a cause area, by reviewing Open Phil’s published work, as well as some popular articles and research, and assessing the field for scale, neglectedness, and tractability. I conclude that the best giving opportunities will likely be filled by foundations such as LJAF and Open Phil, and recommend that the Oxford Prioritisation Project focusses elsewhere." Also available as a Google Doc at https://docs.google.com/document/d/13wsMAugRacu52EPZo6-7NJh4QuYayKyIbjChwU0KsVU/edit?usp=sharing and at the Effective Altruism Forum at http://effective-altruism.com/ea/17g/daniel_may_open_science_little_room_for_more/ (10 comments) | |
| Forget Washington. Criminal Justice Funders Have Big Plans at the Local Level | 2017-02-08 | Philip Rojc | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project Laura and John Arnold Foundation MacArthur Foundation | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Criminal justice reform | The post compares the criminal justice reform strategies followed by, on the one hand, the Arnold and MacArthur Foundation (working on the inside with government agencies and power players), on the other hand, the Open Philanthropy Project (keeping the pressure for reform from the outside). It says that the two strategies are complementary, and taken together, improve the expected amount of reform | |
| Good Ventures and Giving Now vs. Later (2016 Update) | 2016-12-28 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Good Ventures/GiveWell top and standout charities | GiveWell top charities Against Malaria Foundation Schistosomiasis Control Initiative Deworm the World Initiative GiveDirectly Malaria Consortium Sightsavers END Fund Development Media International Food Fortification Initiative Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition Iodine Global Network Living Goods Project Healthy Children | Reasoning supplement | Global health and development | Explanation of reasoning that led to $50 million allocation to GiveWell top charities |
| Suggestions for Individual Donors from Open Philanthropy Project Staff - 2016 | 2016-12-14 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Jaime Yassif Chloe Cockburn Lewis Bollard Daniel Dewey Nick Beckstead | Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense Alliance for Safety and Justice Cosecha Animal Charity Evaluators Compassion in World Farming USA Machine Intelligence Research Institute Future of Humanity Institute 80,000 Hours Ploughshares Fund | Donation suggestion list | Animal welfare|AI safety|Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness|Effective altruism|Migration policy | Open Philanthropy Project staff describe suggestions for best donation opportunities for individual donors in their specific areas |
| Worldview Diversification | 2016-12-13 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Cause prioritization | The blog post discusses the challenge of comparing donation opportunities in very different cause areas, and the importance of relying on a diversity of worldviews to inform grantmaking strategy | |
| Catastrophic Global Risks: A Silicon Valley Funder Thinks the Unthinkable | 2016-11-30 | Sue Lynn-Moses | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project | Center for International Security and Cooperation | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | A discussion of the overall work done by the Open Philanthropy Project on global catastrophic risks, with a particular focus on biosecurity. Comparisons are made with the Skoll Global Threats Fund, and the historical work of the Rockefeller Foundation in disease surveillance (that it recently pulled out of) is referenced |
| Vast Suffering, Clear Solutions: The Logic Behind a Global Push to Help Farm Animals | 2016-11-17 | Tate Williams | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming | The article reviews Open Philanthropy Project grants for animal welfare, primarily grants focused on cage-free campaigns, decided by program officer Lewis Bollard. The connection with the effective altruist movement is also highlighted | |
| The Open Philanthropy Project just announced our latest grant to WildAid in China | 2016-10-25 | Lewis Bollard | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Green Monday World Animal Protection Brighter Green WildAid | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming/China | Announcement of strategy on Facebook; official document https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/grants-support-farm-animal-welfare-work-china announced at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/ngrjni1iKLg (2017-08-09). |
| Grisly Undercover Video Shows Chickens Being Starved To Produce More Eggs | 2016-10-11 | Nico Pitney | Huffington Post | Open Philanthropy Project | Humane Society International Mercy For Animals Animal Equality People for Animals The Humane League | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free campaign/international | Provides some context for the move by the Open Philanthropy Project in mid-2016 to expand its cage-free campaign funding internationally |
| Brian Tomasik, Research Lead, Foundational Research Institute on October 6, 2016 | 2016-10-06 | Brian Tomasik Luke Muehlhauser | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Reasoning supplement | Moral patienthood/animal welfare | Conversation as part of research by Muehlhauser into moral patienthood, that would culminate in the writeup https://www.openphilanthropy.org/2017-report-consciousness-and-moral-patienthood published in 2017 | |
| Machine Intelligence Research Institute — General Support | 2016-09-06 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Evaluator review of donee | AI safety | Open Phil writes about the grant at considerable length, more than it usually does. This is because it says that it has found the investigation difficult and believes that others may benefit from its process. The writeup also links to reviews of MIRI research by AI researchers, commissioned by Open Phil: http://files.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/MIRI/consolidated_public_reviews.pdf (the reviews are anonymized). The date is based on the announcement date of the grant, see https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/XkSl27jBDZ8 for the email |
| Anonymized Reviews of Three Recent Papers from MIRI’s Agent Foundations Research Agenda (PDF) | 2016-09-06 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Evaluator review of donee | AI safety | Reviews of the technical work done by MIRI, solicited and compiled by the Open Philanthropy Project as part of its decision process behind a grant for general support to MIRI documented at http://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support (grant made 2016-08, announced 2016-09-06) | |
| Why the Open Philanthropy Project Should Prioritize Wild Animal Suffering | 2016-08-26 | Michael Dickens | Effective Altruism Forum | Open Philanthropy Project | Unsolicited third-party suggestions for donor | Animal welfare/wild animals | Michael Dickens offers reasons that the Open Philanthropy Project should prioritize Wild Animal Suffering. He writes: "What we need is a large, committed source of funding to jump-start the cause. If the Open Philanthropy Project began funding work on wild animal suffering, it could stimulate new research efforts or small-scale interventions by offering grants. Specifically, Open Phil should probably create a new focus area for wild animal suffering and possibly hire dedicated staff. This problem has such large scale, and so many possible interventions, that it absolutely deserves to be a dedicated focus area. Open Phil might consider lumping WAS under its farm animal welfare program, but this would excessively constrain its budget and limit the amount of staff time that it could receive. Wild animal suffering is a massive problem, and easily deserves as much attention as most of Open Phil’s other focus areas." | |
| Housing and Incarceration Memorandum | 2016-08-22 | Chelsea Tabart | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Reasoning supplement | Criminal justice reform | An internal memorandum on the intersection between housing and incarceration written by Chelsea Tabart for Chloe Cockburn (the criminal justice program officer). The memorandum would be publicly announced and linked to from https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/jQyJCLBgenc (2017-10-25) | |
| Potential Risks from Advanced Artificial Intelligence: The Philanthropic Opportunity | 2016-05-06 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute Future of Humanity Institute | Review of current state of cause area | AI safety | In this blog post that that the author says took him over over 70 hours to write (See https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/update-how-were-thinking-about-openness-and-information-sharing for the statistic), Holden Karnofsky explains the position of the Open Philanthropy Project on the potential risks and opportunities from AI, and why they are making funding in the area a priority |
| Our Progress in 2015 and Plans for 2016 | 2016-04-29 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Scientific research|AI safety | The blog post compares progress made by the Open Philanthropy Project in 2015 against plans laid out in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/open-philanthropy-project-progress-2014-and-plans-2015 and then lays out plans for 2016. The post notes the following in relation to its 2015 plans: it succeeded in hiring and expanding the team, but had to scale back on its scientific research ambitions in mid-2015. For 2016, Open Phil plans to focus on scaling up its grantmaking and reducing its focus on hiring. AI safety is declared as an intended priority for 2016, with Daniel Dewey working on it full-time, and Nick Beckstead and Holden Karnofsky also devoting significant time to it. The post also notes plans to continue work on separating the Open Philanthropy Project from GiveWell | |
| Initial Grants to Support Corporate Cage-free Reforms | 2016-03-31 | Lewis Bollard | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | The Humane League Mercy For Animals The Humane Society of the United States | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free campaign/international | Written to explain a bunch of grants already made in 2016-02 to support cage-free reforms in the United States for egg-laying chicken. The blog post had a heated comment section, potentially influencing future Open Phil communication on the subject |
| EPISODE 324: LEWIS BOLLARD FROM THE OPEN PHILANTHROPY PROJECT | 2016-03-26 | Lewis Bollard Jasmin Singer Mariann Sullivan | Our Hen House | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming | Lewis Bollard, who recently joined the Open Philanthropy Project and has recently recommended a bunch of grants related to corporate campaigns, describes what he is working on | |
| Suggestions for individual donors from Open Philanthropy Project staff | 2015-12-23 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Chloe Cockburn Lewis Bollard Alexander Berger Nick Beckstead Howie Lempel | Alliance for Safety and Justice Bronx Freedom Fund The Humane League The Humane Society of the United States Center for Global Development Center for Popular Democracy Ploughshares Fund | Donation suggestion list | Criminal justice reform|Animal welfare|Global health | Open Philanthropy Project staff describe suggestions for best donation opportunities for individual donors in their specific areas. The post was originally published to the GiveWell blog |
| ALLEVIATING ANIMAL SUFFERING: A CONVERSATION WITH LEWIS BOLLARD | 2015-11-29 | Marc Gunther | Nonprofit Chronicles | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare/factory farming | The author discusses takeaway from a recent lunch with Lewis Bollard, who has recently joined the Open Philanthropy Project as the Program Officer for Farm Animal Welfare | |
| Incoming Program Officer: Lewis Bollard | 2015-09-11 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Animal welfare | Open Philanthropy Project announces that it is hiring Lewis Bollard, poaching him from the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) via a referral from Howie Lempel. Bollard would direct tens of millions of dollars in funding in the area over the next few years, including massive spend on corporate cage-free campaigns in the United States and internationally. The post was originally published on the GiveWell blog at https://blog.givewell.org/2015/09/11/incoming-program-officer-lewis-bollard/ and has 6 comments there | |
| Open Philanthropy Project | 2015-09-05 | Sydney Martin | Open Philanthropy Project | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Criminal justice reform | The blog post describes the Open Philanthropy Project and its broad strategy of selecting a few areas through cause prioritization, studying them in depth, and granting a lot in those areas. She particularly focuses on criminal justice reform and the hiring of Chloe Cockburn | ||
| Incoming Program Officer for Criminal Justice Reform: Chloe Cockburn | 2015-06-16 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Criminal justice reform | The post notes that the Open Philanthropy Project is hiring Chloe Cockburn as the Program Officer in criminal justice reform, poaching her from the American Civil Liberties Union. Cockburn would direct tens of millions of dollars in funding in criminal justice reform over the next few years. The post was originally published on the GiveWell blog at https://blog.givewell.org/2015/06/16/incoming-program-officer-for-criminal-justice-reform-chloe-cockburn/ and has 5 comemnts there | |
| Open Philanthropy Project: Progress in 2014 and Plans for 2015 | 2015-03-12 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Global catastrophic risks|Scientific research|Global health and development | The blog post compares progress made by the Open Philanthropy Project in 2015 against plans laid out in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/givewell-labs-progress-2013-and-plans-2014 and lays out further plans for 2015. The post says that progress in the areas of U.S. policy and global catastrophic risks was substantial and matched expectations, but progress in scientific research and global health and development was less than hoped for. The plan for 2015 is to focus on growing more in the domain of scientific research and postpone work on global health and development (thus freeing up staff capacity). There is much more detail in the post | |
| Open Philanthropy Project Update: U.S. Policy | 2015-03-10 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Cause prioritization,Criminal justice reform,Animal welfare,Macroeconomic stabilization policy,Migration policy,Drug policy | Originally published on the GiveWell blog at https://blog.givewell.org/2015/03/10/open-philanthropy-project-update-u-s-policy/ where comments can still be found. This is an annual update on where the Open Philanthropy Project stands on its investigation of United States policy issues. Some of the cause areas covered under what they call United States policy would later include grants to outside the United States (in particular, animal welfare), while others, such as criminal justice reform and macroeconomic stabilization policy, would remain within the United States | |
| Thoughts on the Sandler Foundation | 2015-02-24 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Sandler Foundation Open Philanthropy Project | Center for American Progress ProPublica Center for Responsible Lending Washington Center for Equitable Growth Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | This blog post originally appeared on the GiveWell blog at https://blog.givewell.org/2015/02/24/thoughts-on-the-sandler-foundation/ prior to the Open Phil blog launch. The post is part of Open Phil research into how different foundations structure their operations and giving. The post covers the Sandler Foundation, which has an unusual giving model, sacrificing cause-specific, domain-expert "program officers" and instead having a small staff that would opportunistically shift between researching different giving opportunities. Successes of the Sandler Foundation were noted, including forming the Center for American Progress, ProPublica, Center for Responsible Lending, and Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and providing support to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Sandler Foundation approach was described as follows: (1) The priority placed on funding strong leadership, (2) A high level of “opportunism”: being ready to put major funding or no funding behind an idea, depending on the quality of the specific opportunity. Ultimately, the post concluded that Open Phil would probably stick with the more standard program officer model and including a mix of larger and smaller grants. Reasons given were: (a) Open Phil's policy priorities mapped less clearly to existing political platforms than the Sandler Foundation's, so it would be harder to find fully aligned leaders, (b) Open Phil sees a good deal of value in relatively small, low-confidence, low-due-diligence grants that give a person/team a chance to “get an idea off the ground.” We’ve made multiple such grants to date and we plan on continuing to do so, (c) confidence in the Sandler Foundation's track record was not very high. However, Open Phil might experiment with using generalist staff in addition to program officers; the generalists would scan across issues to find and vet opportunities | |
| Criminal justice reform | 2014-11-01 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Criminal justice reform | The document gives the state of understanding of the Open Philanthropy Project as of November 2014, of the landscrape for criminal justice reform in the United States. It was originally prepared for a November 2014 convening. It is superseded by later documents, in particular https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/criminal-justice-reform-strategy (2017-03-27) | ||
| Potential Global Catastrophic Risk Focus Areas | 2014-06-26 | Alexander Berger | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | AI safety|Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness|Global catastrophic risks | In this blog post originally published at https://blog.givewell.org/2014/06/26/potential-global-catastrophic-risk-focus-areas/ Alexander Berger goes over a list of seven types of global catastrophic risks (GCRs) that the Open Philanthropy Project has considered. He details three promising areas that the Open Philanthropy Project is exploring more and may make grants in: (1) Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, (2) Geoengineering research and governance, (3) AI safety. For the AI safety section, there is a note from Executive Director Holden Karnofsky saying that he sees AI safety as a more promising area than Berger does | |
| Potential U.S. Policy Focus Areas | 2014-05-29 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Cause prioritization|Criminal justice reform|Drug policy|Migration policy|Macroeconomic stabilization policy|Global health and development|Climate change|Tax policy | The blog post reviews the current understanding of the Open Philanthropy Project of various cause areas that they are considering for their grantmaking. They break up the cause areas discussed as: Windows of opportunity: outstanding tractability (i.e., "the time is right"), Ambitious longshots: outstanding importance, and Green fields: outstanding "room for more philanthropy". Other causes of interest (that do not neatly fit into one of these boxes) are also discussed | |
| Criminal Justice Reform | 2014-05-01 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Criminal justice reform | The document summarizes the state of investigation of the Open Philanthropy Project into criminal justice reform in a United States context, as of May 2014. The nutshell headers are: What is the state of our investigation into U.S. criminal justice reform? Why are we making criminal justice reform grants? What is the problem? What are possible interventions? | ||
| Macroeconomic policy | 2014-05-01 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | Initial findings from a medium-depth investigation into the current state of macroeconomic stabilization policy | ||
| GiveWell Labs - Progress in 2013 and Plans for 2014 | 2014-03-05 | Holden Karnofsky | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Broad donor strategy | Cause prioritization | Originally published on the GiveWell blog at https://blog.givewell.org/2014/03/05/givewell-labs-progress-in-2013-and-plans-for-2014/ where comments can still be found. This is an annual update on the state of the Open Philanthropy Project, which, at the time, was called GiveWell Labs. It describes the areas that the Open Philanthropy Project plans to focus on, and the level of depth it plans to go into | |
| Biosecurity | 2014-01-01 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | Initial findings from a shallow investigation into the current state of biosecurity and its funding | ||
| Treatment of Animals in Industrial Agriculture | 2013-09-01 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Animal welfare/factory farming/United States | Initial findings from a shallow investigation into the impact of industrial agriculture on animal welfare in the United States | ||
| Migration policy/international labor mobility | 2013-05-01 | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Migration policy/international labor mobility | Initial findings from a shallow investigation into the current state of labor mobility, with more focus on the United States | ||
| Thoughts on the Singularity Institute (SI) (GW, IR) | 2012-05-11 | Holden Karnofsky | LessWrong | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Evaluator review of donee | AI safety | Post discussing reasons Holden Karnofsky, co-executive director of GiveWell, does not recommend the Singularity Institute (SI), the historical name for the Machine Intelligence Research Institute. This evaluation would be the starting point for the initial position of the Open Philanthropy Project (a GiveWell spin-off grantmaker) toward MIRI, but Karnofsky and the Open Philanthropy Project would later update in favor of AI safety in general and MIRI in particular; this evolution is described in https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hKZNRSLm7zubKZmfA7vsXvkIofprQLGUoW43CYXPRrk/edit |
| Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence | 2011-04-30 | Holden Karnofsky | GiveWell | Open Philanthropy Project | Machine Intelligence Research Institute | Evaluator review of donee | AI safety | In this email thread on the GiveWell mailing list, Holden Karnofsky gives his views on the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence (SIAI), the former name for the Machine Intelligence Research Institute (MIRI). The reply emails include a discussion of how much weight to give to, and what to learn from, the support for MIRI by Peter Thiel, a wealthy early MIRI backer. In the final email in the thread, Holden Karnofsky includes an audio recording with Jaan Tallinn, another wealthy early MIRI backer. This analysis likely influences the review https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/6SGqkCgHuNr7d4yJm/thoughts-on-the-singularity-institute-si (GW, IR) published by Karnofsky next year, as well as the initial position of the Open Philanthropy Project (a GveWell spin-off grantmaker) toward MIRI |
| Advocacy for Improved or Increased U.S. Foreign Aid | Open Philanthropy Project | Open Philanthropy Project | Review of current state of cause area | Global health and development | The Open Philanthropy Project reviews the current state of policy advocacy for increasing development assistance from the United States government, in order to identify what a new funder (potentially, the Open Philanthropy Project) could do in the space | |||
| Open Philanthropy Project: Grants for Global Security | Inside Philanthropy | Open Philanthropy Project | Center for International Security and Cooperation | Third-party coverage of donor strategy | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | An overview by Inside Philanthropy of the Open Philanthropy Project and its work on biosecurity grants |
| Donee | Amount (current USD) | Amount rank (out of 541) | Donation date | Cause area | URL | Influencer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Food Partners | 3,500,000.00 | 22 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-food-partners-general-support | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "Global Food Partners is a new organization, led by Elissa Lane, N.G. Jayasimha, and Sabina Garcia, that plans to focus primarily on helping companies implement animal welfare commitments in Asia. [...] Global Food Partners also plans to eventually use a portion of these funds to support work with companies seeking new pledges. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Our farm animal welfare team believes this work [helping companies implement animal welfare commitments in Asia] will help ensure that corporate pledges are fulfilled. Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): This is a founding grant, so timing likely determined by timing of the creation of the organization Intended funding timeframe in months: 36 Announced: 2019-09-05. |
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| Effective Altruism Foundation | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Effective altruism | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/effective-altruism-foundation-research-operations | Nick Beckstead Claire Zabel | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support research and operations" Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says "A major purpose of this grant is to encourage and support EAF and our other grantees in the space in taking approaches to longtermism with greater emphasis on shared objectives between different value systems. We conceive of this grant as falling under our work aimed at growing and supporting the EA community." Earlier in the document, past reservations that Open Phil has had about EAF are described: "EAF is an organization whose values put a particular emphasis on trying to reduce the risks of future suffering. While preventing suffering is a value we share, we also believe that the speculative and suffering-focused nature of this work means that it needs to be communicated about carefully, and could be counterproductive otherwise. As a result, we have felt ambivalent about EAF’s work to date (despite feeling unambiguously positively about some of their projects)." Other notes: The grant would be discussed further by Simon Knutsson in his critical post https://www.simonknutsson.com/problems-in-effective-altruism-and-existential-risk-and-what-to-do-about-them/ that also includes discussion of guidelines that Nick Beckstead of the Open Philanthropy Project developed, and that EAF was now adopting and encouraging others to adopt. Knutsson sees the adoption of the guidelines as being linked to the grant money, due to both the timing matching and the language of the grant page. On separate pages, Knutsson publishes correspondence between him and people at Open Phil and EAF where he tried to get more specific information from the two organizations: https://www.simonknutsson.com/e-mail-exchange-with-the-open-philanthropy-project and https://www.simonknutsson.com/message-exchange-with-eaf/. Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-07-30. |
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| California Institute of Technology | 2,000,000.00 | 57 | Scientific research/transformative basic science | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/california-institute-technology-research-reproductive-biology-magdalena-zernicka-goetz | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: The grant page says the grant is "to support research by Professor Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz on reproductive biology. Dr. Zernicka-Goetz’s proposed research would focus on understanding the molecular processes by which a single cell gives rise to all of the cell types and organ/tissue structures that comprise a fully developed embryo." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Progress in this area could eventually enable people with fertility challenges to have children and could eventually help reduce the incidence of a wide variety of high-burden disorders (such as heart disease, chronic pain, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease) and promote other positive outcomes. Dr. Zernicka-Goetz’s research is amongst the most promising our science team has encountered so far in this field." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-09-05. |
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| Center for Global Development | 3,000,000.00 | 26 | Global health and development | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-health-and-development/miscellaneous/center-global-development-general-support-2019 | Alexander Berger Jacob Trefethen | Donation process: This is a grant renewal of another grant of the same size three years ago. The grant page says: "Our renewal decision at this stage was based largely on our previous decision and the view that three years was too short a window on which to update for a mature but hits-based organization like CGD." Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: Grantee "is a think tank that conducts research on and promotes improvements to rich-world policies that affect the global poor." For the previous grant: "CGD says it used to conduct research on aid effectiveness, U.S. development policy, universal basic income in India, and taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugar." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant renews a previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-health-and-development/miscellaneous/center-global-development-general-support-2016 and the reasons remain the same as specified in that grant write-up. The grant page says: "Our renewal decision at this stage was based largely on our previous decision and the view that three years was too short a window on which to update for a mature but hits-based organization like CGD." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The grant amount as well as structure of the grant exactly match the February 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-health-and-development/miscellaneous/center-global-development-general-support-2016 namely $3 million over 3 years Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing determined by the end of the previous three-year grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-health-and-development/miscellaneous/center-global-development-general-support-2016 made in Februay 2016 (the renewal, in June 2019, is four months ago) Intended funding timeframe in months: 36 Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: According to the grant page: "We expect to undertake a more thorough evaluation of CGD’s performance approximately two years into this grant, which would be five years into our overall support." Announced: 2019-09-05. |
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| Altruistic Technology Labs | 440,525.00 | 212 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/altruistic-technology-labs-biological-risk-prevention | Claire Zabel | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grantee, "AltLabs", a new organization, intends to use these funds to hire initial staff and pursue various research projects related to catastrophic risk reduction, including machine-learning-based attribution of engineered DNA and broad-spectrum infectious disease diagnostics. Announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| Ethan Alley | 437,800.00 | 213 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/scholarship-support-2019 | Claire Zabel | Intended use of funds (category): Living expenses during research project Intended use of funds: The grant page says the grant is "over four years in scholarship funds support to Ethan Alley to pursue a PhD at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The funding is intended to be used for his tuition, fees, healthcare, and a living stipend during his degree program Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says the grant "is part of an effort to support value-aligned and qualified early-career researchers interested in global catastrophic risks." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The grant page says: "The funding is intended to be used for his tuition, fees, healthcare, and a living stipend during his degree program [over four years]" so the amount is likely determined based on the sum of the costs of these over four years Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely determined by the start time of the grantee's PhD program Intended funding timeframe in months: 48 Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: The grant page calls the grant "part of an effort to support value-aligned and qualified early-career researchers interested in global catastrophic risks" so it will likely be followed by other similar grants to other researchers Announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| Open Phil AI Fellowship (Earmark: Aidan Gomez|Andrew Ilyas|Julius Adebayo|Lydia T. Liu|Max Simchowitz|Pratyusha Kullari|Siddharth Karamcheti|Smitha Milli) | 2,325,000.00 | 51 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/open-phil-ai-fellowship-2019-class | Daniel Dewey | Donation process: According to the grant page:"These fellows were selected from more than 175 applicants for their academic excellence, technical knowledge, careful reasoning, and interest in making the long-term, large-scale impacts of AI a central focus of their research." Intended use of funds (category): Living expenses during research project Intended use of funds: Grant to provide scholarship support to eight machine learning researchers over five years Donor reason for selecting the donee: According to the grant page: "The intent of the Open Phil AI Fellowship is both to support a small group of promising researchers and to foster a community with a culture of trust, debate, excitement, and intellectual excellence. We plan to host gatherings once or twice per year where fellows can get to know one another, learn about each other’s work, and connect with other researchers who share their interests." Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): This is the second of annual sets of grants, decided through an annual application process Intended funding timeframe in months: 60 Announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| Rita Allen Foundation | 495,000.00 | 203 | Scientific research/human health and wellbeing/pain studies | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/rita-allen-foundation-fellowship-support | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to provide three years in flexible support to three scholars identified by the American Pain Society in collaboration with the Rita Allen Foundation as excellent researchers in the fields of pain, neuroscience, anesthesiology and neurology. The scholars are: Jordan McCall, assistant professor, Washington University St. Louis; Peter Grace, assistant professor, MD Anderson Center Texas; and Vivianne Tawfik, assistant professor, Stanford University. Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Amount likely determined by the number of researchers being funded and the total cost of funding them for three years. No explicit discussion of reason for amount on the grant page Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-06-26. |
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| Anima | 367,222.00 | 241 | Animal welfare/factory farming/movement growth | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/anima-movement-building | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: According to the grant page, the grant is "to support a new project focused on building the farm animal welfare movement globally. The project will be run by Andrzej Pazgan and Laura Gough, will be initially housed at Anima International, and will launch with a focus on Eastern Europe. Early success there could lead to expansion to to Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and/or Africa." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Our farm animal welfare team believes large portions of the world still have little organized farm animal welfare advocacy, and that the only support capacity that does exist in some regions is in the form of corporate cage-free advocacy, which may not be a good fit for all countries and activists. This project, by identifying promising groups, training them, coordinating them around campaigns, and funding them, could eventually increase farm animal welfare capacity globally." Other notes: The grant is denominated in euros; it is €325,494 ($367,222.33 at the time of conversion). Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| California YIMBY | 2,000,000.00 | 57 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support-2019 | -- | Donation process: Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund because the funds are to be used for lobbying Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: According to the grant page, the grantee "reports that they will use our support to continue work on organizing, communications, digital outreach, data and analytics, and finance and operations." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page gives the following reasons for seeing California housing policy changes as promising philanthropy: (1) large share of US population and half of expensive metro population, (2) cost-effectiveness of state-level advocacy, as observed in criminal justice reform grantmaking, (3) wider scope of housing markets than the geographic range in which housing approvals are allocated (e.g., people search for houses outside city limits), (4) widespread consensus that California should be building more homes Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The implicit funding of $1 million/year is similar to the funding in 2018 of $850,000 ($500,000 initial grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support in April 2018 + $350,000 matching funds https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support in August 2018) with a slight increase possibly accounting for the organization's expansion Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing likely determined by it being one year since the last full general support grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support of $500,000 in April 2018 (though there was a coupled matching grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support-august-2018 in August 2018, it is likely that the expected total of the two grants was expected to last one year from April 2018) Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Affected countries: Alexander Berger; affected states: United States; affected cities: California; announced: 2019-07-22. |
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| Real Justice PAC | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/real-justice-pac-criminal-justice-reform-april-2019 | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant recommended for Cari Tuna to make personally (normally, grants for lobbying are recommended to be made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund) Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "Real Justice intends to use these funds to elect reform-minded candidates who will work to safely reduce the number of people incarcerated in their jurisdictions." Use of funds is limited to work in New York state Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; announced: 2019-05-24. |
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| Working Families Party | 117,300.00 | 382 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york-2019 | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant recommended for Cari Tuna to personally make Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the Working Families Party’s work on criminal justice issues in New York, including electing prosecutors who are supportive of criminal justice reform, and not other priorities of the Working Families Party. The grant page says: "The funding will allow the Working Families Party to recruit, interview, and support potentially reform-minded prosecutor candidates throughout New York State." Donor reason for selecting the donee: No explicit reason for selecting the donee is given, but the reason is likely similar to that for the first October 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount is a little higher than the previous December 2018 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-general-support Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely because of the timeframe of the previous grant ending; however, no explicit timing-related reasons are given Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; announced: 2019-05-24. |
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| Employ America | 300,000.00 | 259 | Macroecononic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/employ-america-start-up | Alexander Berger | Donation process: This is a total across two grants, one of which is being made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: Grant "to help launch Employ America and cover a six-month pilot period." The grant page says: "Employ America will focus on making the public and intellectual case for policies that support full employment and building a broader set of allies to further that goal, especially with an eye to the next economic downturn. In order to do so, it will produce research and analysis on the state of the labor market and current and potential macroeconomic policies and policymakers. It will be led by Sam Bell, who has previously consulted for us and our grantee Fed Up." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "As labor market conditions have improved over the last few years, we’ve become less confident about the appropriate short term stance of monetary policy, but we continue to believe it is worthwhile to support research and advocacy like this, at least through the next recession." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Amount likely determined based on how much is needed for an initial 6-month startup Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-05-29. |
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| FAI Farms | 426,000.00 | 217 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/fai-farms-tilapia-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: The grant page says: "This project was supported through a contractor agreement. While we do not typically publish pages for contractor agreements, we chose to write about this funding because we view it as conceptually similar to an ordinary grant, despite its structure as a contract due to the recipient’s organizational form." Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to develop welfare measures, best practice guidelines, and training materials to improve the welfare of farmed tilapia. FAI plans to research optimal stocking density, humane transport and slaughter methods, ways to minimize handling stress, and alternatives to mouth clipping of territorial male tilapia" Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-06-07. |
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| FAI Farms | 107,200.00 | 389 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/fai-farms-cage-free-eggs-china | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Discretionary grant made via the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. The grant page says: "This project was supported through a contractor agreement. While we do not typically publish pages for contractor agreements, we chose to write about this funding because we view it as conceptually similar to an ordinary grant, despite its structure as a contract due to the recipient’s organizational form." Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support Chinese farm animal welfare auditor trainings, egg farm audits, and a cage-free conference. These projects will promote cage-free production in China, the world’s largest egg producer, and aim to reduce the suffering of egg-laying hens." Affected countries: China; announced: 2019-06-07. |
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| Just Liberty | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2019 | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Discretionary grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund because the money is being used for lobbying Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "Just Liberty intends to use these funds to continue its organizing, lobbying, and outreach activities to build support for criminal justice reform in Texas. Many of its activities appeal to center-right voters, whose voices may be impactful on Republican lawmakers." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Many of its activities appeal to center-right voters, whose voices may be impactful on Republican lawmakers." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount of this grant ($100,000) is much less than the amounts of previous grants https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2016 (October 2016, $530,000) and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2018 (January 2018, $569,000). However, it is also, unlike the previous grants, a discretionary grant. Reasons for these changes are not discussed Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely determined by the expiration of the previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2018 (January 2018). The spacing from the previous grant to this one of 15 months matches the spacing between the previous grant and the grant before that (October 2016) https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2016 Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2019-06-07. |
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| Tampere University (Earmark: Hiski Haukkala) | 15,000.00 | 524 | Global catastropihic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/tampere-university-2019 | Claire Zabel | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support Professor Hiski Haukkala’s efforts related to global catastrophic risks. Haukkala, a Finnish professor of international relations, plans to use the funding to bring speakers to Finland to discuss existential risks, to attend events related to existential risks, and to support networking and related projects." Announced: 2019-06-07. |
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| University of California, Los Angeles | 2,368,300.00 | 49 | Scientific research/transformative basic science | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/ucla-epigenetic-clock-research | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to UCLA Professor Steve Horvath and collaborators to pursue a series of experiments directed toward understanding why an algorithm based on the presence or absence of epigenetic modifications at several hundred sites in the human genome, which they call the “epigenetic clock,” is able to predict age with very high accuracy. Dr. Horvath and his collaborators plan to systematically alter the activity of genes that are thought to affect the clock in mice, to test whether they can slow or accelerate the clock and, if they can, what effects perturbation of the clock may have on the aging processes in the mice. They will also investigate why some human syndromes are associated with accelerated aging, and will study how the clock works in various types of cultured human cells." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says "The research will seek to understand how the clock measures age and whether changes to the associated processes can have useful impact on aging in humans." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-06-22. |
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| Life Sciences Research Foundation | 1,170,000.00 | 99 | Scientific research/trasnformative basic science | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/life-sciences-research-foundation-young-investigators-2019 | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "The funds will support six postdoctoral fellows for three years apiece. The fellows have proposed research projects investigating Alzheimer’s disease, infectious disease dynamics, forebrain development, cross-species transmission of bird flu, muscle stem cell function, and immune system evolution." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-06-26. |
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| World Animal Protection | 781,498.00 | 139 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/world-animal-protection-se-asia-broiler | Amanda Hungerford | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support corporate broiler chicken campaigns in Southeast Asia with a focus on Thailand and Indonesia. WAP plans to increase its broiler chicken campaigns in Thailand and perform scoping research to lay the groundwork for future campaigns in Indonesia, as both Thailand and Indonesia have large numbers of farmed birds." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; affected countries: Thailand|Indonesia; announced: 2019-06-26. |
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| Kyoto University | 4,000,000.00 | 17 | Scientific research/transformative basic science/stem cell research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/kyoto-university-research-reproductive-biology-mitinori-saitou | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support research by Professor Mitinori Saitou on reproductive biology. Dr. Saitou has been at the forefront of research into methods of causing induced pluripotent stem cells to develop into oocytes in mice. Progress in this area could eventually enable people with fertility challenges to have children and could eventually help reduce the incidence of a wide variety of high-burden disorders (such as heart disease, chronic pain, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease) and lead to other beneficial outcomes. Announced: 2019-04-23. | |
| Center for Global Development | 709,888.00 | 148 | Migration policy/international labor mobility | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/center-global-development-labor-mobility-partnerships | Alexander Berger | Grant over 1.5 years to the Center for Global Development to support a working group on and incubation of a new organization aimed at enhancing international labor mobility. The new organization, called LaMP (Labor Mobility Partnerships), hopes to assist countries negotiating new legal channels for migration on terms of mutual benefit and to generate research and evidence on effective labor mobility regimes, in the ultimate service of reducing global poverty and inequality. Rebekah Smith and Lant Pritchett, who will be working together on the incubation and launch, proposed the idea for this type of organization in a 2016 CGD working paper https://www.cgdev.org/sites/default/files/goldilocks-solution-just-right-promotion-labor-mobility.pdf. Announced: 2019-04-19. | |
| MIT Media Lab | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Global catastrophic risks|Global health|Animal welfare | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/massachusetts-institute-technology-media-lab-kevin-esvelt | Claire Zabel | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant over two years to the MIT Media Lab to support the research of Professor Kevin Esvelt. Professor Esvelt plans to use this funding to conduct research on global catastrophic risks, global health, and animal welfare. Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-06-26. |
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| Rethink Priorities | 200,000.00 | 317 | Animal welfare | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/rethink-priorities-farm-animal-welfare-research | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "This funding is intended to help Rethink Priorities produce research on potential and existing interventions like evaluating the efficacy of corporate campaigns and analyzing public support for various types of reform." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "We believe more high-quality research in this area would help us and other farm animal welfare funders compare future opportunities." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| The Humane League | 1,565,000.00 | 74 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-open-wing-alliance-2019 | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support program grants, events, and associated costs for the Open Wing Alliance. This funding will support members of the Open Wing Alliance who are working to secure corporate cage-free pledges and build an effective farm animal welfare movement in more nations. Donor reason for selecting the donee: No explicit reasons given but likely the same as the reasons for the original September 2017 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-open-wing-alliance-2017 Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing is not explicitly discussed, but it is likely because the timeframe for the earlier grants is ending Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Announced: 2019-04-26. |
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| New York University | 125,840.00 | 370 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/nyu-becca-frank-fish-animal-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: According to the grant page, the grant is "to support research scientist Becca Franks’ work on fish welfare. These funds will support projects including systematic reviews of the literature on aquaculture (farmed fish) welfare and general fish welfare, as well as research on curiosity, play, and positive emotions in fish." Announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| Yale University | 180,000.00 | 339 | Scientific research/human health and wellbeing | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/human-health-and-wellbeing/yale-university-school-of-medicine-vascular-therapy | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: The grant page says that the grant is "to support research on the modification of vascular permeability by monoclonal antibodies against key regulatory proteins. Increased permeability might allow medicines to cross the blood-brain barrier and could accelerate the development of new therapies for neurogenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s Disease, while decreased permeability could be useful in treating conditions such as swelling in stroke victims and sepsis." Announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| Ayni Institute | 264,000.00 | 283 | Criminal justice reform/movement growth | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ayni-institute-criminal-justice-reform-coaching | Chloe Cockburn Jesse Rothman | Donation process: Discretionary grant co-decided by Chloe Cockburn, the Program Officer for criminal justice reform Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support coaching and training on strategy, operational capacity, leadership, and scaling. The Ayni Institute plans to provide this support to other organizations working on criminal justice reform. Donor reason for selecting the donee: No explicit reason given, but it is likely for reasons similar to the original March 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ayni-institute-movement-ecology-training and the December 2016 followup grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ayni-institute-movement-ecology-and-metrics Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| Just Outcomes | 30,000.00 | 507 | Criminal justice reform/restorative justice | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-outcomes-restorative-justice | Chloe Cockburn Jesse Rothman | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant via the Social Good Fund to hire a third facilitator and support statewide restorative justice standards convenings in Oregon. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Oregon; announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| University of Michigan | 2,500,000.00 | 45 | Scientific research/transformative basic science | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/university-michigan-research-on-mammalian-gamete-development | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support research by Professor Sue Hammoud on mammalian gamete development. Dr. Hammoud’s proposed research would be specifically focused on development of gametes from stem cells. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Progress in this area could eventually enable people with fertility challenges to have children and could eventually help reduce the incidence of a wide variety of high-burden disorders (such as heart disease, chronic pain, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease) and promote other positive outcomes. Dr. Hammoud’s research is amongst the most promising our science team has encountered so far in this field." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| Compassion in World Farming | 1,891,890.00 | 65 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-world-farming-china-2019 | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grantee plans to use these funds to continue working with Chinese producers, food companies, and industry to raise farm animal welfare standards. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Our farm animal welfare team believes Compassion’s China team has collaborated productively with industry, and benefits from dedicated senior leadership." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Grant of £1,430,000 ($1,891,890 at time of conversion) Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely determined by the end of the previous two-year grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-world-farming-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china made February 2017 Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Affected countries: China; announced: 2019-06-26. |
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| Humane Slaughter Association | 570,402.00 | 160 | Animal welfare/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-slaughter-association-wild-caught-fish | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support research on ways to improve the welfare of wild-caught fish. This will allow HSA to seek proposals for a peer-reviewed and published systematic review of current fish slaughter practices, potential changes to the catching process to minimize suffering, and new stunning methods that could be more humane than current practices, economically viable for wide adoption, and feasible for on-ship use." Donor reason for selecting the donee: Grant follows a similar June 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-slaughter-association-fish-welfare that was also focused on fish Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Grant of £1,999,137 ($2,528,678 at time of conversion) Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-06-26. |
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| Sightline Institute | 150,000.00 | 351 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/sightline-institute-housing-and-urban-development-2019 | Alexander Berger | Donation process: Discretionary grant. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund because the funds are to be used for lobbying Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support work on housing and land use." Grantee "plans to use these funds to support priority housing legislation in Washington and Oregon." Donor reason for selecting the donee: No explicit reasons given, but reasons likely similar to those for the October 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/sightline-institute-housing-and-urban-development-2017 and the October 2015 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/sightline-institute-housing-and-urban-development (which has the most detailed write-up) Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount of this grant ($100,000) is less than the amount for previous two-year grants ($400,000 and $350,000) so it is more a supplement than a renewal Affected countries: United States; affected states: Washington|Oregon; announced: 2019-06-07. |
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| 80,000 Hours | 4,795,803.00 | 15 | Effective altruism/movement growth/career counseling | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support-2019 | Committee for Effective Altruism Support | Donation process: The decision of whether to donate seems to have followed the Open Philanthropy Project's usual process, but the exact amount to donate was determined by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support using the process described at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: 80,000 Hours aims to solve skill bottlenecks for career paths in what it considers to be the world’s most pressing problems. It does this by providing online research, in-person advice, and support with the goal of helping talented graduates age 20-40 enter high-impact careers. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Open Phil's grant writeup says: "we see the basic pros and cons of this support similarly to what we’ve presented in past writeups on the matter" and links to the February 2018 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support-2018 Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount is decided by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support but individual votes and reasoning are not public. Two other grants with amounts decided by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support, made at the same time and therefore likely drawing from the same money pot, are to the Machine Intelligence Research Institute ($2,112,5000) and Centre for Effective Altruism ($2,756,250) Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Reasons for timing are not discussed, but likely include (1) It is about a year since the last grant to 80,000 Hours, and the grants are generally expected to last a year, so a renewal is due, (2) The Committee for Effective Altruism Support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support did its first round of money allocation, so the timing is determined by the timing of that allocation round Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Announced: 2019-03-28. |
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| Fair and Just Prosecution | 1,500,000.00 | 77 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/fair-and-just-prosecution-general-support-2019 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant over two years via the Tides Center. Grantee brings together recently elected local prosecutors as part of a network interested in implementing innovative criminal justice system policy and practicing reforms in their own offices. Grant renews the January 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/fair-and-just-prosecution-general-support. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-04-26. | |
| Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education | 368,188.00 | 240 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/jeanne-marchig-centre-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china-2019 | Lewis Bollard | Grant of £277,000 ($368,188.40 at time of conversion) over two years to the Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education at the University of Edinburgh to support its work to improve farm animal welfare in China. The Centre plans to use these funds to continue hosting workshops for Chinese pig and poultry producers and to fund a promising Chinese farm animal welfare PhD to study at Edinburgh. Follows the March 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/jeanne-marchig-centre-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china. Affected countries: China; announced: 2019-04-02. | |
| We Animals | 240,000.00 | 306 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/we-animals-farm-animal-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: According to the grant page, the grant is "to continue documenting the lives and experiences of farm animals. We Animals works with filmmakers, writers, and photographers to produce open-source media content that advocates and others can deploy in their campaigns. We Animals also intends to use some of the funds to support the Unbound Project, which recognizes and celebrates women at the forefront of animal advocacy." Announced: 2019-07-18. |
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| California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund | 400,000.00 | 227 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-renters-legal-advocacy-and-education-fund-general-support-2019 | Alexander Berger | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: Grantee intends to continue pursuing litigation, advocating against regulatory barriers to building housing in the San Francisco Bay Area, and developing educational resources. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Renewal of previous June 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-renters-legal-advocacy-and-education-fund-general-support Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| The Center for Election Science | 1,800,000.00 | 66 | Politics | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/the-center-for-election-science-general-support-2019 | Willam MacAskill | Grantee is a US-based nonprofit that promotes alternative voting methods to plurality voting. The grant is a renewal of December 2017 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/the-center-for-election-science-general-support which allowed the grantee to organize a ballot initiative for approval voting https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/11/15/18092206/midterm-elections-vote-fargo-approval-voting-ranked-choice that was adopted by Fargo, North Dakota. The renewal is intended to help CES scale up its operations and replicate ballot initiatives for approval voting in other cities. Announced: 2019-03-01. | |
| World Animal Protection | 1,200,000.00 | 94 | Animal welfare/factory farming/pig | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/world-animal-protection-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china-2019 | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support work to advance farm animal welfare in China. World Animal Protection is supporting model pig farms to demonstrate higher welfare to large pig producers, and has secured China’s first corporate crate-free pledges for pigs." "WAP plans to use these funds to continue engaging with Chinese pig producers and supermarkets, and expand outreach to large-scale chicken producers and retailers." Donor reason for selecting the donee: Part of a China focus strategy announced by Lewis Bollard at https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/permalink/656583861179155/ (2016-10-25) and explained in depth in a document https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/grants-support-farm-animal-welfare-work-china announced at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/ngrjni1iKLg (2017-08-09) Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): No explicit amount-related reasons are provided, but this amount is over double the amount ($544,607) of the previous grant related to factory farming in China Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; affected countries: China; announced: 2019-06-22. |
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| University Health Network | 1,134,975.00 | 102 | Scientific research/human health and wellbeing | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/university-health-network-preterm-birth-research | Heather Youngs | Grant to the University Health Network, a Canadian research center affiliated with the University of Toronto, to support a randomized controlled trial investigating the efficacy of an intervention to reduce preterm birth in Malawi. Preterm birth is a leading cause of global under-five mortality, resulting in over 1 million deaths each year. The research will be led by Kevin Kain and Chloe McDonald. Announced: 2019-04-26. | |
| Machine Intelligence Research Institute | 2,112,500.00 | 53 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2019 | Claire Zabel Committee for Effective Altruism Support | Donation process: The decision of whether to donate seems to have followed the Open Philanthropy Project's usual process, but the exact amount to donate was determined by the Committee for Effectlve Altruism Support using the process described at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: MIRI plans to use these funds for ongoing research and activities related to AI safety. Planned activities include alignment research, a summer fellows program, computer scientist workshops, and internship programs. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "we see the basic pros and cons of this support similarly to what we’ve presented in past writeups on the matter" Past writeups include the grant pages for the October 2017 three-year support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2017 and the August 2016 one-year support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount is decided by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support but individual votes and reasoning are not public. Two other grants with amounts decided by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support, made at the same time and therefore likely drawing from the same money pot, are to the Center for Effective Altruism ($2,756,250) and 80,000 Hours ($4,795,803). The amount of $2,112,500 is split across two years, and therefore ~$1.06 million per year. https://intelligence.org/2019/04/01/new-grants-open-phil-beri/ clarifies that the amount for 2019 is on top of the third year of three-year $1.25 million/year support announced in October 2017, and the total $2.31 million represents Open Phil's full intended funding for MIRI for 2019, but the amount for 2020 of ~$1.06 million is a lower bound, and Open Phil may grant more for 2020 later. Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Reasons for timing are not discussed, but likely reasons include: (1) The original three-year funding period https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2017 is coming to an end, (2) Even though there is time before the funding period ends, MIRI has grown in budget and achievements, so a suitable funding amount could be larger, (3) The Committee for Effective Altruism Support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support did its first round of money allocation, so the timing is determined by the timing of that allocation round Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: According to https://intelligence.org/2019/04/01/new-grants-open-phil-beri/ Open Phil may increase its level of support for 2020 beyond the ~$1.06 million that is part of this grant Other notes: The grantee, MIRI, discusses the grant on its website at https://intelligence.org/2019/04/01/new-grants-open-phil-beri/ along with a $600,000 grant from the Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative. Announced: 2019-04-02. |
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| Centre for Effective Altruism | 2,756,250.00 | 38 | Effective altruism/movement growth | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-effective-altruism-general-support-2019 | Committee for Effective Altruism Support | Donation process: The decision of whether to donate seems to have followed the Open Philanthropy Project's usual process, but the exact amount to donate was determined by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support using the process described at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant writeup says: "CEA is a central organization within the effective altruism (EA) community that engages in a variety of activities aimed at helping the EA community." Donor reason for selecting the donee: Open Phil's grant writeup says: "we see the basic pros and cons of this support similarly to what we’ve presented in past writeups on the matter" and links to the June 2018 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-effective-altruism-general-support-2019 Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount is decided by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support but individual votes and reasoning are not public. Two other grants with amounts decided by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support, made at the same time and therefore likely drawing from the same money pot, are to the Machine Intelligence Research Institute ($2,112,5000) and 80,000 Hours ($4,795,803) Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Reasons for timing are not discussed, but likely include (1) It is about a year since the last grant to the Centre for Effective Altruism, and the grants are generally expected to last a year, so a renewal is due, (2) The Committee for Effective Altruism Support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/committee-effective-altruism-support did its first round of money allocation, so the timing is determined by the timing of that allocation round Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Announced: 2019-04-19. |
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| Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative | 491,000.00 | 205 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/reform-jails-and-community-reinvestment-initiative-reform-la-jails-ballot-measure-january-2019 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund to support work on the Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative (Reform L.A. Jails). If passed by voters, Reform L.A. Jails will task Los Angeles leaders with developing a comprehensive plan to reduce jail populations and redirect the cost savings to alternatives to incarceration. The original grant amount in January 2019 was $150,000; in March 2019, $341,000 was added to the grant amount, giving a total of $491,000. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; affected cities: Los Angeles; announced: 2019-01-28. | |
| University of California, Berkeley | 131,579.00 | 367 | Animal welfare/factory farming/meat alternatives | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/uc-berkeley-alternate-meats-lab | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support the Alternative Meats Lab, housed at The Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. The lab is the outgrowth of a class on developing animal product alternatives. This grant may help spur new startups developing alternatives to animal products, and could help build the talent pipeline for existing startups working in this space. Announced: 2019-02-22. | |
| International Refugee Assistance Project | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Migration policy/refugee migration | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/international-refugee-assistance-project-general-support-2018 | Alexander Berger | Grant renews May 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/international-refugee-assistance-project-general-support Grantee plans to expand its work to Europe, focusing on family reunification, asylum, and humanitarian visas. In the grant writeup, the donor notes: "our immigration policy work has not focused much on refugee resettlement, which we had assumed would be more crowded than other aspects of immigration policy with funders aimed at supporting increased opportunities for people to move to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons. While we continue to believe that is directionally correct, our increased interest in supporting advocacy around refugee resettlement is partially based on learning more about the fairly limited foundation funding for advocacy around refugee resettlement.". Announced: 2019-03-30. | |
| Center for Security and Emerging Technology | 55,000,000.00 | 1 | Security/Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness/Global catastrophic risks/AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/georgetown-university-center-security-and-emerging-technology | Luke Muehlhauser | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: Grant via Georgetown University for the Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), a new think tank led by Jason Matheny, formerly of IARPA, dedicated to policy analysis at the intersection of national and international security and emerging technologies. CSET plans to provide nonpartisan technical analysis and advice related to emerging technologies and their security implications to the government, key media outlets, and other stakeholders. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Open Phil thinks that one of the key factors in whether AI is broadly beneficial for society is whether policymakers are well-informed and well-advised about the nature of AI’s potential benefits, potential risks, and how these relate to potential policy actions. As AI grows more powerful, calls for government to play a more active role are likely to increase, and government funding and regulation could affect the benefits and risks of AI. Thus: "Overall, we feel that ensuring high-quality and well-informed advice to policymakers over the long run is one of the most promising ways to increase the benefits and reduce the risks from advanced AI, and that the team put together by CSET is uniquely well-positioned to provide such advice." Despite risks and uncertainty, the grant is described as worthwhile under Open Phil's hits-based giving framework Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The large amount over an extended period (5 years) is explained at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/questions-we-ask-ourselves-making-grant "In the case of the new Center for Security and Emerging Technology, we think it will take some time to develop expertise on key questions relevant to policymakers and want to give CSET the commitment necessary to recruit key people, so we provided a five-year grant." Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely determined by the timing that the grantee plans to launch. More timing details are not discussed Intended funding timeframe in months: 60 Other notes: Donee is entered as Center for Security and Emerging Technology rather than as Georgetown University for consistency with future grants directly to the organization once it is set up. Founding members of CSET include Dewey Murdick from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, William Hannas from the CIA, and Helen Toner from the Open Philanthropy Project. The grant is discussed in the broader context of giving by the Open Philanthropy Project into global catastrophic risks and AI safety in the Inside Philanthropy article https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2019/3/22/why-this-effective-altruist-funder-is-giving-millions-to-ai-security. Announced: 2019-02-28. |
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| Sherlock Biosciences | 17,500,000.00 | 3 | Scientific research/Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/sherlock-biosciences-research-viral-diagnostics | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Donation process: The Open Philanthropy Project's scientific advisors Chris Somerville and Heather Youngs were hopeful about viral diagnostics after hearing of research coming out of Feng Zhang's lab (Zhang would later co-found Sherlock Biosciences). When they ran into David Walt, they asked him if his new company (Sherlock Biosciences) would be interested in developing a viral diagnostic, and after consulting with his team, he said they would. This started the process of vetting Sherlock Biosciences for the grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the development of a diagnostic platform to identify any virus present in a patient sample. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Chris Somerville and Heather Youngs have been interested in viral diagnostics because development of this technology could both reduce threats from viral pandemics and also benefit health care broadly. The selection of Sherlock Biosciences was because of their team and technology, which made it plausible that they could develop this technology Other notes: The Open Philanthropy Project also recommended an additional investment in Sherlock Biosciences. Sherlock recently spun out of Harvard University’s Wyss Institute and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. The launch of Sherlock Biosciences, and the funding by the Open Philanthropy Project, are discussed in Forbes at https://www.forbes.com/sites/elliekincaid/2019/03/21/with-launch-of-new-crispr-company-competition-extends-to-diagnostics/ More background explanation related to the grant is in the conversation blog post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/explaining-our-bet-sherlock-biosciences-innovations-viral-diagnostics. Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2019-03-21. |
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| The Humane League | 750,000.00 | 144 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-broiler-welfare-campaigns | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support corporate campaigns to improve the welfare of broiler chickens. Broiler chickens are the most numerous land farm animals. Broiler welfare campaigns seek to address these causes of suffering. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Open Phil considers broiler chicken welfare a high-impact cause: "Broiler chickens are the most numerous land farm animals, with more than a billion alive at any time and approximately 9 billion slaughtered annually in the U.S. alone. Their welfare is impacted by genetics, overcrowding, inhumane slaughter, and environmental factors like chronic sleep deprivation due to lighting schedules optimized for growth." Part of a strategy focus on broiler chicken welfare in late 2016, though no overarching document on this has been posted. See also https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/search/?query=broiler%20chicken The Humane League is selected for reasons outlined in earlier grants, such as the August 2018 general support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-general-support-2018 Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely based on funding needs and the using up of funds from previous grants. No explicit reasons for timing are given Announced: 2019-04-30. |
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| Compassion Over Killing | 250,000.00 | 289 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-exit-grant-2019 | Amanda Hungerford | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support farm animal welfare outreach and investigations related to chickens and fish. The new funding represents an “exit grant” that will provide Compassion Over Killing with approximately one year of operating support to allow them to secure other funding. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The donor had previously supported the donee in 2016 https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-over-killing-us-broiler-welfare-campaigns The new grant is an exit grant to give the donee time to find other sources of funding Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Likely selected as a reasonable amount for a one-year exit grant Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing likely determined by the end of the previous grant, and the need to provide more funding for a smooth exit grant Intended funding timeframe in months: 12 Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: There will be no next donation; this is an exit grant Announced: 2019-05-07. |
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| Center for International Security and Cooperation | 1,625,000.00 | 72 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/center-international-security-and-cooperation-biosecurity-research-2019 | Claire Zabel | Grant over three years to Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) to support Megan Palmer’s work on biosecurity. This research is focused on developing ways to improve governance of biological science and to reduce the risk of misuse of advanced biotechnology. This funding is intended to allow Dr. Palmer to continue and extend a study on the attitudes of participants in International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM), to better understand how institutional environments, safety practices or competition incentives might motivate young scientists and engineers. The grant is a renewal of the October 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/center-international-security-and-cooperation-biosecurity-research. Announced: 2019-02-12. | |
| Farm Forward | 166,000.00 | 342 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/farm-forward-exit-grant | Amanda Hungerford | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to continue to seek commitments from universities, hospitals, and companies to source certified higher-welfare animal products. This is an exit grant, so will not be renewed; the purpose of the grant is therefore also to give the grantee enough time to find alternate funding sources Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): The grant is a renewal grant and its timing is determined by the end of the timeframe for the previous grant Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: There will be no next donation; this is an exit grant Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative | 250,000.00 | 289 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/berkeley-existential-risk-initiative-chai-ml-engineers | Daniel Dewey | Donation process: The Open Philanthropy Project described the donation decision as being based on "conversations with various professors and students" Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to temporarily or permanently hire machine learning research engineers dedicated to BERI’s collaboration with the Center for Human-compatible Artificial Intelligence (CHAI). Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Based on conversations with various professors and students, we believe CHAI could make more progress with more engineering support." Other notes: Follows previous support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/uc-berkeley-center-human-compatible-ai for the launch of CHAI and previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/berkeley-existential-risk-initiative-core-staff-and-chai-collaboration to collaborate with CHAI. Announced: 2019-03-05. |
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| Peterson Institute for International Economics | 400,000.00 | 227 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/peterson-institute-international-economics-macroeconomic-projects | Alexander Berger | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support research by non-resident fellows Karen Dynan and Jason Furman on key questions in macroeconomic stabilization policy. Karen Dynan will study the optimal design of automatic stabilizer programs — taxes and government programs that respond automatically to changing economic conditions. Jason Furman will study the costs and benefits of allowing employment to exceed some estimates of full employment. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "We see these both as crucially important questions in macroeconomic stabilization policy and believe Dynan and Furman are especially well-placed to address them in an influential and informative fashion." Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| University of Southern California | 2,250,000.00 | 52 | Scientific research/tools and techniques | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/Social-Science-Genetic-Association-Consortium-general-support | Alexander Berger | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the Social Science Genetic Association Consortium (SSGAC). Approximately 20% of this grant is intended to support work on bioethics and the public discussion of these topics. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Our understanding is that SSGAC has received substantially less funding to date than comparable consortia (such as in psychiatric genetics), but still produces high-quality, replicable research and serves as a model of careful public communication, most notably through their discussions of frequently asked questions." Announced: 2019-05-18. |
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| Royal Veterinary College | 130,850.00 | 368 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/royal-vet-college-halal | Amanda Hungerford | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to investigate a more humane method of halal poultry slaughter. Controlled atmosphere slaughter techniques, which are among the most commonly used stunning systems, are not currently approved by halal authorities. Royal Veterinary College intends to use these funds to investigate a new method of stunning that would both be approved by halal authorities and allow chickens to be individually stunned Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says the grant would "potentially [reduce] suffering for more than 100 million chickens slaughtered in halal facilities in Europe each year." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Grant of £100,000 ($130,850 at the time of conversion) Announced: 2019-05-23. |
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| Princeton University | 170,000.00 | 340 | Animal welfare | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/princeton-university-guo-peng | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Discretionary grant, structured as a gift Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the work of Shandong University Professor Guo Peng, a leading animal protection scholar in China, in collaboration with Professor Peter Singer of Princeton University. This award will support the translation of books on animal ethics and farm animal welfare issues into Mandarin Chinese Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says the project "could bolster animal ethics in Chinese universities, foster more attention on these issues, and eventually influence policy discussions." Affected countries: China; announced: 2019-05-23. |
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| Center for Global Development | 333,550.00 | 251 | Scientific research/human health and wellbeing | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/center-for-global-development-gene-drive-research | Alexander Berger | Discretionary grant to support research on the assessment and regulation of gene drive technology. CGD plans to use this grant to identify key political and social considerations that may inform global decisions on the development and deployment of gene drive technology, particularly with respect to malaria. CGD will conduct interviews and site visits to develop a better understanding of regulatory, social, and political considerations at play in different contexts. The research will be led by Gyude Moore, CGD visiting fellow and former Minister of Public Works in Liberia. Announced: 2019-02-15. | |
| Smart Justice CA | 25,000.00 | 512 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/smart-justice-ca-california-criminal-justice-reform-lobbying-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant from the Open Philanthropy Action Fund, via the Tides Foundation, to support lobbying on criminal justice bills considered during the 2018 California legislative session, including bills related to bail reform, youth justice, mandatory sentencing, and law enforcement misconduct. Renewal of December 2017 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/smart-justice-ca-california-criminal-justice-reform-lobbying. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2019-01-26. | |
| Mass Liberation Project | 120,000.00 | 378 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/mass-liberation-project-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant from the Open Philanthropy Action Fund, via Tides Advocacy Fund, for general support. Grantee is a new organization planning to focus on organizing and capacity building in target jurisdictions where there is opportunity for prosecutorial and bail reform. Grantee is interested in training formerly incarcerated organizers and helping to build robust, accountable relationships between prosecutors and communities most impacted by incarceration. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2019-01-26. | |
| Promise of Justice Initiative | 75,000.00 | 437 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/promise-justice-initiative-east-baton-rouge-parish-prison-reform-coalition | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition, which is leading a campaign to replace the East Baton Rouge jail with a smaller, safer facility. This follows May 2016 general support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/promise-justice-initiative-general-support. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Louisiana; affected cities: Baton Rouge; announced: 2019-01-26. | |
| Color of Change | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-of-change-criminal-justice-reform-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund to support grantee to continue increasing the salience of prosecutor and bail reform at a national level and support local groups to win electoral and prosecutorial accountability campaigns in various jurisdictions. Renews December 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-of-change-criminal-justice-reform-2017. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-01-31. | |
| Citizens for Juvenile Justice | 75,000.00 | 437 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/citizens-juvenile-justice-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund to allow grantee continue advocating for reforms to the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts, in particular, raising the age of criminal court jurisdiction to 21. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Massachusetts; announced: 2019-02-12. | |
| National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls | 350,000.00 | 243 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/national-council-incarcerated-and-formerly-incarcerated-women-and-girls-general-support-december-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. The grant is a renewal of the March 2018 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/national-council-incarcerated-and-formerly-incarcerated-women-and-girls-general-support. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-02-12. | |
| The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights | 200,000.00 | 317 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/leadership-conference-on-civil-and-human-rights-cjr-in-dc | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund for advocacy on federal criminal justice reform policy. LCCHR works with over 200 civil rights oriented groups and has taken a strong position on risk assessment. This funding will pay for staff time and overhead. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-02-12. | |
| Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research | 3,000,000.00 | 26 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chick culling | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/foundation-food-and-agriculture-research-egg-tech-challenge | Lewis Bollard | Grant includes approximately $2,000,000 for FFAR to support research teams to compete for the prize, and approximately $1,000,000 for the prize itself, which will be awarded only if certain conditions are met. Lewis Bollard, the Open Phil program officer for farm animal welfare, believes this technology will end the acute suffering at death of ~6.5 billion chicks per year and will spare ~29 million hens per year from factory farming entirely because the aborted eggs will replace their output in the market. Grant follows an April 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/foundation-food-and-agriculture-research-farm-animal-welfare-research to the same grantee to find solutions to bone fractures in cage-free hens and painful castration in piglets. Announced: 2019-03-21. | |
| University of Sydney | 32,621.00 | 503 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/university-of-sydney-global-health-security-conference | Claire Zabel | Grant of $45,000 AUD ($32,620.50 at the time of conversion) to the University of Sydney to support the 2019 Global Health Security Conference in Sydney, Australia. The funds are intended for general support of the conference, and to support travel bursaries to allow participants from low-income countries to attend a gathering of the global health security community, including academics, policymakers, and practitioners. Announced: 2019-01-17. | |
| Working Families Party | 109,600.00 | 387 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant recommended for Cari Tuna to personally make Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the Working Families Party’s work on criminal justice issues in New York, including electing prosecutors who are supportive of criminal justice reform, and not other priorities of the Working Families Party. The grant page says: "The funding will allow the Working Families Party to recruit, interview, and support potentially reform-minded prosecutor candidates throughout New York State." Donor reason for selecting the donee: No explicit reason for selecting the donee is given, but the reason is likely similar to that for the previous October 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount is the same as the amount for the previous (October 2017) grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely because of the timeframe of the previous grant ending; however, no explicit timing-related reasons are given Donor retrospective of the donation: The followup April 2019 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york-2019 suggests that the grant would be considered a success Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; announced: 2019-01-15. |
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| Georgia Institute of Technology | 50,000.00 | 458 | Scientific research/transformative basic science/Innocentive challenge | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/georgia-institute-of-technology-saad-bhamla | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support research led by Dr. Saad Bhamla. Dr. Bhamla’s proposal, “Feathers as extreme water pumps,” was submitted in response to the Open Philanthropy Project's Innocentive challenge https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9934081 on bioinspiration and unusual biology. While this funding is not restricted to the execution of that proposal, the Open Philanthropy Project science team believes Dr. Bhamla's lab conducts other creative research, and wants to reward the spirit of creative science. Announced: 2019-02-12. | |
| The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | 150,000.00 | 351 | Scientific research/transformative basic science/Innocentive challenge | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/university-of-minnesota-nanomaterials-research-led-by-prof-claudia-schmidt-dannert | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support nanomaterials research led by Professor Claudia Schmidt-Dannert. Professor Schmidt-Dannert’s proposal, titled “Genetically programmable, adhesive nanomaterials as patterned and functional surface coatings,” is the grand prize winner of the Open Philanthropy Project's Innocentive challenge https://www.innocentive.com/ar/challenge/9934081 on bioinspiration and unusual biology. The Open Philanthropy Project science team believes Professor Schmidt-Dannert could be able to design new materials with applications such as anti-fouling, anti-corrosion, and anti-freeze coatings, as well as coatings for biomedical applications. Announced: 2019-02-12. | |
| Corrections Accountability Project | 150,000.00 | 351 | Criminal justice reform/prison life quality | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/corrections-accountability-project-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support, renewing October 2017 seed grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/corrections-accountability-project-general-support Grantee is housed at the Urban Justice Center. Grantee, led by Bianca Tylek, educates the public about the harms of the commercialization of the corrections system, advocates against exploitation of incarcerated people, and supports others to lead campaigns that address these harms. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| Forward Justice | 150,000.00 | 351 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/forward-justice-criminal-justice-reform-advocacy-and-organizing-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grantee is led by nationally prominent formerly incarcerated advocate Daryl Atkinson, to support local prosecutor accountability and organizing work in North Carolina in Durham and Pitt counties. This funding will support Forward Justice to continue to grow the local chapter of All of Us or None, and will also support local organizing, public forums, and town halls to work with Durham’s newly elected district attorney to ensure policies are keeping communities safe without overly relying on jail and prison incarceration. Renewal of May 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/forward-justice-daryl-atkinson-north-carolina. Affected countries: United States; affected states: North Carolina; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| The Ahimsa Collective | 150,000.00 | 351 | Criminal justice reform/restorative justice | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ahimsa-collective-life-comes-from-it-fund | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to grantee organization run by restorative justice practitioner and leader Sonya Shah, renewing July 2017 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ahimsa-collective-restorative-justice-report Grant to support administrative costs of the Life Comes From It fund. The fund provides grants up to $25,000 to restorative justice, transformative justice, and peacemaking projects. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| Alliance for Safety and Justice | 3,000,000.00 | 26 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant via the Tides Center for general support. Renewal of previous support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-general-support-2017 of $4,000,000. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-action-fund-general-support-2018 to the Alliance for Safety and Justice Action Fund of $2,000,000. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-12-12. | |
| Alliance for Safety and Justice Action Fund | 2,000,000.00 | 57 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-action-fund-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund, via The Advocacy Fund, for general support. This funding is intended to support ASJ Action’s ongoing policy reform, legislative and ballot advocacy, and lobbying efforts. Companion grant to https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-general-support-2018 to the Alliance for Safety and Justice. Renewal of April 2017 grant of $1,000,000. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-12-12. | |
| Court Watch NOLA | 200,000.00 | 317 | Criminal justice reform/court watching | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/court-watch-nola-general-support-november-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee utilizes over 100 volunteers annually to observe and collect data on practices used in New Orleans courtrooms. Its observations and data are then compiled into regular reports, which can be used by the general public and advocacy groups for work related to criminal justice reform. Grant follows February 2018 support: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/court-watch-nola-general-support-2018. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New Orleans; announced: 2019-01-26. | |
| Global Animal Partnership | 500,000.00 | 176 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-farm-animal-welfare-activities | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support corporate outreach and certification oversight. Renewal of past support in April 2016 https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support and February 2017 https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support-2017. Announced: 2018-12-12. | |
| University of Bern | 150,000.00 | 351 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/university-of-bern-higher-welfare-cage-free-systems | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to develop and implement a pilot project for U.S. egg producers, equipment installers, and USDA extension agents to learn about management of high-welfare, cage-free systems in Switzerland, Sweden, Holland, and Belgium. The funds will support Dr. Michael Toscano, Group Leader of Switzerland’s Centre for Proper Housing of Poultry and Rabbits, and colleagues to develop the educational program and deploy it with approximately 20 U.S. producers, installers, and extension agents. Due to Switzerland’s ban of battery cages in 1992, its producers and scientists have more than 25 years of experience managing cage-free systems. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-12-12. | |
| University of British Columbia | 50,186.00 | 457 | Animal welfare/factory farming/pig/talent pipeline | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/university-of-british-columbia-research-pig-welfare-china | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to enable animal welfare science student Maria Chen to produce a Masters thesis on pig welfare in China. Her planned research could identify reform opportunities on mid-sized pig farms. Grant is devoted to building a talent pipeline for farm animal welfare research in China. Affected countries: China; announced: 2018-12-12. | |
| Chinese Animal Welfare Institute | 1,489,201.00 | 81 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-welfare-standards-project-chinese-animal-welfare-institute | Lewis Bollard | Grant of $2,064,034 AUD (approximately $1,489,201 US at the time of conversion; this amount may be adjusted based on future exchange rates) over three years to the Animal Welfare Standards Project (AWSP) to create an animal welfare-focused institute, to be called the Sino-Australian Animal Welfare Centre, within China. Specifically, AWSP intends to use these funds to open a central hub in Beijing, in liaison with the China Agricultural University, to focus on attitudes, motivations, engagement, and outreach on animal welfare. AWSP will be collaborating with other institutes around China to build animal welfare capacities across the region and hopes these institutes will help develop Chinese animal welfare subject matter experts. The grant renews https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-welfare-standards-project-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china (December 2016 support); general discussion of the thinking behind these grants is at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/grants-support-farm-animal-welfare-work-china. Affected countries: China; announced: 2018-12-15. | |
| Nuclear Threat Initiative | 1,904,942.00 | 64 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/nuclear-threat-initiative-projects-to-reduce-global-catastrophic-biological-risks | Claire Zabel | Total over three years to the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) to support projects to reduce Global Catastrophic Biological Risks (GCBRs). NTI intends to use these funds to support projects including, among others, strengthening the Biological Weapons Convention and reducing state biological threats and additional GCBRs through international dialogues. Announced: 2018-12-14. | |
| International Genetically Engineered Medicine Foundation | 420,000.00 | 221 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/igem-synthetic-biology-safety-and-security-2018 | Claire Zabel | Grant over two years to the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation for its work on safety and security, led by Piers Millett. iGEM is an international synthetic biology competition for students. Donor believes that supporting iGEM’s safety and security work could help raise awareness about biosecurity among current and future synthetic biologists. Renewal of May 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/igem-synthetic-biology-safety-and-security. Announced: 2019-01-31. | |
| EicOsis Human Health, Inc. | 5,000,000.00 | 12 | Scientific research/human health and wellbeing | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/eicosis-human-health-inc-pain-research | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support clinical trials on a novel, non-opioid, oral therapy for neuropathic and inflammatory pain. The Open Philanthropy Project believes alternate therapies for chronic pain could help address the epidemic of opioid abuse and addiction. EicOsis previously received Blueprint funding https://neuroscienceblueprint.nih.gov/ for neuroscience research from the National Institutes of Health. This seed-stage investment is intended to support continued early research and development in the hopes that EicOsis can subsequently raise additional funds from other investors. Announced: 2019-02-15. | |
| University of California, Berkeley (Earmark: Pieter Abeel|Aviv Tamar) | 1,145,000.00 | 100 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/university-of-california-berkeley-artificial-intelligence-safety-research-2018 | Daniel Dewey | Total across two grants over three years for machine learning researchers Pieter Abbeel and Aviv Tamar to study uses of generative models for robustness and interpretability. This funding will allow Mr. Abbeel and Mr. Tamar to fund PhD students and summer undergraduates to work on classifiers, imitation learning systems, and reinforcement learning systems. Announced: 2018-12-12. | |
| New Virginia Majority Education Fund | 220,000.00 | 314 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/new-virginia-majority-education-fund-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Renews October 2016 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/new-virginia-majority-formerly-incarcerated-organizers Grant funds will help support court watching, allow New Virginia Majority to hire and train formerly incarcerated organizers and increase its capacity in key counties, and lay groundwork for future elections. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Virginia; announced: 2018-10-30. | |
| Chicago Community Bond Fund | 80,000.00 | 433 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/chicago-community-bond-fund-coordinator-for-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support coordination of a criminal justice coalition in Chicago. CCBF intends to use these funds to support and coordinate local organizers working on bail reform issues. The work will be led by Sharlyn Grace. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Illinois; affected cities: Chicago; announced: 2018-11-03. | |
| Citizen Action of New York | 266,000.00 | 281 | Criminal justice reform/decriminalization | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/citizen-action-of-new-york-criminal-justice-reform-advocacy-in-new-york-state | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support legislative advocacy and organizing work for criminal justice reform in New York State. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; announced: 2018-11-03. | |
| Momentum | 15,000.00 | 524 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/momentum-cjr-trainings | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to Momentum, a training institute and movement incubator, to support a training in the South for organizers of color in Fall 2018. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| Photo Patch Foundation | 10,000.00 | 534 | Criminal justice reform/prison life quality | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/photo-patch-foundation-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant. Grantee has a website and an app that allows kids with incarcerated parents to send letters and pictures to their parents in prison for free. This diminishes barriers, helps families remain in touch, and reduces the number of children who have not communicated with their parents in weeks, months, or sometimes years. The grant will pay for packaging, shipping, and other related costs. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| Prevent Cruelty California | 4,000,000.00 | 17 | Animal welfare/factory farming/cage-free | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/prevent-cruelty-california-prop-12 | Lewis Bollard | Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Grantee is a coalition of veterinarians, animal shelters, farmworkers, food safety groups, and animal protection charities advocating for Proposition 12. Prop 12, which will appear on California’s general election ballot this November, would require cage-free housing and improve space requirements in California for veal calves, pigs, and egg-laying hens, and would ensure that veal, pork, and eggs sold in California come from operations meeting these standards. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-10-05. | |
| Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics | 6,683.00 | 538 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/oxford-uehiro-centre-for-practical-ethics-animal-sentience-workshop | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant of £5,217 ($6,683 at the time of conversion) to host a workshop on animal sentience. The one-day workshop aimed at academics and policymakers will include presentations of new science on animal sentience, including in fish and invertebrates, as well as discussions of the ethical and policy implications of those findings. Announced: 2018-10-20. | |
| Food Frontier | 100,000.00 | 392 | Animal welfare/factory farming/meat alternatives | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/food-frontier-general-support | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee is an Australian organization promoting plant-based meat alternatives, and will explore opportunities for Australia and New Zealand to supply the Asia-Pacific region with alternative proteins. Affected countries: Australia|New Zealand; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| University of Edinburgh | 102,041.00 | 391 | Animal welfare/talent pipeline | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/university-of-edinburgh-scholarship-program-in-applied-animal-behavior-and-animal-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to provide scholarships for three African veterinarians or animal scientists to complete the Masters program in Applied Animal Behaviour and Animal Welfare. The grant is devoted to building a talent pipeline for farm animal welfare research in Africa, which could account for a large number of new farm animals in the next 50 years. Announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| Otwarte Klatki | 10,350.00 | 533 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/otwarte-klatki-care-conference-travel-grants | Lewis Bollard | Grant to make it possible for Eastern European farm animal advocates to attend the Conference on Animal Rights (CARE) in Europe in Prague in October. Follows previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/otwarte-klatki-chicken-welfare-campaigns-poland-ukraine to Otwarte Klatki. Announced: 2019-01-31. | |
| Washington Center for Equitable Growth | 100,000.00 | 392 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/washington-center-for-equitable-growth-automatic-stabilizers-conference | Alexander Berger | Grant to host a conference, in partnership with the Hamilton Project, on a framework for thinking about optimal design of automatic stabilizer programs as well as specific suggestions for reforms. Automatic fiscal stabilizers are taxes and government programs that respond automatically to changing economic conditions, and do not require additional Congressional action, and the Open Philanthropy Project believes they are important for mitigating the effects of economic downturns. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| University of Oxford (Earmark: Andrew Snyder-Beattie) | 26,086.00 | 511 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/oxford-university-dphil-support-for-andrew-snyder-beattie | Claire Zabel | Gift of £20,000 ($26,086 at time of conversion) to the University of Oxford to support the research of the Mathematical Ecology Research Group and the research costs of Andrew Snyder-Beattie, who recently served as Director of Research at the Future of Humanity Institute and a member of FHI’s Biotechnology Research Team. Announced: 2018-10-30. | |
| University of Michigan | 46,696.00 | 486 | Global poverty/Global health and development | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/university-of-michigan-support-for-david-manley | -- | Grant to support course development and research by Professor David Manley. Professor Manley is planning to develop and teach a new course titled “Changing the World.” The course will focus on global health and poverty, animal welfare, environmental preservation, and the long-term survival of human civilization. The goal is to provide students with the conceptual resources to evaluate which global causes matter most, and how they can most effectively make a difference. Announced: 2018-11-03. | |
| University of California, Berkeley | 200,000.00 | 317 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/university-of-california-berkeley-research-on-drought-tolerant-rice-by-prof-brian-staskawicz | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Discretionary grant over three years to support the editing of the rice genome for increased drought tolerance led by Professor Brian Staskawicz. The work involves using CRISPR modifications to increase drought tolerance on Indian rice, and the goal is to address the problem of erratic rice yields which have negative impoact on the livelihoods of 100 million small farmers. The experiments are funded in part my a match from the Innovative Genomics Institute. This follows the plant pathology workshop grant of December 2016 https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/uc-berkeley-plant-pathology-workshop. Announced: 2018-10-23. | |
| CDC Foundation | 1,044,501.00 | 106 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/cdc-foundation-malaria-control-research-project-2018 | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support research on malaria control. This funding will be used to support work on the cryopreservation of mosquito larvae (which, if successful, would make it easier for researchers to maintain different strains of mosquitoes) and on RNA interference (which, if successful, would make it easier for researchers to avoid releasing female mosquitoes — which could potentially spread malaria — as part of field trials). Related previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/cdc-foundation-malaria-control-research (September 2016) and related grant to Target Malaria https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research (May 2017). Announced: 2018-10-30. | |
| Duke University | 2,550,171.00 | 43 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/duke-university-CRISPR-Based-Epigenome-Editing-Tools | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant over three years to Duke University to develop tools to apply epigenome editing to refine genome wide association studies (GWAS). The work will be led by Charles Gersbach, the Rooney Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering. This funding will support research to develop CRISPR-based epigenetic tools to interrogate thousands of regions of DNA, allowing for more nuanced studies of genomic regions identified through GWAS. The grant will also fund testing and verification of the tools by identifying loci implicated in schizophrenia, a poorly understood disorder. Announced: 2018-10-30. | |
| Boston Children's Hospital | 1,695,376.00 | 71 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/boston-childrens-hospital-chronic-pain-research | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant over four years to conduct basic research into the epigenetics of chronic pain. The work will be led by Yi Zhang, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and the Fred Rosen Chair Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. This funding will support research to identify 1) specific neurons in a region of the brain involved in processing environmental stimulation into associative learning; 2) changes in gene expression and epigenetic modification in neurons associated with chronic pain; and 3) feedback and modulatory processes that may be involved in resolving pain signals and neuronal sensitivity. Announced: 2018-11-27. | |
| Community Justice Exchange | 250,000.00 | 289 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/community-justice-exchange-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via the Tides Foundation for general support. CJE is a new organization that will house the National Bail Fund Network, which was previously supported by the Open Philanthropy Project https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/brooklyn-community-bail-fund-national-bail-fund-network-2018 CJE intends to use these funds to support information exchange across campaigns working with bail, court watching, participatory defense, and similar approaches, and to support particular campaigns seeking to implement litigation and policy wins relevant to bail reform. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-10-20. | |
| Eurogroup For Animals | 990,000.00 | 131 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/eurogroup-animals-fish-welfare-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Grant of €853,415 (approximately $990,000 at the time of conversion) over two years to Eurogroup for Animals to continue and expand its fish welfare advocacy. This will allow Eurogroup for Animals to continue and expand its EU-level political advocacy, its support of its member groups’ advocacy in member states, and its support for corporate reforms and increased research funding on fish welfare. Announced: 2018-10-05. | |
| Better Eating International | 12,690.00 | 531 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/better-eating-international-organizational-development | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant for organizational development, follows February 2018 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/better-eating-international-millenial-vegan-survey. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-10-20. | |
| Center for a New American Security (Earmark: Richard Danzig) | 400,352.00 | 226 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/center-for-a-new-american-security-richard-danzig-outreach-on-technological-risk-2018 | Claire Zabel | Grant to support outreach by Richard Danzig, former Secretary of the Navy, on technological risks. This is a renewal and expansion of the August 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/center-for-a-new-american-security-richard-danzig-outreach-on-technological-risk#footnote1_ix4f0ts which allowed Dr. Danzig to produce Technology Roulette https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/technology-roulette a report intended for the national security community detailing the management of risks from losing control of advanced technology. Dr. Danzig intends to use these new funds to continue sharing these ideas with U.S. government officials, as well as spreading them to national security leaders abroad. Announced: 2018-10-20. | |
| Floridians for a Fair Democracy | 750,000.00 | 144 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/floridians-for-a-fair-democracy-ballot-committee-contribution | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund for a ballot measure committee seeking to pass an amendment to restore voting eligibility to 1.4 million people in Florida who were previously convicted of felonies. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Florida; announced: 2018-08-24. | |
| Civil Rights Corps | 25,000.00 | 512 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/civil-rights-corps-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support; renewal of December 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/civil-rights-corps-general-support In the interim, Civil Rights Corps has been successful raising funds to support litigation of cases about money bail, probation, prosecutorial misconduct, and other matters relevant to decarceration. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-07. | |
| Faith in Texas | 250,000.00 | 289 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/faith-texas-criminal-justice-reform-work | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support criminal justice reform work, including prosecutorial accountability. This funding is intended to support organizing faith communities for accountability in the lead-up to and aftermath of district attorney elections this fall, and organizing for statewide legislative work in 2019. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-07. | |
| The Ladies of Hope Ministries | 150,000.00 | 351 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/the-ladies-of-hope-ministries-hope-house-project | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the crafting of a scaling plan for Hope House and staffing for Hope House, a reentry housing program for and by formerly incarcerated women. These funds will be used to manage internal logistics and policies to inform the culture of the house and help manage relationships with the community. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-07. | |
| The Soze Agency | 300,000.00 | 259 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/soze-agency-right-of-return-fellowship | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the Right of Return fellowship program for formerly incarcerated artists. This is a renewal and expansion of the December 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/soze-agency-returning-citizens-project which The Soze Agency used to support seven artists. Co-founders and previous fellows Jesse Krimes and Russell Craig will continue to provide mentorship and leadership for the new class. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-07. | |
| Players Coalition Charitable Foundation | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/players-coalition-charitable-foundation-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support criminal justice reform efforts. Members of the players coalition have been vocal supporters of criminal justice reform work, writing op-eds, participating in prosecutor candidate forums, and working with communities to push for changes that will ensure better safety and representation for people impacted by crime and incarceration. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-19. | |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund | 56,000.00 | 454 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-organizing-project-education-fund-working-with-move-san-antonio-foundation | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support partnership with the MOVE San Antonio Foundation on criminal justice reform work. MOVE San Antonio is a grassroots organizing group with an emphasis on engaging young people and has worked with TOP on issues including bail reform. MOVE San Antonio plans to use these funds for staffing, leadership, training, and other expenses. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; affected cities: San Antonio; announced: 2018-09-21. | |
| American Conservative Union Foundation | 212,000.00 | 316 | Criminal justice reform/conservative advocacy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/american-conservative-union-center-criminal-justice-reform-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support the work of the Center for Criminal Justice Reform (CCJR), led by Pat Nolan and David Safavian. CCJR aims to increase support for criminal justice reform from conservative policymakers in Congress and at the state level, as well as among the conservative base more broadly. It renews the grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/american-conservative-union-center-criminal-justice-reform-2017 of July 2017 and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/american-conservative-union-center-criminal-justice-reform of May 2016. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-28. | |
| Griffith University | 100,000.00 | 392 | Animal welfare/factory farming/China | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/griffith-university-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support a symposium on farm animal welfare in China in 2019 to be organized by Professor Deborah Cao, an expert on Chinese animal law, and to support Professor Cao’s work on a new book, in Chinese, about farm animal welfare. This renews the December 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/griffith-university-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china. Affected countries: China; announced: 2018-09-01. | |
| Plant Based Foods Association | 250,000.00 | 289 | Animal welfare/factory farming/meat alternatives | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/plant-based-foods-association-state-level-policy-advocacy-against-threats-to-the-plant-based-sector | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant for state-level policy advocacy against threats to the plant-based food sector. PBFA plans to use these funds to monitor, analyze, and, when necessary, oppose attempts to create policies that undermine plant-based alternatives to animal products. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-01. | |
| Fórum Nacional de Proteção e Defesa Animal | 200,000.00 | 317 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/pig/cage-free | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/forum-nacional-de-protecao-e-defesa-animal-crate-and-cage-free-campaigning-in-brazil | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years for campaigning to reduce the use of battery cages for layer hens and gestation crates for pigs in Brazil. FNPDA has played a role in securing crate-free pledges from Brazil’s four largest pork producers and cage-free pledges from 26 Brazilian food companies, and intends to use these funds to continue its corporate campaigns, to start a tracker of corporate implementation of cage-free pledges, and to host a conference with egg producers, food companies, scientists, and activists to discuss implementation. Renewal of October 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/forum-nacional-de-protecao-e-defesa-animal-international-cage-free-advocacy. Affected countries: Brazil; announced: 2018-09-28. | |
| The Humane League | 10,000,000.00 | 8 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-general-support-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: Grant renews four previous grants: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-corporate-cage-free-campaigns (US corporate cage-free), https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-international-cage-free-advocacy (international cage-free), and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-general-support (general support), https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-open-wing-alliance-2017 (Open Wing Alliance). THL used previous funding to secure corporate cage-free and broiler welfare pledges that, if fully implemented, will benefit approximately 150 million hens and 50 million broiler chickens alive at any time. The new fundings helps THL continue current programs and strengthen infrastructure through initiatives like increasing staff salaries and benefits to be in line with industry standards. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The reason for selecting donee is not discussed explicitly, but likely includes the same reasons as for the previous grants, and continued satisfaction with progress made through those grants Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount breakdown is not explicitly discussed, but at about $3 million per year, it is similar to grant amounts per year for the previous grants, when added up Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing is not explicitly discussed, but it is likely because the timeframe for the earlier grants is ending Intended funding timeframe in months: 42 Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-28. |
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| California YIMBY | 350,000.00 | 243 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support-august-2018 | -- | Donation process: Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund because the funds are to be used for lobbying. This is a matching grant and the amount is therefore contingent on the amount raised by the grantee from other sources Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grantee works on strengthening the California Housing Accountability Act. The grant page for the previous general support grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support says that the grantee "reports that they will use our support to hire several additional staff members to focus on organizing, communications, digital outreach, data and analytics, and finance and operations." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page for the previous related grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support says gives the following reasons for seeing California housing policy changes as promising philanthropy: (1) large share of US population and half of expensive metro population, (2) cost-effectiveness of state-level advocacy, as observed in criminal justice reform grantmaking, (3) wider scope of housing markets than the geographic range in which housing approvals are allocated (e.g., people search for houses outside city limits), (4) widespread consensus that California should be building more homes Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Since this is a matching grant, the amount is likely determined by the amount of money raised by the grantee from other sources Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing likely determined by the timing of completion of raising matching funds. The previous grant post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support had a deadline of September 1 for raising matching funds Donor retrospective of the donation: A further general support grant would be made in 2019; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support-2019 This renewed support, with essentially the same reasoning, suggests that the donor would remain satisfied with the outcome of the grant Affected countries: Alexander Berger; affected states: United States; affected cities: California; announced: 2018-09-28. |
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| Real Justice PAC | 850,000.00 | 134 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/real-justice-pac-criminal-justice-reform-august-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant recommended for Cari Tuna to make personally (normally, grants for lobbying are recommended to be made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund) Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "Real Justice intends to use these funds to develop tools and infrastructure as it seeks to raise the profile of key prosecutor and sheriff races in 2018 and elect reform-minded candidates who will work to safely reduce the number of people incarcerated in their jurisdictions." Use of funds is limited to work outside California Donor retrospective of the donation: The renewal of support with the April 2019 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/real-justice-pac-criminal-justice-reform-april-2019 suggests that the donor considered the grant successful Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-28. |
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| University of California, San Francisco | 1,021,318.00 | 110 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/university-of-california-san-francisco-chronic-pain-research | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant over three years to support basic research on understanding the brain mechanisms that process pain messages and that contribute to the transition from acute to chronic pain after injury. The work will be led by Allan Basbaum, PhD, Professor and Chair of UCSF’s Department of Anatomy. This grant will allow UCSF to pursue an answer to the question of how the brain interprets various types of pain signals (e.g., heat, cold, mechanical) and itch, how these signals are regulated by different anesthetics and how they are altered when there is injury. Resolving these questions could facilitate the design of novel drugs that can block pain without also blocking consciousness. Announced: 2018-09-21. | |
| GoalsRL (Earmark: Ashley Edwards) | 7,500.00 | 537 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/goals-rl-workshop-on-goal-specifications-for-reinforcement-learning | Daniel Dewey | Discretionary grant to offset travel, registration, and other expenses associated with attending the GoalsRL 2018 workshop on goal specifications for reinforcement learning. The workshop was organized by Ashley Edwards, a recent computer science PhD candidate interested in reward learning. Announced: 2018-10-05. | |
| New Economy Organisers Network | 42,285.00 | 490 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/new-economy-organisers-network-KIN-convenings | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant of £32,000 ($42,284.80 at the time of conversion) to the New Economy Organisers Network (NEON) to support planning, travel, and other costs for convenings in London later this year and in 2019. The convenings will bring together black organizers from the U.S. and the UK to build relationships and discuss strategy on a number of issues, including mass incarceration. Affected countries: United States|United Kingdom; announced: 2018-07-20. | |
| National Family Defense Project | 120,000.00 | 378 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/national-family-defense-project-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Two discretionary grants totaling $120,000 to support the formation of a new organization —the National Family Defense Project, led by Lisa Sangoi and Erin Miles Cloud — via Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs. The organization will work on challenging the separation of children from their parents under current policies of the criminal justice and child welfare systems. One of the two grants was made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Previously, the grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/mission-launch-inc-lisa-sangoi-child-welfare had funded a report by Lisa Sangoi (one of the people starting the new organization) on child welfare, drug policy and criminalization. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-07-26. | |
| Prosecutor Impact | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/prosecutor-impact-prosecutor-training-pilot | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via TNSE MissionWorks to support a partnership with Ideo for development of a prosecutor training pilot in Philadelphia. Prosecutor Impact believes taking a cohort of incoming district attorneys into prisons and jails and sharing skills and wisdom from national leaders can build community and camaraderie that helps the vision of reform-minded prosecutors permeate through their offices. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Pennsylvania; affected cities: Philadelphia; announced: 2018-08-02. | |
| Aubin Pictures | 60,000.00 | 453 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/aubin-pictures-criminal-justice-media-archive | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the launch of the Criminal Justice Media Archive, an online portal and offline networking and convening hub for filmmakers working with criminal justice reform content. The Criminal Justice Media Archive will compile footage from documentaries and news interviews and make it available for repurposing. Renewal of December 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/aubin-pictures-criminal-justice-media-archive-scoping. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-09-07. | |
| Charity Science | 265,000.00 | 282 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/charity-science-development-of-new-animal-welfare-charities | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support the creation of new animal welfare charities through the Charity Entrepreneurship project. Charity Science plans to use these funds to review potential farm animal welfare interventions and incubate 3-5 new animal welfare charities, including the development of first-year plans, a training program teaching key skills, and ongoing assistance to the founders. Charity Science hopes the new groups will be able to secure ongoing funding to continue operations beyond the incubation period. Announced: 2018-07-26. | |
| Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | 250,000.00 | 289 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-budget-and-policy-priorities-full-employment-project-2018 | Alexander Berger | Exit grant to support the Full Employment Project. Renewal of July 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-budget-and-policy-priorities-full-employment-project-2016 Open Phil will discontinue support after this grant, which completes five years of support for the project. The reason for not continuing further is the unclear impact of marginal funding and the desire to give space to other funders. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-08-02. | |
| Economic Policy Institute | 700,000.00 | 149 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/economic-policy-institute-macroeconomic-policy-research-2018 | Alexander Berger | Grant to support macroeconomic policy research. EPI plans to use these funds primarily to continue producing policy-relevant research on the ways in which macroeconomic policy can boost living standards for working Americans, including work on different aspects of the relationships between unemployment, wage growth, inflation, and productivity. Renewal of 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/economic-policy-institute-macroeconomic-policy-research. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-08-16. | |
| Nuclear Threat Initiative | 3,556,773.00 | 21 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/nuclear-threat-initiative-global-health-security-index-grant | Jaime Yassif | Grant to create a Global Health Security Index in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Economist Intelligence Unit. NTI plans to use these funds to support the development of an index of national-level biosecurity and pandemic preparedness capacity in at least 194 countries. The project is modeled on NTI’s analogous Nuclear Materials Security Index, available at http://www.ntiindex.org/ The grant is a renewal of the February 2017 planning grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/nuclear-threat-initiative-global-health-security-index-planning-grant. Announced: 2018-07-12. | |
| One for the World | 153,750.00 | 348 | Effective altruism/fundraising | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-health-and-development/miscellaneous/one-for-the-world-general-support | GiveWell | The grant was announced and discussed on the donee blog at https://www.1fortheworld.org/blog/evanoppgrant The grant was also announced by GiveWell, the main influencer of the grant, on the page https://www.givewell.org/about/impact/one-for-the-world/july-2018-grant which also said it is a July 2018 grant. It is accompanied by a grant from Luke Ding of $51,250 (so the two grants are in a 3:1 ratio) also influenced by GiveWell. As of the time of entering this, the grant from the Open Philanthropy Project is not listed in the Open Philanthropy Project grants database. Also, the GiveWell page on the grant does not explicitly name either donor. The two grants together are expected to cover two years of costs, including budget for a COO (which they succeeded in doing: Evan McVail joined as COO for a year) and a CEO in 2019. | |
| Future of Humanity Institute | 12,051,809.00 | 6 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/future-humanity-institute-work-on-global-catastrophic-risks | Nick Beckstead | Donation process: This is a series of awards totaling £13,428,434 ($16,200,062.78 USD at market rate on September 2, 2019); as of September 2, 2019, $12,051,808.93 of the amount has been allocated. Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support work on risks from advanced artificial intelligence, biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, and macrostrategy. The grant page says: "The largest pieces of the omnibus award package will allow FHI to recruit and hire for an education and training program led by Owen CottonBarratt, and retain and attract talent in biosecurity research and FHI’s Governance of AI program." Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2018-09-01. |
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| University of Oxford (Earmark: Allan Dafoe) | 429,770.00 | 216 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/oxford-university-global-politics-of-ai-dafoe | Nick Beckstead | Grant to support research on the global politics of advanced artificial intelligence. The work will be led by Professor Allan Dafoe at the Future of Humanity Institute in Oxford, United Kingdom. The Open Philanthropy Project recommended additional funds to support this work in 2017, while Professor Dafoe was at Yale. Continuation of grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/yale-university-global-politics-of-ai-dafoe. Announced: 2018-07-20. | |
| The Wilson Center | 400,000.00 | 227 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/wilson-center-ai-policy-seminar-series | Luke Muehlhauser | Grant over two years to support a series of in-depth AI policy seminars. Named for President Woodrow Wilson, the Wilson Center is a non-partisan policy forum for tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue. Open Phil believes the seminar series could help raise the salience of AI policy in Washington, D.C. policymaking circles, and could help us identify and empower one or more influential thinkers in those circles, a key component of the Open Phil AI policy strategy. Announced: 2018-08-02. | |
| Stanford University (Earmark: Dan Boneh|Florian Tremer) | 100,000.00 | 392 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/stanford-university-machine-learning-security-research-dan-boneh-florian-tramer | Daniel Dewey | Grant is a "gift" to Stanford Unviersity to support machine learning security research led by Professor Dan Boneh and his PhD student, Florian Tramer. Machine learning security probes worst-case performance of learned models. Believed to be a way of pushing in the direction of more AI safety concern in machine learning research and AI development. Announced: 2018-09-07. | |
| We Got Us Now | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/we-got-us-now-general-support-2018 | Michelle Crentsil | Grant for a digital platform seeking to organize children of incarcerated parents and raise public awareness about the impacts of parental incarceration. Michelle Crentsil, our Associate for Criminal Justice Reform and the investigator of this grant, believes it’s plausible that We Got Us Now will continue to encourage members to take various actions; begin to build a national network; develop partnerships to develop and deploy this constituency; and identify other leaders in this constituency. Renewal of September 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/we-got-us-now-general-support. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-28. | |
| The People’s Lobby Education Institute | 125,000.00 | 371 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-lobby-education-institute-support-work-prosecutorial-accountability-chicago-2018 | Michelle Crentsil | Grant to support work on prosecutorial accountability in Chicago. Grantee plans to use this grant to support local organizing to work with Cook County State’s Attorney (SA) Kim Foxx to ensure that her policies are keeping Cook County communities safe without overly relying on jail and prison incarceration. Grant renews March 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-lobby-education-institute-support-work-prosecutorial-accountability-chicago. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Illinois; affected cities: Chicago; announced: 2018-07-12. | |
| Workers Center for Racial Justice | 125,000.00 | 371 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/workers-center-racial-justice-prosecutorial-accountability-chicago-2018 | Michelle Crentsil | Grant to support work on prosecutorial accountability in Chicago. Grantee plans to use this grant to support local organizing to work with Cook County State’s Attorney (SA) Kim Foxx to ensure that her policies are keeping Cook County communities safe without overly relying on jail and prison incarceration. Grant renews March 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/workers-center-racial-justice-prosecutorial-accountability-chicago. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Illinois; affected cities: Chicago; announced: 2018-07-12. | |
| Commonwealth Veterinary Association | 31,355.00 | 506 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/commonwealth-veterinary-association-animal-welfare-workshop | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support travel for international farm animal welfare experts to attend an animal welfare workshop in March 2019 in Bangalore, India. Although legally structured as a contractor agreement, conceptually it is closer to a grant, hence is listed in the grants database. Affected countries: India; announced: 2018-07-06. | |
| Animal Equality | 2,772,430.00 | 37 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-equality-corporate-animal-welfare-campaigns | Lewis Bollard | Grant for corporate lobbying in the United States, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, and Spain, covering cage-free and broiler welfare campaigns. Combination of five grants spanning three years. Affected countries: United States|Brazil|Italy|Mexico|Spain; announced: 2018-07-12. | |
| Future of Life Institute | 250,000.00 | 289 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/future-life-institute-general-support-2018 | Nick Beckstead | Grant for general support; renewal of May 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/future-life-institute-general-support-2017. Announced: 2018-07-06. | |
| Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security | 169,600.00 | 341 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/upmc-center-health-security-synbiobeta-2018-meeting | Jaime Yassif | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: $127,600 to Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and $42,000 to SynBioBeta to support a biosecurity fellowship program and a biosecurity panel discussion at the 2018 SynBioBeta conference https://2018.synbiobeta.com/ on synthetic biology. Announced: 2018-07-26. |
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| Centre for Effective Altruism | 2,688,000.00 | 40 | Effective altruism/movement growth | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-effective-altruism-general-support-2018 | Nick Beckstead | Grant of £2,000,000 ($2,688,000 at time of conversion). Renewal of previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-effective-altruism-general-support and related to statement made in previous grant write-up that they "planned to renew for between $1.25 million and $2.5 million.". Announced: 2018-06-28. | |
| Compassion in World Farming | 10,720.00 | 532 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-world-farming-organizational-development | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant for organizational development. Follows October 2017 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/discretionary-grants Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Grant of £8,000 ($10,720 at the time of conversion) Other notes: Discretionary grant for organizational development. Follows the October 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-world-farming-end-the-cage-age-campaign. Announced: 2018-06-28. |
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| Machine Intelligence Research Institute | 150,000.00 | 351 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-ai-safety-retraining-program | Claire Zabel | Donation process: The grant is a discretionary grant, so the approval process is short-circuited; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/discretionary-grants for more Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to suppport the artificial intelligence safety retraining project. MIRI intends to use these funds to provide stipends, structure, and guidance to promising computer programmers and other technically proficient individuals who are considering transitioning their careers to focus on potential risks from advanced artificial intelligence. MIRI believes the stipends will make it easier for aligned individuals to leave their jobs and focus full-time on safety. MIRI expects the transition periods to range from three to six months per individual. The MIRI blog post https://intelligence.org/2018/09/01/summer-miri-updates/ says: "Buck [Shlegeris] is currently selecting candidates for the program; to date, we’ve made two grants to individuals." Other notes: The grant is mentioned by MIRI in https://intelligence.org/2018/09/01/summer-miri-updates/. Announced: 2018-06-28. |
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| AI Impacts | 100,000.00 | 392 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ai-impacts-general-support-2018 | Daniel Dewey | Discretionary grant via the Machine Intelligence Research Institute. AI Impacts plans to use this grant to work on strategic questions related to potential risks from advanced artificial intelligence.. Renewal of December 2016 grant: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ai-impacts-general-support. Announced: 2018-06-28. | |
| VOCAL-NY | 75,000.00 | 437 | Criminal justice reform/court watching | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/vocal-ny-court-watch-nyc | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the Court Watch NYC program. Court Watch NYC seeks to increase accountability by training New Yorkers to watch court proceedings, collect data, and report out what they see. The goal of the program is to improve prosecutor practices on bail, plea deals, sentencing, and other related areas. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; affected cities: New York City; announced: 2018-06-21. | |
| Project NIA | 121,000.00 | 377 | Criminal justice reform/transformative justice | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/project-nia-transformative-justice-work-mariame-kaba | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via Chicago Freedom School to support Mariame Kaba’s transformative justice work. The funding is intended to support trainings to develop a model of intervention, prevention, and community engagement around violence against women and gender-nonconforming people; and the creation of a toolkit, a convening, and advocacy around incarcerated people who have been the victims of sexual harm and domestic violence. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Illinois; affected cities: Chicago; announced: 2018-06-23. | |
| Prison Policy Initiative | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/data collection | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/prison-policy-initiative-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to compile and report on key data trends in criminal justice reform and package that information in a manner that is most helpful to advocates, organizers, and others working to understand and reform the criminal justice system. Renewal of February 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/prison-policy-initiative-general-support-2017. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-28. | |
| Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative | 300,000.00 | 259 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/reform-jails-and-community-reinvestment-initiative-reform-la-jails-ballot-measure-may-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support work on the Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative (Reform L.A. Jails). If passed by voters, Reform L.A. Jails will task Los Angeles leaders with developing a comprehensive plan to reduce jail populations and to redirect the cost savings to alternatives to incarceration, which advocates believe will reduce recidivism, prevent crime, and permanently reduce the population of people cycling into and out of jail that are experiencing mental health, drug dependency, or chronic homelessness issues. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. It is a renewal of the grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/reform-jails-and-community-reinvestment-initiative-reform-la-jails-ballot-measure made in April 2018 (a month ago). Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; affected cities: Los Angeles; announced: 2018-04-26. | |
| Mercy For Animals | 375,000.00 | 237 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/mercy-animals-us-broiler-chicken-welfare-corporate-campaigns | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support broiler chicken welfare corporate campaigns. It follows two 2016 grants: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/mercy-animals-broiler-chicken-welfare-corporate-campaigns and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/mercy-animals-corporate-cage-free-campaigns. Announced: 2018-06-15. | |
| Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | 231,677.00 | 309 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/rspca-broiler-breed-study | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant of £171,600 (approximately $231,677 at the time of conversion) to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) to support a broiler chicken breed welfare study. The study, to be conducted by the Royal Veterinary College under RSPCA supervision, will test the welfare of two new breeds and will validate two new behavioral measures to enhance future breed tests. Affected countries: United Kingdom; announced: 2018-06-15. | |
| Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | 100,000.00 | 392 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-budget-and-policy-priorities-automatic-stabilizers | Alexander Berger | Grant to support work on enhancing automatic fiscal stabilizers. Automatic fiscal stabilizers are taxes and government programs that respond automatically to changing economic conditions, and do not require additional Congressional action. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-21. | |
| Early-Career Funding for Global Catastrophic Biological Risks | 570,000.00 | 161 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/early-career-funding-global-catastrophic-biological-risks | Claire Zabel | Total over three years in flexible support to enable five early-career people to pursue work and study related to global catastrophic biological risks. Original grant amount $515,000; $55,000 was added on top in October 2018. Announced: 2018-08-24. | |
| Open Phil AI Fellowship (Earmark: Aditi Raghunathan|Chris Maddison|Felix Berkenkamp|Jon Gauthier|Michael Janner|Noam Brown|Ruth Fong) | 1,135,000.00 | 101 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ai-fellows-program-2018 | Daniel Dewey | Donation process: According to the grant page: "These fellows were selected from more than 180 applicants for their academic excellence, technical knowledge, careful reasoning, and interest in making the long-term, large-scale impacts of AI a central focus of their research" Intended use of funds (category): Living expenses during research project Intended use of funds: Grant to provide scholarship support to seven machine learning researchers over five years Donor reason for selecting the donee: According to the grant page: "The intent of the Open Phil AI Fellowship is both to support a small group of promising researchers and to foster a community with a culture of trust, debate, excitement, and intellectual excellence. We plan to host gatherings once or twice per year where fellows can get to know one another, learn about each other’s work, and connect with other researchers who share their interests." Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): This is the first of annual sets of grants, decided through an annual application process Intended funding timeframe in months: 60 Donor retrospective of the donation: The corresponding grant in 2019 https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/open-phil-ai-fellowship-2019-class confirms that these grants will be made annually Announced: 2018-06-01. |
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| Real Justice PAC | 350,000.00 | 243 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/real-justice-pac-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant recommended for Cari Tuna to make personally (normally, grants for lobbying are recommended to be made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund) Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant page says: "Real Justice intends to use these funds to develop tools and infrastructure as it seeks to raise the profile of key prosecutor and sheriff races in 2018 and elect reform-minded candidates who will work to safely reduce the number of people incarcerated in their jurisdictions." Use of funds is limited to work outside California Donor retrospective of the donation: The renewal of support with the August 2018 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/real-justice-pac-criminal-justice-reform-august-2018 suggests that the donor considered the grant successful Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-28. |
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| Ought | 525,000.00 | 170 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ought-general-support | Daniel Dewey | Grantee has a mission to “leverage machine learning to help people think.” Ought plans to conduct research on deliberation and amplification, a concept we consider relevant to AI alignment. The funding, combined with another grant from Open Philanthropy Project technical advisor Paul Christiano, is intended to allow Ought to hire up to three new staff members and provide one to three years of support for Ought’s work, depending how quickly they hire. Announced: 2018-05-31. | |
| Greenburger Center for Social and Criminal Justice | 20,000.00 | 522 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/greenburger-center-for-social-and-criminal-justice-criminal-justice-convening | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support a convening regarding the intersection of mental health and incarceration. The purpose of the convening is to organize directly affected people to discuss strategies to decriminalize mental illness. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-05-31. | |
| Colorado Criminal Justice Reform Coalition | 200,000.00 | 317 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/colorado-criminal-justice-reform-coalition-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support its work on prosecutorial accountability, civic engagement, and crime survivor organizing. CCJRC plans to register and mobilize eligible voters who have a criminal record, are incarcerated in jail, or are members of several target communities most impacted by over-criminalization; push for larger reforms; expand community-based services for victims; and raise community awareness of the power of prosecutors and the need for greater accountability. Renewal of December 2016 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/colorado-criminal-justice-reform-coalition-prosecutorial-reform. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Colorado; announced: 2018-06-15. | |
| Faith in Action | 800,000.00 | 137 | Criminal justice reform/decriminalization | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/faith-in-action-live-free-campaign-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the national Live Free Campaign. This renews the August 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/pico-national-network-live-free-campaign. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-15. | |
| Helping Educate to Advance the Rights of Deaf Communities | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform/disability rights | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/helping-educate-advance-rights-deaf-communities-heard-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant. Grantee, HEARD, plans to educate deaf and disabled communities about their rights and to train and support attorneys and advocates on how to work with and protect the rights of deaf/disabled defendants as well as incarcerated and formerly imprisoned people. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-15. | |
| SPIN Academy | 42,000.00 | 491 | Criminal justice reform/movement growth | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/spin-academy-communications-training | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via Community Initiatives to support criminal justice reform leaders seeking communications training. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-06-15. | |
| Ohio Safe and Healthy Communities Campaign | 500,000.00 | 176 | Criminal justice reform/decriminalization/drug policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ohio-safe-and-healthy-communities-campaign-ohio-neighborhood-safety-drug-treatment-and-rehabilitation-amendment-may-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support the Ohio Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Amendment. The amendment, which advocates plan to place on the ballot in November 2018, aims to reduce imprisonment for low-level, nonviolent drug and probation violation offenses; encourage participation in rehabilitation for people in prison; and reallocate prison spending to drug treatment, community alternatives to incarceration, and victim services. Grant made via the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Ohio; announced: 2018-06-28. | |
| International Society for Applied Ethology | 135,412.00 | 365 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/international-society-applied-ethology-advance-farm-animal-welfare-science-in-developing-nations | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years to support workshops, scholarships, and an online hub to advance farm animal welfare science in developing nations. Announced: 2018-05-17. | |
| Changing Tastes | 50,000.00 | 458 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/changing-tastes-market-insights-business-engagement-fish-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Grant to conduct research on attitudes about humane production of fish and seafood among U.S. restaurant and supply chain decision-makers and consumers. Changing Tastes, a food consultancy, intends to conduct surveys to identify current marketplace recognition of humane production and disseminate the results via trade conferences and media. Legally structured as contract work, but conceptually considered similar to a grant, hence reported in the grants database. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-07-12. | |
| California YIMBY | 500,000.00 | 176 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support | -- | Donation process: Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund because the funds are to be used for lobbying Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grantee works on strengthening the California Housing Accountability Act. The grant page says that the grantee "reports that they will use our support to hire several additional staff members to focus on organizing, communications, digital outreach, data and analytics, and finance and operations." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page gives the following reasons for seeing California housing policy changes as promising philanthropy: (1) large share of US population and half of expensive metro population, (2) cost-effectiveness of state-level advocacy, as observed in criminal justice reform grantmaking, (3) wider scope of housing markets than the geographic range in which housing approvals are allocated (e.g., people search for houses outside city limits), (4) widespread consensus that California should be building more homes Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): No specific reason for amount given, but the grant page says: "We also recommended a smaller matching grant for funding California YIMBY raises from other sources before September 1, which we will write up separately when the match is complete and the amount is finalized." Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing likely determined by the launch of the new organization Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: The grant page says: "We also recommended a smaller matching grant for funding California YIMBY raises from other sources before September 1, which we will write up separately when the match is complete and the amount is finalized." Donor retrospective of the donation: The matching grant would be made in August 2018; see ttps://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support-august-2018 A further general support grant would be made in 2019; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/california-yimby-general-support-2019 This renewed support, with essentially the same reasoning, suggests that the donor would remain satisfied with the outcome of the grant Other notes: Grantee is a new organization founded by people that Open Phil previously funded at CaRLA (California Renters Legal Advocacy Fund): https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform who successfully sponsored legislation in 2017 to strengthen California’s Housing Accountability Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Housing_Accountability_Act and who subsequently saw sufficient opportunity and need for statewide legislative advocacy to justify a new organization. Affected countries: Alexander Berger; affected states: United States; affected cities: California; announced: 2018-05-24. |
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| VasoRx | 4,700,000.00 | 16 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/vasorx-atherosclerosis-investment | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Investment to test a new therapy for vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis and pulmonary hypertension. The original amount was $1.6 million. In January 2019, $3.1 million was addded to the amount, and the total on the website was updated to reflect this. Announced: 2018-04-26. | |
| Science Philanthropy Alliance | 225,000.00 | 312 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/science-philanthropy-alliance-general-support | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Discretionary grant over three years to join the Science Philanthropy Alliance, "a community of funders who work together to inspire new, emerging and current philanthropists to dedicate a portion of their philanthropy to basic science.". Announced: 2018-05-15. | |
| Life Sciences Research Foundation | 780,000.00 | 140 | Scientific research/transformative basic science | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/life-sciences-research-foundation-young-investigators | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Donation process: Discretionary grant Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support early-career investigators. The funds will support four postdoctoral fellows for three years apiece. The fellows have proposed research projects investigating immunology, virology, neurobiology, and tuberculosis." Donor retrospective of the donation: The followup 2019 grant suggests that this grant would be considered a success Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2018-05-03. |
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| Stanford University | 2,539.00 | 540 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/stanford-nips-workshop-machine-learning | Daniel Dewey | Discretionary grant to support the Neural Information Processing System (NIPS) workshop “Machine Learning and Computer Security.” at https://nips.cc/Conferences/2017/Schedule?showEvent=8775. Announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Texas Freedom Network Education Fund | 150,000.00 | 351 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-freedom-network-education-fund-texas-rising-program | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support the Texas Rising program. This grant will allow Texas Rising to increase its base of young people (under 30 years old) engaged on criminal justice reform issues. The grant will pay for computers, student stipends, and field staff salaries for activities including convenings, trainings, leadership development, digital organizing, and grassroots organizing. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative | 500,000.00 | 176 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/reform-jails-and-community-reinvestment-initiative-reform-la-jails-ballot-measure | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support work on the Reform Jails and Community Reinvestment Initiative (Reform L.A. Jails). If passed by voters, Reform L.A. Jails will task Los Angeles leaders with developing a comprehensive plan to reduce jail populations and to redirect the cost savings to alternatives to incarceration, which advocates believe will reduce recidivism, prevent crime, and permanently reduce the population of people cycling into and out of jail that are experiencing mental health, drug dependency, or chronic homelessness issues. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Previously, Open Phil made a grant to Justice Team Network, the parent organization: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justice-team-network-justice-la-campaign. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2018-04-26. | |
| Gamechanger Labs | 400,000.00 | 227 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/gamechanger-labs-student-organizing-initiative-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant that is a renewal of September 2017 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/gamechanger-labs-student-organizing-initiative The grant is via the Movement Voter Fund at the Tides Foundation to support student and community organizing to reduce incarceration. Gamechanger Labs intends to use these funds to organize convenings, hire support staff and a digital communications strategist, and support local youth and student organizations working on criminal justice reform issues. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-05-17. | |
| Project South | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/project-south-criminal-justice-reform-work | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for criminal justice reform work. Grantee works in education, local and regional organizing, legal infrastructure and advocacy, and movement support throughout the southern U.S. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-05-17. | |
| Brighter Green | 430,000.00 | 215 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/brighter-green-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Total across two grants, one of which was discretionary. The grants represent a renewal of https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/brighter-green-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china (September 2016). Grant supports work to host another national China Good Food Hero Summit as well as regional summits, administer a “Good Food Incubator” for activists and social enterprises, and research the state of factory farming and advocacy in China. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| WildAid | 500,000.00 | 176 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/wildaid-reducing-meat-consumption-china-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support WildAid’s campaign to reduce meat consumption in China. More general information is available at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/grants-support-farm-animal-welfare-work-china. Affected countries: China; announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| Aquaculture Stewardship Council | 13,813.00 | 530 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/aquaculture-stewardship-council-organizational-development | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant for general support; renews https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/aquaculture-stewardship-council-fish-welfare-standard-development (November 2017). Announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Compassion in World Farming USA | 1,500,000.00 | 77 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/CIWF-USA-general-support-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Grant for general support for three years, starting 2018. Renewal of original grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/CIWF-USA-general-support Grantee has been a contributor to cage-free reforms and broiler welfare reforms. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-26. | |
| ACTAsia | 350,000.00 | 243 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/act-asia-reduce-fur-demand-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Total across two grants to support work on a fur-free ad campaign, fur-free courses at Chinese design colleges, research and reporting on the fur industry, and a Sustainable Fashion Forum to discuss alternatives to fur. Affected countries: China; announced: 2018-05-31. | |
| Harborlight Community Partners | 40,000.00 | 492 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/harborlight-community-partners-YIMBYtown-2018 | Alexander Berger | Discretionary grant to support the 2018 national "Yes In My Back Yard" conference, scheduled to take place in Boston, Masschusetts, in September. Open Phi has supported the conference for two previous years: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/better-boulder-yimby-2016 (2016, grant to Better Boulder, organizing the conference in Boulder, Colorado), and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/east-bay-forward-yimbytown-2017-conference (2017, to East Bay Forward, organizing the conference in Oakland, California). Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-12. | |
| Carl Shulman Discretionary Fund (Earmark: Carl Shulman) | 5,000,000.00 | 12 | -- | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-for-effective-altruism-new-discretionary-fund | Holden Karnofsky | Money for a discretionary fund to be administered by Carl Shulman, who is a Research Associate at the Future of Humanity Institute and an advisor to the Open Philanthropy Project. Based on experience working with Shulman, Open Phil believes that the first $5 million that Shulman could allocate would be better allocated than the last $5 million that Open Phil could allocate. Open Phil is simultaneously experimenting with an “external investigators” program with similar goals but a different setup, namely that grants recommended by external investigators go through our standard process where the reasoning and recommendation is discussed in detail with Open Philanthropy Project decision-makers. Carl is also part of the external investigators program. Announced: 2018-05-17. | |
| Justice Strategies | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justice-strategies-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via Tides Center for general support. Justice Strategies is a small think tank that produces reports and convenings and provides testimony, thought-partnership and leadership, and other support to advocates. Grant renews 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justice-strategies-general-support. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-12. | |
| Media Mobilizing Project | 140,000.00 | 364 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/media-mobilizing-project-criminal-justice-coalition | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support coordination of the Coalition for a Just District Attorney. The coalition seeks to amplify the voices of communities fighting to end mass incarceration, raise the dignity of communities in Philadelphia, maintain public support for decarceration reforms in Philadelphia, and increase justice in the city and nationwide. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Pennsylvania; affected cities: Philadelhpia; announced: 2018-04-12. | |
| National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls | 500,000.00 | 176 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/national-council-incarcerated-and-formerly-incarcerated-women-and-girls-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via Families for Justice as Healing for general support. The National Council is a network of women impacted by incarceration focused on ending the incarceration of women and girls—a fast-growing incarcerated population—through a mix of relationship building, research, leadership training, and advocacy work. Original grant amount was $250,000; in July 2018, an additional $250,000 was added to the grant amount. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-12. | |
| The Justice Collaborative | 1,800,000.00 | 66 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/the-justice-collaborative-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support via the Tides Center. The grant is a renewal of https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/the-justice-collaborative-general-support-2017 (2017-01, $1,301,280). Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Ohio Safe and Healthy Communities Campaign | 500,000.00 | 176 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ohio-safe-and-healthy-communities-campaign-ohio-neighborhood-safety-drug-treatment-and-rehabilitation-amendment | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support the Ohio Neighborhood Safety, Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Amendment. The amendment, which advocates plan to place on the ballot in November 2018, aims to reduce imprisonment for low-level, nonviolent drug and probation violation offenses; encourage participation in rehabilitation for people in prison; and reallocate prison spending to drug treatment, community alternatives to incarceration, and victim services. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2018-04-26. | |
| 80,000 Hours | 510,000.00 | 175 | Effective altruism/movement growth/career counseling | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support-2018 | Nick Beckstead Nicole Ross | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: No explicitly listed priority uses of the funds, but likely similar to the grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support that it is renewing Donor reason for selecting the donee: Likely the same reasons as for the 2017 grant that this is renewing; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support#Case_for_the_grant The key reason is that Open Phil finds impressive the large number of impact-adjusted significant plan changes (IASPCs) that 80,000 Hours claims to have brought about, and broadly agrees with 80,000 Hours' calculation of their IASPCs Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Amount determined by the amount ($510,000) raised from other donors in 2017, which turned out to be the smallest of the three constraining amounts described in the previous grant page https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support#Case_for_the_grant "We expect to recommend another grant to 80,000 Hours at the beginning of 2018, with the amount recommended being whichever of the following is smallest: (1) $1.25 million (2) The amount 80,000 Hours raises from other donors in 2017 (3) The amount necessary for 80,000 Hours to have $3.75 million in its bank account" Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Timing as pre-committed on the previous grant page https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support#Case_for_the_grant "We expect to recommend another grant to 80,000 Hours at the beginning of 2018" Donor retrospective of the donation: The followup grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support-2019 for $4,795,803 in February 2019 (amount determined by the Committee for Effective Altruism Support) suggests general satisfaction with the grantee and the grant Announced: 2018-02-22. |
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| Better Eating International | 67,110.00 | 444 | Animal welfare | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/better-eating-international-millenial-vegan-survey | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support a market research study to "Segment U.S. millennials for Targeted Vegan Education.". Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund | 100,000.00 | 392 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-popular-democracy-action-fund-fed-campaign-2018 | Alexander Berger | Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund to the 501(c)(4) Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund to support the “Fed Up” campaign. The campaign aims to encourage more accommodative monetary policies and greater transparency and public engagement in the governance of the Federal Reserve. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-popular-democracy-fed-campaign-2018 to the Center for Popular Democracy, the associated 501(c)(3). Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| Center for Popular Democracy | 1,200,000.00 | 94 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-popular-democracy-fed-campaign-2018 | Alexander Berger | Grant to support the “Fed Up” campaign. The campaign aims to encourage more accommodative monetary policies and greater transparency and public engagement in the governance of the Federal Reserve. Renewal of https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-popular-democracy-fed-campaign-2017 (2017 grant). Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-popular-democracy-action-fund-fed-campaign-2018 by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund to the Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund, the associated 501(c)(4). Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| Cynthia Schuck & Wladimir Alonso | 96,130.00 | 427 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/cynthia-schuck-wladimir-alonso-daly-project | Lewis Bollard | Grant to develop a model for evaluating disability-adjusted life year (DALY) impacts of animal welfare reforms. This six-month pilot project will focus on the impact of various potential welfare reforms for pigs, including banning crates or mutilations and requiring indoor enrichment or outdoor access. If successful, the project could be expanded to analyze the DALY impact of other welfare reforms for other farmed species. Announced: 2018-05-17. | |
| Center for Global Development | 49,942.00 | 484 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/center-for-global-development-pandemic-policy-project-jeremy-konyndyk | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support a project on "Policymaking during the Ebola Outbreak: Implications for Future Pandemics" led by Jeremy Konyndyk. Announced: 2018-03-08. | |
| Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security | 44,627.00 | 488 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity-and-pandemic-preparedness/georgetown-center-global-health-science-and-security-general-support-2018 | Jaime Yassif | Grant for general support, continuing grant of https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity-and-pandemic-preparedness/georgetown-center-global-health-science-and-security-general-support to collect data about Libya’s pandemic preparedness capacity and also to establish a model process that can be applied in other countries in the region where it is difficult to obtain data due to political instability or ongoing conflict. Announced: 2018-03-15. | |
| Farm Forward | 165,691.00 | 344 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/farm-forward-leadership-circle-2018 | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to continue to seek commitments from universities, hospitals, and companies to source certified higher-welfare animal products. This continues the January 2017 support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/farm-forward-broiler-chicken-welfare-advocacy Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): The grant is a renewal grant and its timing is determined by the end of the timeframe for the previous grant Intended funding timeframe in months: 12 Donor retrospective of the donation: The exit grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/farm-forward-exit-grant made next year suggests that the results of the grant were not fully satisfactory Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-05. |
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| Founders Pledge | 3,222,653.00 | 25 | Effective altruism/donor pledges | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/founders-pledge-general-support-2018 | Nick Beckstead | Total across two grants for general support over three years, representing a renewal of the 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/founders-pledge-general-support Since the previous grant, Founders Pledge has increased its pledge commitments and a large percentage of donations made by founders taking their pledge have been to organizations that prioritize an evidence based approach with respect to their interventions. However, its expansion into other parts of Europe has been more limited than anticipated. Instead, FP has shifted its primary expansion focus to the United States and Canada. Announced: 2018-04-05. | |
| Global Priorities Institute | 2,674,284.00 | 41 | Cause prioritization | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/global-priorities-institute-general-support | Nick Beckstead | Grant of £2,051,232 over five years (estimated at $2,674,284, depending upon currency conversion rates at the time of annual installments) via Americans for Oxford for general support. GPI is an interdisciplinary research center at the University of Oxford that conducts foundational research to inform the decision-making of individuals and institutions seeking to do as much good as possible. GPI intends to use this funding to support global priorities research, specifically: to hire three early-career, non-tenured research fellows with expertise in philosophy or economics, as well as two operations staff; to secure a larger office space to accommodate them; to host visiting researchers; and to hold seminars which address global priorities research topics. Announced: 2018-05-21. | |
| MIT Synthetic Neurobiology Group | 3,000,000.00 | 26 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/massachusetts-institute-technology-synthetic-neurobiology-group-2018 | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant over two years. Grantee group led by Ed Boyden. Followup to March 2016 grant, and made for similar reasons as that first grant: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/massachusetts-institute-technology-synthetic-neurobiology-group. Announced: 2018-03-08. | |
| University of California, San Francisco | 500,000.00 | 176 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness/Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/ucsf-research-antiviral-activity-hsp90-inhibitors | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support research led by Dr. Raul Andino to test the broad spectrum antiviral potential of several drugs. The grant will allow Dr. Andino to carry out tests of the effectiveness of two commercial-quality drugs against five different viruses. Original grant amount of $320,000 in February 2018, and an additional $180,000 added in June 2018 (grant page updated around 2018-06-29). Announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| Mamoreruinochi wo Mamorukai | 40,000.00 | 492 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/mamoreruinochi-wo-mamorukai-legal-aid-for-scientists-in-japan | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Discretionary grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Grantee, which translates roughly as Protect the Lives Protectable, is a Japanese organization that protects science journalists and scientists from attacks, insults, and litigation. Announced: 2018-07-06. | |
| Texas Inmate Families Association | 200,000.00 | 317 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-inmate-families-association-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee (TIFA) is a primarily volunteer-driven organization that provides support, education, and advocacy for family members of incarcerated individuals. This funding is intended to allow TIFA to hire a full-time organizer to increase membership, provide marketing assistance, and conduct more trainings and workshops. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2018-02-22. | |
| AI Scholarships (Earmark: Dmitrii Krasheninnikov|Michael Cohen) | 159,000.00 | 347 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ai-scholarships-2018 | Daniel Dewey | Discretionary grant; total across grants to two artificial intelligence researcher, both over two years. The funding is intended to be used for the students’ tuition, fees, living expenses, and travel during their respective degree programs, and is part of an overall effort to grow the field of technical AI safety by supporting value-aligned and qualified early-career researchers. Recipients are Dmitrii Krasheninnikov, master’s degree, University of Amsterdam and Michael Cohen, master’s degree, Australian National University. Announced: 2018-07-26. | |
| Court Watch NOLA | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/court watching | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/court-watch-nola-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant. Grantee utilizes over 100 volunteers annually to observe and collect data on practices used in New Orleans courtrooms. Its observations and data are then compiled into regular reports, which can be used by the general public and advocacy groups for work related to criminal justice reform. Follows up on grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/court-watch-nola-general-support-october-2017. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New Orleans; announced: 2018-03-08. | |
| Southerners On New Ground | 400,000.00 | 227 | Criminal justice reform/decriminalization and bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/southerners-on-new-ground-anti-criminalization-work | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant over two years to Southerners On New Ground (SONG) to support anti-criminalization work. SONG intends to use this funding to hire more full-time organizers and increase efforts on anti-criminalization campaigns, particularly those focused on the abolition of cash bail and the closure or slowed expansion of local jails. Open Phil is impressed by SONG’s reputation for effective community organizing around multiple issues. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-08. | |
| Voters Organized to Educate | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/voters-organized-to-educate-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee intends to use these funds to hire a senior legislative policy consultant and build administrative capacity for its criminal justice reform legislative efforts in Louisiana. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New Orleans; affected cities: Louisiana; announced: 2018-03-08. | |
| Justice Team Network | 400,000.00 | 227 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justice-team-network-justice-la-campaign | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support work on the JusticeLA campaign. Justice Team Network intends to use this funding for base-building (e.g. town halls), lobbying, communications, and research activities related to the campaign. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/dignity-and-power-now-justice-la-campaign to Dignity and Power Now. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; affected cities: Los Angeles; announced: 2018-03-15. | |
| Columbia University | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform/decriminalization and prison time reduction and formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/columbia-university-beyond-the-bars-conference-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant (labeled a gift) to the Center for Justice at Columbia University’s School of Social Work to support its 2018 Beyond the Bars conference. Beyond the Bars is an annual interdisciplinary conference on mass incarceration that brings together stakeholders including formerly incarcerated individuals as well as community organizations interested in ending mass incarceration and promoting justice and equity. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-24. | |
| Niskanen Center | 400,000.00 | 227 | Migration policy/politics | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/niskanen-immigration-2018 | Alexander Berger | Grant over two years to continue to support work on immigration policy. Grant is a renewal of https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/niskanen-immigration and is in recognition of the Niskanen Center growing its immigration program to $1 million/year, while also keeping in mind the expectation of no significant positive movement on immigration at the federal level. Announced: 2018-01-30. | |
| Center for Applied Rationality | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Rationality improvement | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/center-applied-rationality-general-support-2018 | Nick Beckstead | Grant for general support. Grantee primarily organizes workshops and develops underlying material and tools to improve rationality. Grant is based on the belief that CFAR workshops help connect people better to the effective altruism movement and grow the talent pipeline in AI safety. Also, Open Phil considers CFAR to have met the milestones set with the 2016 grant. Announced: 2018-03-01. | |
| Blue Ribbon Study Panel on Biodefense | 2,588,162.00 | 42 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/blue-ribbon-study-panel-biodefense-general-support-2018 | Jaime Yassif | Intended use of funds: Grantee advocates for improvements to U.S. biodefense policy through a variety of activities, including hosting public meetings, publishing reports, and conducting outreach to members of Congress and the executive branch. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Likely similar reason as for the 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/blue-ribbon-study-panel-biodefense-general-support that it is renewing. An earlier renewal/top-up was done in January 2017 Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2018-02-16. |
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| WaitList Zero | 100,000.00 | 392 | Organ donation | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/miscellaneous/waitlist-zero-general-support-exit-grant-2017 | -- | Exit grant, to give WaitList Zero approximately 18 months of operating support to allow them to secure other funding. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-01-30. | |
| Just Liberty | 569,000.00 | 162 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund because the money is being used for lobbying Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant "will allow the organization to continue its organizing, lobbying, and outreach activities to build support for criminal justice reform ahead of the 2019 Texas legislative session. Just Liberty intends to target many of its activities toward center-right voters, whose voices may be impactful on Republican lawmakers." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Just Liberty intends to target many of its activities toward center-right voters, whose voices may be impactful on Republican lawmakers." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount is similar to (slightly higher than) the previous general support amount of $530,000 for the October 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2016 Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely determined by the expiration of the previous round of support https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2016 (made October 2016, likely for a year). No explicit timing-related considerations are discussed. Donor retrospective of the donation: The followup grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/just-liberty-general-support-2019 is much reduced (only $100,000) which suggests a mixed evaluation of the success of this grant. No explicit retrospective is provided Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2018-03-15. |
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| Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center | 2,934,400.00 | 36 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/beth-israel-deaconess-medical-center-clinical-trial-sepsis-therapy | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Grant to support Dr. Michael Donnino to conduct a multicenter clinical trial of a therapy for severe sepsis. Announced: 2018-01-30. | |
| Detroit Justice Center | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/detroit-justice-center-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via the Urban Justice Center for general support. DJC is a new nonprofit law firm focused on remedying the impacts of mass incarceration by building a model of integrated legal services, advocacy, and alternatives in Detroit. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Michigan; affected cities: Detroit; announced: 2018-02-22. | |
| Brooklyn Community Bail Fund | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/brooklyn-community-bail-fund-national-bail-fund-network-2018 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant supports the National Bail Fund Network led by Pilar Weiss. It is accompanied by a grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/silicon-valley-debug-bail-fund-participatory-defense-pilot to Silicon Valley De-Bug, a collaboator on the project. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-01. | |
| Silicon Valley De-Bug | 20,600.00 | 521 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/silicon-valley-debug-bail-fund-participatory-defense-pilot | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support a pilot project exploring a partnership between bail funds and participatory defense, led by Raj Jayadev. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/brooklyn-community-bail-fund-national-bail-fund-network-january-2018 to the Brooklyn Community Bail Fund. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-01. | |
| LatinoJustice | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/latino-justice-media-fellowship-program | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support a media fellowship. The fellowship program is intended to allow a member of the Latinx community to document and eventually publish an account of his or her direct involvement with the criminal justice and correction system. For its inaugural fellow, LatinoJustice selected Jason Hernandez, one of the first individuals to receive clemency under President Barack Obama’s clemency program. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-15. | |
| Carnegie Endowment for International Peace | 613,380.00 | 158 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/carnegie-endowment-international-peace-chinese-indian-perspectives-biosecurity | Jaime Yassif | Grant over three years to support a project to assess Chinese and Indian perspectives on biosecurity risks associated with advances in biotechnology. Announced: 2018-01-09. | |
| American Society for Microbiology | 43,149.00 | 489 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/american-society-for-microbiology-biothreats-conference-2018 | Jaime Yassif | Discretionary grant to support a keynote panel discussion and dinner on “Preparing for Biological Catastrophe” during the 2018 ASM Biothreats Meeting, see https://www.asm.org/index.php/biothreats-2018 for more. The dinner discussion will address global catastrophic biological risks as part of a broader conversation about past and potential future pandemics, and is expected to be attended by approximately 400 guests. Announced: 2018-02-15. | |
| Humane Society Legislative Fund | 525,000.00 | 170 | Animal welfare/factory farming/legislative standards | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/Humane-Society-Legislative-Fund-Opposing-King-Amendment | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support efforts to defeat the Protect Interstate Commerce Act, also known as the King Amendment. The amendment, if enacted, would prevent states from imposing animal welfare standards on the sale of animal products produced in another state. HSLF plans to run targeted advertising, organize new grassroots support and third-party validators, and advocate against the amendment with key congressional committee members. Other notes: Grant made via the Open Philanthropy Action Fund, because it is being used for lobbying purposes. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-04-30. |
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| Urban Institute | 165,833.00 | 343 | History of philanthropy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/research/history-of-philanthropy/urban-institute-history-of-philanthropy-project | Luke Muehlhauser Alexander Berger | Grant to support a series of literature reviews and case studies on the history of philanthropy. The work will be led primarily by Benjamin Soskis, a research associate at the Urban Institute, who has previously produced case studies for our history of philanthropy project. Announced: 2018-02-22. | |
| The Center for Election Science | 628,600.00 | 156 | Politics | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/the-center-for-election-science-general-support | William MacAskill | Grantee is a US-based nonprofit that promotes alternative voting methods to plurality voting, with an emphasis on cardinal methods and a special focus on approval voting. The grant is intended to go toward CES’ general expenses over the next year such as salaries, marketing, office supplies, as well as its Ballot Initiative Education Campaign project. In October of 2018, Open Phil added $30,000 to the original award amount of $598,600. Announced: 2018-01-23. | |
| Family Farm Action | 153,000.00 | 349 | Animal welfare/factory farming/legislative standards | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/family-farm-action-opposing-king-amendment | Lewis Bollard | Donation process: Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund, because of the funding being used for lobbying efforts Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support efforts to defeat the Protect Interstate Commerce Act, also known as the King Amendment. The amendment, if enacted, would prevent states from imposing animal welfare standards on the sale of animal products produced in another state. FFA plans to conduct grassroots outreach to affected groups, especially family farmers." Affected countries: United States; announced: 2019-06-07. |
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| protocols.io | 200,000.00 | 317 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/protocols-io-platform-improvements | Heather Youngs | Discretionary grant to ZappyLab, Inc (doing business as “protocols.io”) to support improvements to the protocols.io platform, which provides open access for science methods. Announced: 2017-12-08. | |
| Blackbird | 425,000.00 | 218 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/blackbird-ending-mass-incarceration-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support efforts to end mass incarceration. The grant is intended to support communications, policy and organizing work. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-01-05. | |
| Aubin Pictures | 25,000.00 | 512 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/aubin-pictures-criminal-justice-media-archive-scoping | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support a criminal justice media archive scoping project. The grant will allow Aubin Pictures to conduct a needs assessment and propose a strategic development plan to catalogue and archive media footage related to criminal justice reform (e.g. interviews, courtroom or prison footage). Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-01-23. | |
| Smart Justice CA | 25,000.00 | 512 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/smart-justice-ca-california-criminal-justice-reform-lobbying | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via The Advocacy Fund to support lobbying on criminal justice bills in the California legislature in 2017. Grant financed by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2018-01-23. | |
| Color Of Change | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-of-change-criminal-justice-reform-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant supports work on criminal justice reform, and continues https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-of-change-prosecutor-accountability (2016 grant). Grantee works on movement coordination and prosecutor accountability activities, as well as work on bail reform. Grant financed by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-02-15. | |
| The Ordinary People Society | 280,000.00 | 276 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ordinary-people-society-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant renews https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ordinary-people-society-prodigal-child-project (2016 grant) and is for general support. See also https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/prodigal-child-project-general-support (a related grant). Affected countries: United States; affected states: Alabama|Georgia|Florida|Tennessee; announced: 2018-02-15. | |
| The Prodigal Child Project | 20,000.00 | 522 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/prodigal-child-project-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support work training and organizing pastors to advocate for criminal justice reform with legislators across several southern U.S. states. Grant financed by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. See also https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ordinary-people-society-general-support-2017 to an affiliated organization. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Alabama|Georgia|Florida|Tennessee; announced: 2018-02-15. | |
| Voters Organized to Educate | 305,000.00 | 256 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/voters-organized-to-educate-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant intended to allow Voters Organized to continue developing and testing its electoral impact and voter engagement strategies, vet and publicly endorse local political candidates who support policies aligned with Voters Organized’s mission, and raise its profile as an organization representing the interests of formerly incarcerated people. Grant financed by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Louisiana; announced: 2018-02-15. | |
| Citizens for Juvenile Justice | 75,000.00 | 437 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/citizens-for-juvenile-justice-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Total across two discretionary grants (one made via the Open Philanthropy Action Fund) for general support, representing a continuation of the 2016 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/citizens-for-juvenile-justice-general-support-2016. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Massachusetts; announced: 2018-03-01. | |
| Mijente | 255,000.00 | 286 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/mijente-anti-criminalization-work | Chloe Cockburn | Two discretionary grants totaling $255,000 to support criminal justice reform and anti-criminalization work. Mijente is a national hub for Latinx- and Chincanx-focused organizing and direct action, and this grant is intended to help Mijente mobilize Latinxs, particularly young activists and organizers, on issues related to criminal justice reform. Renewal of 2016 grant: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/mijente-criminal-justice-reform. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-03-01. | |
| Otwarte Klatki | 472,864.00 | 207 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/otwarte-klatki-chicken-welfare-campaigns-poland-ukraine | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support farm animal welfare campaigns and organizational capacity building in Poland and Ukraine. The funding will allow Otwarte Klatki to launch broiler chicken welfare campaigns in Poland and cage-free campaigns in Ukraine, as well as support expenses related to a planned merger with the Danish animal rights organization, Anima. Affected countries: Poland|Ukraine; announced: 2017-11-21. | |
| Animal Equality | 2,110,460.00 | 54 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-equality-eu-farm-animal-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support corporate outreach and animal welfare campaigns, investigations, and capacity building for Animal Equality’s teams in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Program Officer and grant investigator Lewis Bollard is pleased with the grantee who received a $500,000 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-equality-international-cage-free-advocacy in 2016. Affected countries: Germany|Italy|Spain|United Kingdom; announced: 2017-11-28. | |
| Aquaculture Stewardship Council | 533,036.00 | 168 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/aquaculture-stewardship-council-fish-welfare-standard-development | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years, denominatoted in euros (€459,000). Grantee goal is to develop an objective, evidence-based standard that is applicable to all eligible ASC-certified species and recognized globally. Announced: 2017-11-28. | |
| Association L214 | 1,347,742.00 | 87 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/L214-broiler-chicken-campaigns | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years of €1,140,000 (approximately $1,347,742 at the time of conversion). Using this funding, L214 will conduct a campaign advocating for reduced chicken meat consumption as well as a corporate campaign targeting higher welfare standards for broiler chickens. Affected countries: France; announced: 2017-12-08. | |
| theguardian.org | 886,600.00 | 133 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/the-guardian-journalism-factory-farming | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support journalism on factory farming and farm animal cruelty. Theguardian.org has stated that it will regard the funds to The Guardian newspaper, which will allow The Guardian to increase its reporting output on issues related to factory farming, including publishing approximately one article per week as well as the creation of multimedia content. In keeping with The Guardian’s journalistic and transparency standards, all supported content will be clearly labeled and the Open Philanthropy Project will have no editorial control over the content ultimately published. Announced: 2017-12-08. | |
| fair-fish international association | 453,841.00 | 209 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/fair-fish-international-fish-welfare-standards | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years for a farmed fish welfare assessment and standards project. FFI’s research team, FishEthoBase, will work jointly with fish welfare certifier Friend of the Sea (FOS) to assess fish welfare at approximately 50% of all FOS-certified farms. Findings from these assessments will then be used to create farm-specific improvement recommendations and to develop animal welfare criteria for possible inclusion in FOS standards. Additionally, FFI plans to share its findings through formal presentations at academic and industry conferences. Announced: 2017-12-08. | |
| The Good Food Institute | 1,500,000.00 | 77 | Animal welfare/factory farming/meat alternatives | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/good-food-institute-general-support-2017 | Lewis Bollard | Renewal of previous grant of $1,000,000 at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/good-food-institute-general-support Lewis Bollard considers GFI to be the leading nonprofit promoting meat alternatives, and is impressed with its strategic support for early-stage companies producing plant-based products, such as Good Dot and Good Catch. Announced: 2018-01-05. | |
| InterAcademy Partnership | 14,605.00 | 529 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/interacademy-partnership-bwc-meeting-state-parties | Jaime Yassif | Discretionary grant to support a side event at the December 2017 Biological Weapons Commission (BWC) Meeting of State Parties, and other related activities to support the BWC. Announced: 2017-12-01. | |
| David Manheim | 65,308.00 | 446 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/david-manheim-research-existential-risk | Claire Zabel | Grant to perform a research and analysis project, "Eliciting Evaluations of Existential Risk from Infectious Disease.". Announced: 2018-01-30. | |
| University of Washington (Institute for Protein Design) | 11,367,500.00 | 7 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/university-of-washington-universal-flu-vaccine | Chris Somerville Heather Youngs | Donation process: In the blog post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/questions-we-ask-ourselves-making-grant Michael Levine describes the process of deciding the grant: "Through ongoing conversations, the original grant proposal focusing on the development of a universal flu vaccine evolved into an expanded grant incorporating work on a computational protein design system that we believe could have much broader utility if it makes it possible to rapidly design new vaccines or antiviral drugs." Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support research on the use of computational protein design to develop a universal influenza vaccine. This work will be led by UW Professor David Baker, Ph.D., and UW Assistant Professor Neil King, Ph.D. In addition, part of this funding is intended to improve the Rosetta molecular modeling and design software originally developed in Baker’s lab. UW Assistant Professor Frank DiMaio, Ph.D., and others will work to improve Rosetta to better predict the properties of proteins Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The blog post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/questions-we-ask-ourselves-making-grant suggests a scope increase for the grant from being for a universal flu vaccine to being for improving computational protein design techniques as well. Other notes: The grant is discussed in https://ssir.org/articles/entry/giving_in_the_light_of_reason as part of an overview of the Open Philanthropy Project grantmaking strategy. Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2018-04-04. |
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| Arizona State University | 6,421,402.00 | 9 | Scientific research/transformative R01 | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/arizona-state-university-canine-clinical-trial-multivalent-cancer-vaccine | Heather Youngs | Grant to be used in support of a canine clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of a multivalent, preventative cancer vaccine. The trial will test the cancer-prevention efficacy of a multi-valent frameshift peptide (FSP) vaccine, developed by Dr. Stephen Albert Johnston, in healthy, middle-aged pet dogs. The trial will be conducted under the direction of Dr. Douglas Thamm, Director of Clinical Research at the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University. Part of a set of "second chance" grants by the Open Philanthropy Project for some rejected applications for the NIH Transformative R01 program https://commonfund.nih.gov/tra discussed at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-second-chance-program-nih-transformative-research-applicants and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08795-0. Announced: 2017-12-20. | |
| Youth First Initiative | 250,000.00 | 289 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/youth-first-initiative-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee is undertaking a coordinated national advocacy campaign with the ultimate goals of completely ending youth incarceration, closing youth prisons, and redirecting young people to community-based programs, and is a project of New Venture Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-12-01. | |
| ColorOfChange PAC | 200,000.00 | 317 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-of-change-pac-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support electoral engagement work related to prosecutor accountability and reform. Color of Change PAC intends to use this funding to organize national and local partners to participate in voter engagement activities several months prior to important district attorney elections, with a goal to promote prosecutors or prosecutor candidates who are supportive of criminal justice reform.. See the related grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-of-change-criminal-justice-reform-2017 to the parent 501(c)(4) organization. Grant financed by Cari Tuna personally. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-02-15. | |
| Sightline Institute | 350,000.00 | 243 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/sightline-institute-housing-and-urban-development-2017 | -- | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support Sightline Institute's work on housing and urban development." The grant page says: "The Sightline Institute intends to use this funding to continue promoting the Housing Affordability and Livability Advisory Committee’s (HALA) land use reform agenda in Seattle, and to promote similar reforms nationally by disseminating lessons learned from the Seattle initiative." Donor reason for selecting the donee: Likely the same reasons as for the original October 2015 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/sightline-institute-housing-and-urban-development Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The amount ($350,000 over two years) is similar to the previous grant amount ($400,000 over two years). The reasons for the amount are also likely similar Donor retrospective of the donation: The followup grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/sightline-institute-housing-and-urban-development-2019 suggests that this grant would be considered a success Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; affected countries: Alexander Berger; affected states: United States; announced: 2017-11-14. |
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| Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals | 374,631.00 | 239 | Animal welfare/factory farming/broiler chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/rspca-broiler-chicken-welfare-campaign-UK | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years to support a corporate chicken welfare campaign in the United Kingdom. Affected countries: United Kingdom; announced: 2017-11-08. | |
| World Animal Net | 50,000.00 | 458 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/world-animal-net-co-organizing-workshops-world-bank | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support engagement with the World Bank to co-organize farm animal welfare workshops. The funding is intended to allow WAN to contribute to the preparatory work and costs of the workshops; invite farm animal welfare experts/scientists who could potentially advocate for animal welfare reforms to the workshops; support research, analysis, and coordination of advocacy strategy in advance of the workshops; and conduct post-workshop follow-up and dissemination activities. Announced: 2017-11-08. | |
| Anima | 683,000.00 | 152 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/anima-corporate-campaigns-merger-support | Lewis Bollard | Two grants combined. Funding to support chicken welfare campaigns and organizational capacity building in Scandinavia. Affected countries: Scandinavia; announced: 2017-11-21. | |
| Nuclear Threat Initiative | 6,000,000.00 | 10 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/nuclear-threat-initiative-biosecurity-program-support | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support nascent biosecurity program led by Dr. Elizabeth Cameron. Grantee is well-respected for its efforts related to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) so is promising. Announced: 2018-01-09. | |
| Working Families Party | 109,600.00 | 387 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-prosecutor-reforms-new-york | Chloe Cockburn | Donation process: Grant recommended for Cari Tuna to make personally Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the Working Families Party’s work on criminal justice issues in New York, including electing prosecutors who are supportive of criminal justice reform, and not other priorities of the Working Families Party. Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Changing prosecutors’ behavior would go a long way towards increasing the chances for substantial reforms, and we believe the Working Families Party is well-positioned to try to do so in New York State." Donor retrospective of the donation: The followup December 2018 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/working-families-party-general-support suggests that the grant would be considered a success Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; announced: 2017-11-10. |
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| Compassion in World Farming | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-world-farming-end-the-cage-age-campaign | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to "support [the] “End the Cage Age” campaign in the UK and Europe. The campaign will seek to end the use of cages and crates for all farmed animal species in the UK and Europe through advocacy and outreach, including an EU-wide citizens’ ballot measure. [The] funds will support staffing needs related to the campaign in six regional EU offices as well as its headquarters in the United Kingdom; marketing, social media, and exhibition activities; advocacy work; investigations; as well as technical and operational costs over the next two years." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Budget available at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/CIWF/CIWF_End_the_Cage_Age_Campaign_2017.pdf Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; affected countries: United Kingdom; announced: 2017-11-14. |
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| Brooklyn Community Bail Fund | 404,800.00 | 223 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/brooklyn-community-bail-fund-national-bail-fund-network | Chloe Cockburn | Discreionary grant to support National Bail Fund Network, led by Pilar Weiss. The Network is comprised of bail funds around the country—including immigration and movement-oriented funds as well as more traditional community-based funds engaging with local criminal justice systems—which pay bail for defendants who cannot otherwise afford to pay bail. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-10-25. | |
| Initiate Justice | 5,000.00 | 539 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/initiate-justice-prisoner-education-prop-57 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support prisoner education on Proposition 57. Funds will be used to conduct direct mail campaign to prisoners in California educating them on the proposition and its potential effect on their sentences. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; announced: 2017-11-10. | |
| Essie Justice Group | 300,000.00 | 259 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/essie-justice-group-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee organizes women with incarcerated loved ones for criminal justice reform. Grantee plans to expand its on-the-ground network of women with incarcerated loved ones and continue to advocate for an end to the money bail system and industry. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-11-21. | |
| Court Watch NOLA | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/court watching | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/court-watch-nola-general-support-october-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grant based on perceived success of previous grant made in April 2017. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New Orleans; announced: 2017-11-21. | |
| Machine Intelligence Research Institute | 3,750,000.00 | 20 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support-2017 | Nick Beckstead | Donation process: The donor, Open Philanthropy Project, appears to have reviewed the progress made by MIRI one year after the one-year timeframe for the previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support ended. The full process is not described, but the July 2017 post https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/SEL9PW8jozrvLnkb4/my-current-thoughts-on-miri-s-highly-reliable-agent-design (GW, IR) suggests that work on the review had been going on well before the grant renewal date Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: According to the grant page: "MIRI expects to use these funds mostly toward salaries of MIRI researchers, research engineers, and support staff." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The reasons for donating to MIRI remain the same as the reasons for the previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support made in August 2016, but with two new developments: (1) a very positive review of MIRI’s work on “logical induction” by a machine learning researcher who (i) is interested in AI safety, (ii) is rated as an outstanding researcher by at least one of Open Phil's close advisors, and (iii) is generally regarded as outstanding by the ML. (2) An increase in AI safety spending by Open Phil, so that Open Phil is "therefore less concerned that a larger grant will signal an outsized endorsement of MIRI’s approach." The skeptical post https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/SEL9PW8jozrvLnkb4/my-current-thoughts-on-miri-s-highly-reliable-agent-design (GW, IR) by Daniel Dewey of Open Phil, from July 2017, is not discussed on the grant page Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The grant page explains "We are now aiming to support about half of MIRI’s annual budget." In the previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support of $500,000 made in August 2016, Open Phil had expected to grant about the same amount ($500,000) after one year. The increase to $3.75 million over three years (or $1.25 million/year) is due to the two new developments: (1) a very positive review of MIRI’s work on “logical induction” by a machine learning researcher who (i) is interested in AI safety, (ii) is rated as an outstanding researcher by at least one of Open Phil's close advisors, and (iii) is generally regarded as outstanding by the ML. (2) An increase in AI safety spending by Open Phil, so that Open Phil is "therefore less concerned that a larger grant will signal an outsized endorsement of MIRI’s approach." Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): The timing is mostly determined by the end of the one-year funding timeframe of the previous grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/machine-intelligence-research-institute-general-support made in August 2016 (a little over a year before this grant) Intended funding timeframe in months: 36 Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: The MIRI blog post https://intelligence.org/2017/11/08/major-grant-open-phil/ says: "The Open Philanthropy Project has expressed openness to potentially increasing their support if MIRI is in a position to usefully spend more than our conservative estimate, if they believe that this increase in spending is sufficiently high-value, and if we are able to secure additional outside support to ensure that the Open Philanthropy Project isn’t providing more than half of our total funding." Other notes: MIRI, the grantee, blogs about the grant at https://intelligence.org/2017/11/08/major-grant-open-phil/ Open Phil's statement that due to its other large grants in the AI safety space, it is "therefore less concerned that a larger grant will signal an outsized endorsement of MIRI’s approach." is discussed in the comments on the Facebook post https://www.facebook.com/vipulnaik.r/posts/10213581410585529 by Vipul Naik. Announced: 2017-11-08. |
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| University of California, Berkeley (Earmark: Sergey Levine,Anca Dragan) | 1,450,016.00 | 82 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/uc-berkeley-ai-safety-levine-dragan | Daniel Dewey | Pair of grants to support AI safety work led by Professors Sergey Levine and Anca Dragan, who would each devote half their time to the project, with additional assistance from four graduate students. They initially intend to focus their research on how objective misspecification can produce subtle or overt undesirable behavior in robotic systems. Announced: 2017-10-20. | |
| Dignity and Power Now | 500,000.00 | 176 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/dignity-and-power-now-justice-la-campaign | Chloe Cockburn | Grant is for work on the JusticeLA campaign. The campaign is a coalition of organizations opposed to the planned construction of two new jail facilities in Los Angeles county, which currently contains the largest jail system in the country, with an average daily inmate population of approximately 17,000. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justice-team-network-justice-la-campaign to the Justice Team Network from the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; affected cities: Los Angeles; announced: 2018-03-15. | |
| Albert Schweitzer Foundation for Our Contemporaries | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/turkey/pig welfare | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/albert-schweitzer-foundation-general-support-2017 | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years for general support for farm animal welfare activities in Germany. Grant will allow grantee to significantly expand their corporate outreach on broiler chicken welfare, increase their fundraising capacity, and hire a law firm to pursue litigation related to turkey and pig welfare. Affected countries: Germany; announced: 2017-10-25. | |
| Global Animal Partnership | 285,000.00 | 274 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-fish-welfare-standards | Lewis Bollard | Grant to develop fish welfare standards for 4-6 farmed fish species, beginning with salmon by establishing a partnership with an existing aquaculture certification program and developing a multi-step framework for farmed fish based on land animal models. Grantee also intends to develop a strategy for raising consumer awareness of farmed fish welfare, and to run a promotional campaign for the launch of their initial salmon certification program. Announced: 2017-11-14. | |
| Eurogroup for Animals | 625,400.00 | 157 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/eurogroup-animals-eu-chicken-welfare-advocacy | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years, denominated in euros (€530,000) to support EU policy advocacy for chicken welfare. Grantee plans to use these funds on either broiler chicken or egg-laying hen welfare campaigns, depending upon which campaign appears most tractable. Actual financing of the grant from a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. Announced: 2017-11-28. | |
| Global Aquaculture Alliance | 435,000.00 | 214 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-aquaculture-alliance-fish-welfare-best-practices | Lewis Bollard | Grant over two years via the Responsible Aquaculture Foundation to develop best practices and proposed animal welfare standards for three farmed fish species. Announced: 2017-12-01. | |
| The Humane League | 2,000,000.00 | 57 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken/cage-free | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-open-wing-alliance-2017 | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support the Open Wing Alliance to expand corporate campaigns in Europe. The Alliance, started by The Humane League, supports global efforts to eliminate battery cages. The new grant will bolster these campaigns in Europe and allow Alliance members to expand into campaigns to improve the welfare of broiler (meat) chickens. Donor reason for selecting the donee: Grant investigator Lewis Bollard, is excited to continue supporting the Open Wing Alliance (which grew out of a previous Open Phil grant to The Humane League) due to the coalition’s strong track record of securing corporate cage-free pledges; his confidence in its leadership team; and the project’s strategic fit with our goal to build a stronger farm animal welfare movement in Europe. Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): Likely determined by the development timeline of the Open Wing Alliance, which grew out of an earlier grant about a year earlier, in February 2016: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-corporate-cage-free-campaigns Intended funding timeframe in months: 24 Donor retrospective of the donation: The general support grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-league-general-support-2018 in 2018 renews this grant among others Other notes: This and other grants from Open Philanthropy Project to The Humane League are discussed in https://ssir.org/articles/entry/giving_in_the_light_of_reason as part of an overview of the Open Philanthropy Project grantmaking strategy. Announced: 2017-10-09. |
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| Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative | 2,000,000.00 | 57 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/solar-radiation-management-governance-initiative-general-support-2017 | Claire Zabel | Grant awarded via the Environmental Defense Fund for general support. The funding is intended to help support SRMGI’s on-going governance work related to solar radiation management (SRM), and will additionally help support a new research fund for modeling the impacts of SRM across the developing world, called the Developing Country Impacts Modeling Analysis for SRM (DECIMALS). Announced: 2017-10-09. | |
| Corrections Accountability Project | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/prisin life quality | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/corrections-accountability-project-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to project housed at the Urban Justice Center and led by Bianca Tylek. Grantee aims to eliminate the influence of commercial interests on the criminal system and end the exploitation of those it touches. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-10-03. | |
| Texas After Violence Project | 52,000.00 | 456 | Criminal justice reform/decriminalization | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-after-violence-project-video-documentation-project | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support a research and video documentation project in collaboration with Texas Advocates for Justice, focused on inacarceration and its effects. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2017-10-03. | |
| Gamechanger Labs | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/gamechanger-labs-student-organizing-initiative | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via the Movement Voter Fund at the Tides Foundation to support awareness-raising and organizing of college students. This funding will support project planning, initial campaign staffing, travel, and potentially small sub-grants to partner organizations. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-10-09. | |
| We Got Us Now | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/we-got-us-now-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support the launch of a digital platform devoted to the interests of children of incarcerated parents. The digital platform will include resources for children of incarcerated parents, storytelling media such as videos, audio files, and a blog, and a leadership institute to train children of incarcerated parents (ages 16-35) to organize and advocate for relevant criminal justice reforms. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-10-20. | |
| New York Working Families | 40,000.00 | 492 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/new-york-working-families-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Grant made via The Advocacy Fund to support work to pass legislation to reduce prison and jail populations in New York, and not for other priorities of New York Working Families. Affected countries: United STates; affected states: New York; announced: 2017-11-10. | |
| Florida Rights Restoration Coalition | 558,000.00 | 163 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/florida-rights-restoration-coalition-power-building | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via The Advocacy Fund to support power-building work. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Florida; announced: 2017-11-21. | |
| Center for a New American Security (Earmark: Richard Danzig) | 260,000.00 | 284 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/center-for-a-new-american-security-richard-danzig-outreach-on-technological-risk | Helen Toner | Grant awarded to support outreach by Richard Danzig,1 former Secretary of the Navy, on technological risks. Specifically, this funding will allow Mr. Danzig to revise and publish an already-drafted manuscript exploring and providing guidance on issues facing the US government related to potential risks from advanced technology (e.g., biosecurity, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence risks). The funding would be used by Dr. Danzig to produce Technology Roulette https://www.cnas.org/publications/reports/technology-roulette a report intended for the national security community detailing the management of risks from losing control of advanced technology. Announced: 2017-10-16. | |
| University of California, Berkeley | 5,000,000.00 | 12 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/uc-berkeley-aging-related-research-conboy | Heather Youngs | Grant over five years to support research on the basic biology of aging-related diseases and impairments, led by Dr. Irina Conboy. Grant is a result of https://www.openphilanthropy.org/research/cause-reports/mechanisms-aging (investigation into mechanisms of aging). Announced: 2017-11-03. | |
| Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations | 332,944.00 | 252 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken and dairy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/federation-indian-animal-protection-organisations-india-animal-welfare-reform | Lewis Bollard | Reason for grant includes excitement about broad network of FIAPO throughout India, and the scale of opportunity in India. Affected countries: India; announced: 2017-08-21. | |
| Smithsonian Institution | 300,000.00 | 259 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity-and-pandemic-preparedness/smithsonian-institution-outbreak-exhibit | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support the Outbreak exhibit and related programming at the National Museum of Natural History. The exhibit is planned to open in 2018 and run for approximately three years; it may reach up to 8.5 million visitors during that time. Donor hopes this exhibit will help raise awareness of pandemics, in part by drawing public attention to the 100-year anniversary of the 1918 flu pandemic, which is the largest on record. Announced: 2017-12-01. | |
| University of Pennsylvania | 1,550,000.00 | 75 | Forecasting | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/university-pennsylvania-philip-tetlock-making-conversations-smarter-faster | Luke Muehlhauser | Grant to support development and pre-testing of the “Making Conversations Smarter, Faster” project. The work is led by Professors Philip Tetlock and Barbara Mellers of University of Pennsylvania, and Professor Emeritus Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University. The original grant amount was $1.3 million, and $250,000 was added in February 2019. Announced: 2017-08-25. | |
| Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative | 403,890.00 | 225 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/berkeley-existential-risk-initiative-core-staff-and-chai-collaboration | Daniel Dewey | Donation process: BERI submitted a grant proposal at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/BERI/BERI_Grant_Proposal_2017.pdf Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support work with the Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI) at UC Berkeley, to which the Open Philanthropy Project provided a two-year founding grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/uc-berkeley-center-human-compatible-ai The funding is intended to help BERI hire contractors and part-time employees to help CHAI, such as web development and coordination support, research engineers, software developers, or research illustrators. This funding is also intended to help support BERI’s core staff. More in the grant proposal https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/BERI/BERI_Grant_Proposal_2017.pdf Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "Our impression is that it is often difficult for academic institutions to flexibly spend funds on technical, administrative, and other support services. We currently see BERI as valuable insofar as it can provide CHAI with these types of services, and think it’s plausible that BERI will be able to provide similar help to other academic institutions in the future." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The grantee submitted a budget for the CHAI collaboration project at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/BERI/BERI_Budget_for_CHAI_Collaboration_2017.xlsx Announced: 2017-09-28. |
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| Future of Research | 150,000.00 | 351 | Scientific research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/future-research-exit-grant-2017 | Nick Beckstead | Exit grant to allow grantee to find time for alternative funding sources. Follows a $300,000 grant made in 2016 for two years. Announced: 2017-08-21. | |
| The Ahimsa Collective | 15,000.00 | 524 | Criminal justice reform/restorative justice | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/ahimsa-collective-restorative-justice-report | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via Community Works West to support the completion of a restorative justice movement building report. The report is intended to be a resource for donors and advocates interested in supporting restorative justice1 work, and will include reference data on movement building efforts to date as well as recommendations on funding strategy. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-08-16. | |
| American Conservative Union Foundation | 200,000.00 | 317 | Criminal justice reform/conservative advocacy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/american-conservative-union-center-criminal-justice-reform-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support the Center for Criminal Justice Reform (CCJR) led by Pat Nolan and David Safavian. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-08-21. | |
| Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (Earmark: Yoshua Bengio) | 2,400,000.00 | 48 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/montreal-institute-learning-algorithms-ai-safety-research | -- | Grant to support research to improve the positive long-term impact of artificial intelligence on society. Mainly due to star power of researcher Yoshua Bengio who influences many young ML/AI researchers. Detailed writeup available. See also https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10110258359382500&id=13963931 for a Facebook share by David Krueger, a member of the grantee organization. The comments include some discussion about the grantee. Announced: 2017-07-19. | |
| Yale University (Earmark: Allan Dafoe) | 299,320.00 | 271 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/yale-university-global-politics-of-ai-dafoe | Nick Beckstead | Grant to support research into the global politics of artificial intelligence, led by Assistant Professor of Political Science, Allan Dafoe, who will conduct part of the research at the Future of Humanity Institute in Oxford, United Kingdom over the next year. Funds from the two gifts will support the hiring of two full-time research assistants, travel, conferences, and other expenses related to the research efforts, as well as salary, relocation, and health insurance expenses related to Professor Dafoe’s work in Oxford. Announced: 2017-09-28. | |
| Animal Welfare Action Lab | 79,100.00 | 435 | Animal welfare/factory farming/survey research | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-welfare-action-lab-meat-reduction-survey | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant via the Reducetarian Foundation to fund a study to replicate and improve upon an earlier multi-wave study by grantee (AWAL). Improvements include a larger, more representative sample via YouGov, and the potential to fund a third-wave component analyzing whether any effect endures after two months. Funds primarily cover spending on YouGov. The initial amount of $58,550 was topped up by $20,550 in July 2018, for a total of $79,100. Announced: 2017-08-21. | |
| Greater Greater Washington | 250,000.00 | 289 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/greater-greater-washington-housing-and-land-use-reform | Alexander Berger | Grant to support work on housing affordability and land use reform, and the grant writeup cites the existing coalition http://www.dchousingpriorities.org/ as impressive evidence of progress so far. Affected countries: United States; affected cities: Washington, D.C.; announced: 2017-08-11. | |
| Duke University | 81,500.00 | 430 | Scientific research/antiviral and inhibitor work | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/duke-university-timothy-haystead-hsp70 | Chris Somerville | Grant for work that will be led by Dr. Timothy Haystead, Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at the Duke University School of Medicine. Funding from this grant will allow Dr. Haystead to pay a specialized company to determine the molecular structure of the human Hsp70i protein in a complex with HS-72, and to hire a summer intern to support his antiviral and inhibitor work. The original grant amount was $49,500. In May 2018, $32,000 to the original award amount for additional work on the project. Announced: 2017-08-16. | |
| Dignity and Power Now | 132,000.00 | 366 | Criminal justice reform/Reallocation of funds outside criminal justice | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/dignity-and-power-now-la-jail-opposition | Chloe Cockburn | Grant for an organized campaign to permanently defeat Los Angeles plans for jails. Grantee plans to organize a convening of community coalitions, labor groups, elected officials, and other interested parties to discuss and assess the potential for a larger campaign opposing the jails. Specifically, the funding will cover meeting materials, food and location costs, staff support, and potentially a commissioned report on alternative uses for the city and state funds estimated to be needed for the jail construction projects. Affected countries: United States; affected states: California; affected cities: Los Angeles; announced: 2017-08-08. | |
| Humane Slaughter Association | 419,236.00 | 222 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-slaughter-association-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant to support "work to improve farm animal welfare in China. HSA plans to use this grant to translate its guides on humane handling, transport, stunning, and slaughter into Mandarin Chinese and publicize the translated publications in Chinese agriculture industry magazines. It also plans to pay for HSA staff to travel to China to lecture at veterinary universities and train staff at slaughterhouses and livestock markets, and invite Chinese officials for an expenses-paid study tour of slaughterhouses and livestock markets in the United Kingdom." Project proposal at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/HSA/Revised_HSA_Project_Proposal_190916.pdf Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "We are excited about this project’s potential to reduce suffering and institutionalize farm animal welfare values." Part of a China focus strategy announced by Lewis Bollard at https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/permalink/656583861179155/ (2016-10-25) and explained in depth in a document https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/grants-support-farm-animal-welfare-work-china announced at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/ngrjni1iKLg (2017-08-09) Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Grant of grant of £331,458 ($419,236 at time of conversion). Budget breakdown in the project proposal at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/HSA/Revised_HSA_Project_Proposal_190916.pdf Affected countries: China; announced: 2017-07-19. |
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| Humane Slaughter Association | 2,528,678.00 | 44 | Animal welfare/factory farming/fish | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-slaughter-association-fish-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant "to support research to improve the welfare of farmed fish, decapod crustaceans (crabs, lobsters), and/or coleoid cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus, squid)." The grant page says: "This funding will allow HSA to seek proposals for research to improve the welfare of farmed fish, decapod crustaceans (crabs, lobsters), and/or coleoid cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus, squid), and to translate related HSA publications. This work may take several years depending on the nature of the research applications received." Donor reason for selecting the donee: The grant page says: "According to the best estimates we are aware of, fish account for about three quarters of all vertebrate farmed animals alive at any time.1 Despite this, we are not aware of any major animal welfare groups that have campaigns focused on fish welfare, and we therefore believe that it is important to start building this area of farm animal welfare advocacy and research. Over the past year, we recommended three previous grants in the area of fish welfare: one to Eurogroup for Animals, one to Dyrevernalliansen, and one to the Albert Schweitzer Foundation." Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Grant of £1,999,137 ($2,528,678 at time of conversion) Other notes: Grant to support research to improve the welfare of farmed fish, decapod crustaceans (crabs, lobsters), and/or coleoid cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus, squid). Grant made in light of perceived lack of fish welfare efforts relative to importance of the issue. The funding will allow HSA to seek proposals for research to improve the welfare of farmed fish, decapod crustaceans (crabs, lobsters), and/or coleoid cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus, squid), and to translate related HSA publications. This work may take several years depending on the nature of the research applications received. Announced: 2017-11-08. |
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| University of Notre Dame | 2,054,142.00 | 55 | Scientific research/transformative R01 | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/university-notre-dame-nanopore-protein-sequencing-development | Heather Youngs | Grant over three years to the University of Notre Dame to support the development of an instrument that uses a sub-nanometer-diameter pore (i.e. a sub-nanopore) to read the amino acid sequence of whole protein molecules. The collaborative effort led by Dr. Gregory Timp involves researchers at the University of San Diego and Johns Hopkins University. Part of a set of "second chance" grants by the Open Philanthropy Project for some rejected applications for the NIH Transformative R01 program https://commonfund.nih.gov/tra discussed at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-second-chance-program-nih-transformative-research-applicants and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08795-0. Announced: 2017-12-20. | |
| University of California, San Francisco | 825,000.00 | 135 | Scientific research/transformative R01 | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/ucsf-liver-regeneration-experiments | Chris Somerville | Grant over three years to the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to support research into the development of a stem cell treatment method for repairing or replacing damaged human livers. The work will be led by Tammy T. Chang, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the UCSF Department of Surgery. Part of a set of "second chance" grants by the Open Philanthropy Project for some rejected applications for the NIH Transformative R01 program https://commonfund.nih.gov/tra discussed at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-second-chance-program-nih-transformative-research-applicants and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08795-0. Announced: 2017-12-20. | |
| Compassion in World Farming USA | 30,000.00 | 507 | Animal welfare/factory farming/Latin America | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/compassion-world-farming-latin-america-broiler-chicken-welfare-research | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support research into opportunities for broiler chicken welfare campaigns in Latin America. Affected countries: Argentina|Brazil|Columbia|Chile|Mexico; announced: 2017-07-27. | |
| Animal Equality | 292,000.00 | 273 | Animal welfare/factory farming/India | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-equality-india-animal-welfare-reform | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support farm animal welfare work in India. This two-year grant will help support a pro-vegetarian messaging campaign, a corporate and/or institution-directed campaign encouraging animal product alternatives, organization capacity building, and advocacy related to in-ovo sex selection technology and other chicken welfare reforms. Affected countries: India; announced: 2017-07-27. | |
| People for Animals | 120,000.00 | 378 | Animal welfare/factory farming/India | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/people-for-animals-india-animal-welfare-reform | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support farm animal welfare work in India over two years, as part of the potential/promise for the nascent field of farm animal welfare in India. Grant one of five grants made to animal welfare groups in India. Affected countries: India; announced: 2017-08-03. | |
| Humane Society International | 1,100,000.00 | 104 | Animal welfare/factory farming/India | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-society-international-india-animal-welfare-reform | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support farm animal welfare work in India over two years. Grant to provide funding to commission studies on the impact of factory farming in India and potential policy solutions; staff expansion primarily in the areas of outreach and coalition-building, litigation, and policy; operational costs; and re-grants to grassroots animal welfare groups across India. Strong track record of grantee part of the reason for the grant. Part of five grants made to animal welfare groups in India. Affected countries: India; announced: 2017-08-03. | |
| Mercy For Animals | 500,000.00 | 176 | Animal welfare/factory farming/India | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/mercy-animals-india-animal-welfare-reform | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support new farm animal welfare work in India. The grant will help support undercover investigations, corporate campaigns, research, and policy-related campaign activities over the next two years. Grant based on strong track record of similar work in United States. Affected countries: India; announced: 2017-08-03. | |
| Eurogroup for Animals | 14,961.00 | 528 | Animal welfare/factory farming/broiler chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/eurogroup-animals-broiler-chicken-welfare-campaign | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant to support the International Broiler Advocacy Meeting in Brussels, of European advocacy groups to discuss broiler chicken welfare campaigns. Announced: 2017-08-08. | |
| National Academy of Sciences Engineering and Medicine | 452,545.00 | 211 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/national-academy-sciences-international-meeting-governance-dual-use-research | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support an international meeting on governance of dual-use research in the life sciences organized by the National Academy of Sciences. Announced: 2017-06-14. | |
| Genspace | 454,025.00 | 208 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/genspace-diy-bio-labs-project | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support an evaluation of biosafety and biosecurity in the DIYbio lab community, and a biosafety & biosecurity pilot program in three DIY bio labs, led by Daniel Grushkin and Todd Kuiken, Ph.D. See also the twin grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/north-carolina-state-university-diy-bio-labs-project to North Carolina State University. Announced: 2017-09-26. | |
| Target Malaria | 17,500,000.00 | 3 | Scientific research/malaria/gene drive testing and governance | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/target-malaria-general-support | -- | Donation process: As explained in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/target-malaria-general-support#Our_process the donation process included conversations with Target Malaria, the Gates Foundation, Kevin Esvelt, Stephanie James, and several other people, and review by scientific advisors Chris Somerville and Daniel Martin-Alarcon Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: Grant to help the project develop and prepare for the potential deployment of gene drive technologies to help eliminate malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, if feasible, ethical, safe, approved by the regulatory authorities, and supported by the affected communities. This grant will support training and outreach programs, research into the potential ecological effects of releasing gene drives, operational development, regulatory support, and an unrestricted funding reserve. Donor reason for selecting the donee: As described in https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/target-malaria-general-support#Case_for_the_grant (1) Gene drives, and Target Malaria's work in particular, seem important and tractable as a malaria elimination strategy, (2) Target Malaria has a lot of room for more funding, (3) Even a few weeks of speed-up of the work would likely have good cost-effectiveness. More explicit quantification is available in the back-of-the-envelope calculation (BOTEC) at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GsE2_TNWn0x6MWL1PTdkZT2vQNFW8VFBslC5qjk4sgo/edit?ts=5cc10604#heading=h.g3c8stqygqae Quantification related to (3) is also in the spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E8qu474nUUvPjK21oBqGkdQ9FuXanigOgSGfumhL3_c/edit#gid=1061406209 Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The reasoning for the amount is not articulated, but it is likely related to the budget https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/target-malaria-general-support#Budget_and_proposed_activities as well as the cost-effectiveness calculations. One factor helping with the size of the grant is that the organization is also heavily funded by the Gates Foundation (grant of $36 million over 3.5 years) so that the Open Philanthropy Project will be under 50% of the grantee's funds, and can also piggyback on th vetting already done by the Gates Foundation Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): The timing is probably affected by two factors: (a) The belief that even a few weeks of speed-up of the work would likely have good cost-effectiveness, qunaitified in the spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E8qu474nUUvPjK21oBqGkdQ9FuXanigOgSGfumhL3_c/edit#gid=1061406209 (b) The timing of the Gates Foundation grant and the scaling up of the project Intended funding timeframe in months: 48 Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: Key questions for follow-up are listed at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/target-malaria-general-support#Key_questions_for_follow-up but there is no explicit discussion of follow-up grants Donor retrospective of the donation: In the July 2019 blog post https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/givewells-top-charities-are-increasingly-hard-beat the grant is mentioned as one of the few grants that crosses the 1000x cost-effectiveness barrier in expected cost-effectiveness as of the time of making the grant, and also as accounting for over half of the total money volume of such grants Other notes: The grant is discussed in https://ssir.org/articles/entry/giving_in_the_light_of_reason as part of an overview of the Open Philanthropy Project grantmaking strategy. Announced: 2017-05-17. |
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| North Carolina State University | 252,725.00 | 288 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/north-carolina-state-university-diy-bio-labs-project | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support an evaluation of biosafety and biosecurity in the DIYbio lab community, and a biosafety & biosecurity pilot program in three DIY bio labs, led by Daniel Grushkin and Todd Kuiken, Ph.D. See also the twin grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/genspace-diy-bio-labs-project to Genspace. Announced: 2017-09-26. | |
| Future of Life Institute | 100,000.00 | 392 | Global catastrophic risks | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/future-life-institute-general-support-2017 | Nick Beckstead | Grant awarded for increasing awareness of global catastrophic risks. Announced: 2017-09-27. | |
| Center for Applied Rationality | 340,000.00 | 249 | Rationality improvement | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/center-applied-rationality-european-summer-program-rationality | Nick Beckstead | Grant for the European Summer Program on Rationality. Announced: 2017-09-27. | |
| Color of Change | 30,000.00 | 507 | Criminal justice reform/bail reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/color-change-criminal-justice-meeting | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support activities including meeting on bail reform. Discretionary grant decided by program officer Chloe Cockburn. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-05-16. | |
| Forward Justice | 75,000.00 | 437 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/forward-justice-daryl-atkinson-north-carolina | Chloe Cockburn | Grant via Repairers of the Breach to support the advocacy and organizing activities of Daryl Atkinson in North Carolina. The funding is intended to support the hiring of two organizers in North Carolina who will attempt to grow the local chapter of All of Us or None—a grassroots advocacy organization—and outreach and public education activities in Durham and Pitt counties related to prosecutorial accountability and reform. Affected countries: United States; affected states: North Carolina; announced: 2017-09-28. | |
| JustLeadershipUSA | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justleadershipusa-close-rikers-campaign-summer-canvassing | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant to support advocacy campaign to close the Rikers Island Prison Compex in New York City. Continuation of grants https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justleadershipusa-close-rikers-campaign and https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/justleadershipusa-close-rikers-campaign-2016. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; affected cities: New York City; announced: 2018-01-19. | |
| UCLA School of Law (Earmark: Edward Parson,Richard Re) | 1,536,222.00 | 76 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/ucla-artificial-intelligence-governance | Helen Toner | Grant to support work on governance related to AI risk led by Edward Parson and Richard Re. Announced: 2017-07-27. | |
| Stanford University (Earmark: Percy Liang) | 1,337,600.00 | 88 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/stanford-university-support-percy-liang | Daniel Dewey | Grant awarded over year years (July 2017 to July 2021) to support research by Professor Percy Liang and three graduate students on AI safety and alignment. The funds will be split approximately evenly across the four years (i.e. roughly $320,000 to $350,000 per year). Preceded by planning grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/stanford-university-support-percy-liang of $25,000. Announced: 2017-09-26. | |
| Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken and pig | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/foundation-food-and-agriculture-research-farm-animal-welfare-research | Lewis Bollard | Grant was to match FFAR funding 1:1 in supporting research to find solutions to bone fractures in cage-free hens and painful castration in piglets. Announced: 2017-05-11. | |
| The Greenfield Project | 500,000.00 | 176 | Animal welfare/factory farming/United States | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/greenfield-project-general-support | Lewis Bollard | Grant provides seed funding for new group created by Liz Hamilton and Ashley Carr pushing for federal reforms to improve farm animal welfare. Recipient plans to use this grant to conduct research, build relationships with government officials, build coalitions, and use legal and public relations advocacy to advance farm animal welfare reforms. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-07-21. | |
| East Bay Forward | 40,000.00 | 492 | Land use reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/east-bay-forward-yimbytown-2017-conference | Alexander Berger | Money to support a YIMBYtown 2017 conference planned for July 2017. Grant via the California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund (CaRLA). Follows up on grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/land-use-reform/better-boulder-yimby-2016 to Better Boulder supporting the YIMBY 2016 conference. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-07-07. | |
| BioBricks Foundation | 152,950.00 | 350 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity/biobricks-foundation-biosecurity-activities-sb70 | Jaime Yassif | Grant to support biosecurity activities at the SB7.0 meeting. Announced: 2017-07-07. | |
| UCLA School of Law (Earmark: Edward Parson) | 776,095.00 | 141 | Global catastrophic risks/climate engineering governance | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/ucla-climate-engineering-governance | -- | Grant to support research and meetings on climate engineering governance led by Professor Edward Parson. Parson plans to use this grant to hire one or two fellows for three years to do academic research, publish papers, and hold meetings and workshops on climate engineering governance with relevant policymakers. Announced: 2017-04-19. | |
| New Partnership for Africa’s Development | 2,350,000.00 | 50 | Scientific research/malaria/gene drive | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/new-partnership-africa-s-development-general-support | Claire Zabel | Grant to the Planning and Coordinating Agency, the technical arm of the African Union, to support the evaluation, preparation, and potential deployment of gene drive technologies in some African regions. Part of a set of grants related to gene drives; see https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/target-malaria-general-support for a larger grant to Target Malaria in the same domain and at around the same time. Announced: 2017-05-26. | |
| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation | 45,000.00 | 487 | Criminal justice reform/disability rights | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/american-civil-liberties-union-foundation-disability-rights-fellowship | Chloe Cockburn | Grant for Disability Rights Program to support a fellowship for Zoe Brennan-Kohn, a disability rights attorney. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-06-26. | |
| Court Watch NOLA | 25,000.00 | 512 | Criminal justice reform/court watching | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/court-watch-nola-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Grant for general support. Grantee supports over 100 volunteers who do regular court watching and data gathering on practices used in New Orleans courtrooms. Court watchers gather data relating to violations of transparency, constitutional rights, ethics rules, state law, and victim rights. This data is compiled into regular reports that the organization uses for advocacy. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New Orleans; announced: 2017-08-11. | |
| Common Justice | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform/restorative justice | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/common-justice-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant via Vera Institute of Justice structured as an exit grant since grantee has made progress in meeting goals and securing alternate funding. See https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/vera-institute-justice-common-justice for the previous grant to Vera Institute of Justice that provided grantee funds to meet its goals. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; affected cities: New York City; announced: 2017-10-03. | |
| Rockefeller University | 1,600,000.00 | 73 | Scientific research/transformative R01 | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/scientific-research/miscellaneous/rockefeller-university-viral-histone-mimics | Heather Youngs | Grant to support research on viral histone mimics led by Professor Alexander Tarakhovsky. Professor Tarakhovsky has discovered a novel mechanism through which viruses may influence host gene expression: he found that in influenza H3N2, the non-structural 1 (NS1) protein acts to downregulate antiviral genes (i.e. weaken host defense systems) by mimicking human histone 3, which interferes with normal histone regulation in the host cell. Professor Tarakhovsky and his collaborators plan to use this grant to further explore this mechanism in the life cycle of the yellow fever virus and to determine whether the mechanism occurs in other host-virus interactions. Part of a set of "second chance" grants by the Open Philanthropy Project for some rejected applications for the NIH Transformative R01 program https://commonfund.nih.gov/tra discussed at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/our-second-chance-program-nih-transformative-research-applicants and https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-08795-0 Original grant amount $1.5 million; an additional $100,000 added to grant in July 2018 (page update: 2018-07-10). Announced: 2017-12-20. | |
| Alliance for Safety and Justice Action Fund | 1,000,000.00 | 111 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-action-fund-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support ongoing policy reform, legislative and ballot advocacy, and lobbying efforts in states such as Texas, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, and California, and to lay the foundation for future advocacy work in Florida, Ohio, and California. Open Phil considers grantee an effective organization that has contributed to the passing of several criminal justice reform bills at the state level, such as Illinois Senate Bill 2872, the Neighborhood Safety Act, in March 2017. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund; companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-general-support-2017 made via Tides Center. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Alliance for Safety and Justice | 4,000,000.00 | 17 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-general-support-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant for general support; renewal of previous similar grants such as https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-general-support Donor considers grantee an exceptionally high-performing organization with a track record of securing significant criminal justice policy reforms. Grant via Tides Center. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/alliance-safety-and-justice-action-fund-general-support-2017 made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Animal Charity Evaluators | 500,000.00 | 176 | Animal welfare/factory farming/meta/charity evaluator | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-charity-evaluators-general-support | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The grant page section https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-charity-evaluators-general-support#Proposed_activities lists these proposed activities: increasing compensation (by $2,000 to $4,000 per year), adding staff time, hiring for two research positions, making small grants to evaluated charities (in the range of $500 to $1,000 per charity), intern stipends, and fundraising. The grant will increase ACE's expected revenue for 2017 from around $635,000 to $885,000. See also budget without Open Phil funding https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/Animal_Charity_Evaluators/ACE_2017_Budget_not_including_OP_grant.pdf budget with Open Phil funding https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/Animal_Charity_Evaluators/ACE_2017_Budget_including_OP_grant.pdf and plans for Open Phil funding https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/Animal_Charity_Evaluators/ACE_Plans_for_OP_grant_funding.pdf Donor reason for selecting the donee: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/animal-charity-evaluators-general-support#Case_for_the_grant gives these reasons: (1) Open Phil's version for the farm animal welfare movement in the next decade or two includes "an important role for an institution similar to a scaled-up version of ACE" (2) Open Phil expects that "the improvements ACE plans to make with this grant will allow it to direct more money to animal welfare groups that we consider highly effective, so we consider it fairly likely that this grant will achieve a roughly one-to-one return on investment in the near-term" (3) Open Phil hopes that the grant will help ACE address "what we view as some current shortcomings, including unsustainably low salaries, reliance on low-quality research, and undervaluing of long-term gains" Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Amount likely determined based on budgets submitted by ACE and intended use of funds; see budget without Open Phil funding https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/Animal_Charity_Evaluators/ACE_2017_Budget_not_including_OP_grant.pdf budget with Open Phil funding https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/Animal_Charity_Evaluators/ACE_2017_Budget_including_OP_grant.pdf and plans for Open Phil funding https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/Animal_Charity_Evaluators/ACE_Plans_for_OP_grant_funding.pdf Other notes: See also https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/on-receiving-a-grant-from-the-open-philanthropy-project/ on the ACE blog. It says "We feel that this grant is a reaffirmation of the value and impact of ACE’s work, and we are incredibly honored to have been selected." It says: "To those who may wonder if ACE will still be able to efficiently use additional donations, at this stage the answer is an emphatic yes." It links to https://animalcharityevaluators.org/about/background/goals-and-strategy/ fo the goals for 2017, and to https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/ace-fundraising-restrictions/ for its 2017 fundraising. Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2017-06-09. |
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| Wageningen UR | 88,345.00 | 429 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/wageningen-ur-broiler-welfare-review | Lewis Bollard | Part of a strategy focus on broiler chicken welfare started in late 2016, though no overarching document on this has been posted. See also https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/search/?query=broiler%20chicken. Announced: 2017-05-08. | |
| International Society for Applied Ethology | 40,000.00 | 492 | Animal welfare | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/international-society-applied-ethology-travel-scholarships | Lewis Bollard | Grant to support travel scholarships for animal welfare scientists, government and NGO veterinarians, and graduate students from developing nations to attend the 2017 51st International Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. Announced: 2017-06-16. | |
| Institute for Advancement of Animal Welfare Science | 80,400.00 | 432 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/colorado-state-university-planning-gift | Lewis Bollard | Grant goes for Colorado State University research on broiler chicken welfare. Discretionary grant. Amount increased from original value of $25,300 to $80,400 on 2018-02-16. See also https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/search/?query=broiler%20chicken. Announced: 2017-06-26. | |
| 80,000 Hours | 1,125,000.00 | 103 | Effective altruism/movement growth/career counseling | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support | Nick Beckstead | Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: According to https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support#Budget_and_proposed_activities grantee plans to use the grant to fund the following activities: (1) Hiring four new junior staff members to (a) improve career guides and career profiles, (b) do career coaching, (c) replacing a departing part-time software engineer, (d) research/career coaching/marketing. (2) Increasing staff salaries by 30% to be competitive in the Bay Area, to which it recently moved. (3) Marketing activities including online retargeting advertisements, Facebook advertisements for workshops targeted at universities, and giving away books. (4) Holding funds in reserve for year 2 Donor reason for selecting the donee: https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support#Case_for_the_grant explains the reasons. The key reason is that Open Phil finds impressive the large number of impact-adjusted significant plan changes (IASPCs) that 80,000 Hours claims to have brought about, and broadly agrees with 80,000 Hours' calculation of their IASPCs Donor thoughts on making further donations to the donee: According to https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support#Case_for_the_grant "We expect to recommend another grant to 80,000 Hours at the beginning of 2018, with the amount recommended being whichever of the following is smallest: (1) $1.25 million (2) The amount 80,000 Hours raises from other donors in 2017 (3) The amount necessary for 80,000 Hours to have $3.75 million in its bank account" Donor retrospective of the donation: The renewal grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/80000-hours-general-support-2018 of $510,000 is consistent with the expectations set during this grant; the constraining factor in determining the amount for the renewal is "The amount 80,000 Hours raises from other donors in 2017" Announced: 2017-05-16. |
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| Center for Global Development (Earmark: Michael Clemens) | 1,800,000.00 | 66 | Migration policy/international labor mobility | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/center-global-development-migration-program | Alexander Berger | Grant supports work at CGD of Michael Clemens and his team. Continues a 2014 grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/immigration-policy/center-global-development-labor-mobility-research for the same purpose. Announced: 2017-06-27. | |
| Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security | 3,500,000.00 | 22 | Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/biosecurity-and-pandemic-preparedness/georgetown-center-global-health-science-and-security-general-support | -- | Grant over three years. Grantee housed at Georgetown University Medical Center. Grantee conducts research to help build sustainable capacities to prevent, detect, and respond to public health emergencies worldwide. It is comprised of a team of four experts and academic researchers in biosecurity and pandemic preparedness along with several support staff. Announced: 2017-03-24. | |
| ClimateWorks Foundation | 3,000,000.00 | 26 | Global catastrophic risks/climate/HFC | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/climateworks-montreal-protocol-energy-cooling-office | -- | Grant agreed upon in 2016-09, but not awarded; the grant date of 2017-03 is provisional. Grant intended to contribute to the Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program, which was created recently to assist with a phase-down of the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in developing nations, in connection with the passing of an amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Announced: 2017-03-08. | |
| Rutgers University (Earmark: Alan Robock) | 2,982,206.00 | 34 | Global catastrophic risks/nuclear war | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/miscellaneous/rutgers-university-nuclear-conflict-climate-modeling | -- | Grant over three years to support a series of modeling studies on the climatological and subsequent ecological and social effects of large nuclear conflict. Research to beconducted by Alan Robock of Rutgers University and Owen Brian Toon of the University of Colorado Boulder. Announced: 2017-04-19. | |
| Drug Policy Alliance | 1,371,630.00 | 85 | Drug policy/United States/Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/drug-policy-alliance-drug-decriminalization | -- | Grant supports the work of asha bandele and Kassandra Frederique, who plan to lead culture change and pilot project strategies to advance a public health approach to the use and sale of all drugs. Although the grantee is working on drug policy, the current criminalization of various drugs also makes the grant fall under criminal justice reform. Open Phil hopes to move the United States toward a Portugal-style public health approach to drugs, and sees the grant as a step in that direction. Of the original grant amount of $1.4 million, $28,370 of unspent funds were returned by DPA in December 2018, and the grant amount was updated to reflect this. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-04-22. | |
| Centre for Effective Altruism | 2,500,000.00 | 45 | Effective altruism/movement growth | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/centre-effective-altruism-general-support-2017 | Nick Beckstead | Grant for general support. Donor impressed by what grantee has achieved in terms of Giving What We Can pledge amounts and recruit quality. Also believes it is value-aligned with other potential donors to donee, so less fungibility concern. Expected to renew grant for $1.25 million or $2.5 million next year. Predictions included in detailed grant page. See also https://www.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/blog/announcing-grant-from-the-open-philanthropy-project/ for the corresponding confirmation from the grantee. See https://donations.vipulnaik.com/donor.php?donor=Effective+Altruism+Grants for the full list of Effective Altruism Grants, for which part of the funds from this grant were used. Announced: 2017-08-17. | |
| National Alliance of Faith and Justice | 100,000.00 | 392 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/national-alliance-faith-and-justice-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support the National Alliance of Faith and Justice work in advancing criminal justice reform by empowering victims of crime to become advocates for safe and just communities. Discretionary grant decided by program officer Chloe Cockburn. Grant page published on 2017-04-27, see https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/_iLMF5lWwnQ for the email announcing the grant. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-04-26. | |
| World Animal Protection | 517,588.00 | 173 | Animal welfare/factory farming/chicken | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/world-animal-protection-broiler-chicken-welfare | Lewis Bollard | Intended use of funds (category): Direct project expenses Intended use of funds: Grant for campaigns to improve the welfare of broiler chickens. Activities: (1) Producing and promoting campaign materials to raise awareness of broiler chicken suffering (2) Developing and launching a corporate chicken welfare scorecard (3) Building evidence of the suffering endured by broiler chickens in factory farming operations (4) Staff time, creative development, and travel (5) Indirect costs such as occupancy, technical support, and administrative support Donor reason for selecting the donee: For more background on Open Phil grants related to broiler chicken, see https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/search/?query=broiler%20chicken Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): Donee's budget proposal is at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/files/Grants/World_Animal_Protection/Revised_WAP_Chicken_Campaign_Proposal_REDACTED.xlsx Intended funding timeframe in months: 1; announced: 2017-06-26. |
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| American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Oregon | 145,000.00 | 363 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/american-civil-liberties-union-foundation-oregon-prosecutorial-accountability | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support prosecutorial reform, including a report cost on district attorney (DA) policies, practices, and positions, to be completed for each elected DA. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Oregon; announced: 2017-06-09. | |
| Vera Institute of Justice | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform/Safety and justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/vera-institute-justice-criminal-justice-reform-report | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support a report on the state of safety and justice reform. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-06-26. | |
| College and Community Fellowship | 50,000.00 | 458 | Criminal justice reform/formerly incarcerated people | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/college-and-community-fellowship-general-support | Chloe Cockburn | Discretionary grant for general support. Grantee works to increase access to education for formerly incarcerated people via direct service work in New York City (including academic support and peer mentoring programs), policy advocacy, and technical assistance. CCF’s direct service work informs its national advocacy and national technical assistance programs, both of which aim to increase awareness about issues related to mass incarceration and education and to encourage community members and decision-makers to push for criminal justice reform. Affected countries: United States; affected states: New York; affected cities: New York City; announced: 2017-07-19. | |
| Workers Center for Racial Justice | 125,000.00 | 371 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/workers-center-racial-justice-prosecutorial-accountability-chicago | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support work on prosecutorial accountability in Chicago. The Workers Center for Racial Justice plans to use this grant to a) support local organizing to work with Cook County State’s Attorney (SA) Kim Foxx to ensure that her policies are ensuring the safety of Cook County communities without overly relying on jail and prison incarceration, and b) build these groups’ capacity to relate to SA Foxx in a productive way. Possible activities include town hall meetings, prayer vigils, and quarterly meetings with SA Foxx to determine whether she is meeting the groups’ standards for community accountability and reduced use of harsh criminal justice sanctions. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Illinois; affected cities: Chicago; announced: 2017-09-07. | |
| The People’s Lobby Education Institute | 125,000.00 | 371 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-lobby-education-institute-support-work-prosecutorial-accountability-chicago | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support work on prosecutorial accountability in Chicago. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Illinois; affected cities: Chicago; announced: 2018-01-05. | |
| Future of Humanity Institute | 1,994,000.00 | 62 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/future-humanity-institute-general-support | -- | Grant for general support. A related grant specifically for biosecurity work was granted in 2016-09, made earlier for logistical reasons. Announced: 2017-03-06. | |
| OpenAI | 30,000,000.00 | 2 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/openai-general-support | -- | Donation process: According to the grant page Section 4 Our process: "OpenAI initially approached Open Philanthropy about potential funding for safety research, and we responded with the proposal for this grant. Subsequent discussions included visits to OpenAI’s office, conversations with OpenAI’s leadership, and discussions with a number of other organizations (including safety-focused organizations and AI labs), as well as with our technical advisors." Intended use of funds (category): Organizational general support Intended use of funds: The funds will be used for general support of OpenAI, with 10 millioon USD per year for the next three years. The funding is also accompanied with Holden Karnofsky (Open Phil director) joining the OpenAI Board of Directors. Karnofsky and one other board member will oversee OpenAI's safety and governance work Donor reason for selecting the donee: Open Phil says that, given its interest in AI safety, it is looking to fund and closely partner with orgs that (a) are working to build transformative AI, (b) are advancing the state of the art in AI research, (c) employ top AI research talent. OpenAI and Deepmind are two such orgs, and OpenAI is particularly appealing due to "our shared values, different starting assumptions and biases, and potential for productive communication." Open Phil is looking to gain the following from a partnership: (i) Improve its understanding of AI research, (ii) Improve its ability to generically achieve goals regarding technical AI safety research, (iii) Better position Open Phil to promote its ideas and goals Donor reason for donating that amount (rather than a bigger or smaller amount): The grant page Section 2.2 "A note on why this grant is larger than others we’ve recommended in this focus area" explains the reasons for the large grant amount (relative to other grants by Open Phil so far). Reasons listed are: (i) Hits-based giving philosophy, described at https://www.openphilanthropy.org/blog/hits-based-giving in depth, (ii) Disproportionately high importance of the cause if transformative AI is developed in the next 20 years, and likelihood that OpenAI will be very important if that happens, (iii) Benefits of working closely with OpenAI in informing Open Phil's understanding of AI safety, (iv) Field-building benefits, including promoting an AI safety culture, (v) Since OpenAI has a lot of other funding, Open Phil can grant a large amount while still not raising the concern of dominating OpenAI's funding Donor reason for donating at this time (rather than earlier or later): No specific timing considerations are provided. It is likely that the timing of the grant is determined by when OpenAI first approached Open Phil and the time taken for the due diligence Intended funding timeframe in months: 36 Other notes: External discussions include https://twitter.com/Pinboard/status/848009582492360704 (critical tweet with replies), https://www.facebook.com/vipulnaik.r/posts/10211478311489366 (Facebook post by Vipul Naik, with some comments), https://www.facebook.com/groups/effective.altruists/permalink/1350683924987961/ (Facebook post by Alasdair Pearce in Effective Altruists Facebook group, with some comments), and https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14008569 (Hacker News post, with some comments). Announced: 2017-03-31. |
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| Distill | 25,000.00 | 512 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/distill-prize-clarity-machine-learning-general-support | Daniel Dewey | Grant covers 25000 out of a total of 125000 USD initial endowment for the Distill prize https://distill.pub/prize/ administered by the Open Philanthropy Project. Other contributors to the endowment include Chris Olah, Greg Brockman, Jeff Dean, and DeepMind. The Open Philanthropy Project grant page says: "Without our funding, we estimate that there is a 60% chance that the prize would be administered at the same level of quality, a 30% chance that it would be administered at lower quality, and a 10% chance that it would not move forward at all. We believe that our assistance in administering the prize will also be of significant help to Distill.". Announced: 2017-08-11. | |
| Stanford University (Earmark: Percy Liang) | 25,000.00 | 512 | AI safety | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/stanford-university-percy-liang-planning-grant | Daniel Dewey | Grant awarded to Professor Percy Liang to spend significant time engaging in the Open Philanthropy Project grant application process, that would lead to a larger grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/global-catastrophic-risks/potential-risks-advanced-artificial-intelligence/stanford-university-support-percy-liang of $1,337,600. Announced: 2017-09-26. | |
| People's Action Institute | 279,000.00 | 277 | Criminal justice reform/movement growth/prosecutorial reform and decriminalization | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-action-institute-prosecutor-accountability | Chloe Cockburn | Grant to support its prosecutor accountability campaign.1 The People’s Action Institute is a national organization driven by local and state organizing, with member organizations across several states. Using this funding, they plan to expand their community organizing and public education activities related to prosecutor accountability and reform to several new cities and regions. The broad goal will be to mobilize stakeholders to advocate for reforms that reduce incarceration levels. We expect these funds to cover expenses related to personnel, leadership trainings, consulting fees, materials and supplies, communications, travel and lodging, and re-grants to member organizations. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-action-prosecutor-accountability to the People’s Action by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| People's Action | 1,927,640.00 | 63 | Criminal justice reform/prosecutorial reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-action-prosecutor-accountability | Chloe Cockburn | Grant over two years to support prosecutor accountability campaign. People’s Action is a national organization driven by local and state organizing, with member organizations across several states. Using this funding, they plan to expand their community organizing and advocacy activities related to prosecutor accountability and reform to several new cities and regions such as Brooklyn, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. The broad goal was intended to be to mobilize stakeholders to advocate for policy reforms that reduce incarceration levels, particularly through movement building and voter engagement and outreach. Grant made by the Open Philnthropy Action Fund. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/peoples-action-institute-prosecutor-accountability to the People’s Action Institute. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Texas Organizing Project | 1,195,500.00 | 96 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-organizing-project-criminal-justice-reform-2017 | Chloe Cockburn | Grant intended to grow TOP’s organizational capacity so that it can continue building pressure for criminal justice reforms in Texas. Grant made by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Detailed writeup available. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/giving/grants/texas-organizing-project-education-fund-criminal-justice-reform made to the Texas Orgaizing Project Education Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund | 765,000.00 | 143 | Criminal justice reform | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-organizing-project-education-fund-criminal-justice-reform | Chloe Cockburn | Grant intended to support a build-up of TOP Ed Fund’s organizational capacity in Texas, in order to allow it to continue pushing for criminal justice reforms. Companion grant https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/criminal-justice-reform/texas-organizing-project-criminal-justice-reform-2017 by the Open Philanthropy Action Fund. Affected countries: United States; affected states: Texas; announced: 2018-04-19. | |
| Jeanne Marchig International Centre for Animal Welfare Education | 255,816.00 | 285 | Animal welfare/factory farming/China | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/jeanne-marchig-centre-farm-animal-welfare-advocacy-china | Lewis Bollard | Grant made in UK sterlink value 201,594, dollar amount of 255,816 at time of conversion. Recipient plans to use this grant primarily to fund the staff and travel costs to send international farm animal welfare experts to China to work collaboratively with large-scale producers, veterinarians, small-scale rural producers, and technical staff to identify and solve animal welfare challenges. It also plans to fund a complete PhD focused on evaluating whether the program improves outcomes for animals. Part of a China focus strategy announced by Lewis Bollard at https://www.facebook.com/groups/EffectiveAnimalActivism/permalink/656583861179155/ (2016-10-25) and explained in depth in a document https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/grants-support-farm-animal-welfare-work-china announced at https://groups.google.com/a/openphilanthropy.org/forum/#!topic/newly.published/ngrjni1iKLg (2017-08-09). Affected countries: China; announced: 2017-04-19. | |
| Humane Society International | 1,364,000.00 | 86 | Animal welfare/factory farming/East Asia | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/humane-society-international-east-asian-and-oie-projects | Lewis Bollard | Grant made to support five projects to improve farm animal welfare, primarily in East Asia. Disclosure agreement: program officer Lewis Bollard previously worked at the Humane Society of the United States, affiliate of grantee. Affected countries: Japan|South Korea; announced: 2017-04-19. | |
| Global Animal Partnership | 200,000.00 | 317 | Animal welfare/factory farming | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/global-animal-partnership-general-support-2017 | Lewis Bollard | Discretionary grant for gneral support. GAP plans to use this grant to hire a senior staff member to assist the executive director, which we believe will enable GAP to work more effectively on farm animal welfare projects such as its certifier accreditation program and standards development and management. Affected countries: United States; announced: 2017-09-07. | |
| Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund | 305,000.00 | 256 | Macroeconomic stabilization policy | https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/macroeconomic-policy/center-popular-democracy-action-fund-fed-campaign-2017 | Alexander Berger | Grant from the Open Philanthropy Action |