Good Ventures

Good Ventures
Name	Good Ventures
Founded	0 2011
Founders	Dustin Moskovitz, Cari Tuna
Location	San Francisco, California, United States
Key people	Holden Karnofsky (President)
Focus	Global health, poverty alleviation, biosecurity, artificial intelligence safety, effective altruism
Endowment	~$10 billion (as of 2023)

Good Ventures. It is a philanthropic foundation established in 2011 by Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and former journalist Cari Tuna. The organization is a prominent funder within the effective altruism movement, aiming to apply evidence and reason to maximize the positive impact of its charitable giving. Its grantmaking is conducted in close partnership with the nonprofit research and grantmaking body Open Philanthropy.

History and founding

Good Ventures was created following the commitment of its founders to the Giving Pledge, an initiative launched by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. The foundation's early development was significantly influenced by the philosophical framework of effective altruism, particularly the work of philosophers like Peter Singer and organizations such as GiveWell. In its initial years, the foundation relied heavily on research and recommendations from GiveWell to direct funds toward highly cost-effective interventions in global health and development economics. A pivotal moment occurred with the 2014 hiring of Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld, co-founders of GiveWell, to help establish and lead a new, dedicated grantmaking partnership, which later became Open Philanthropy.

Mission and focus areas

The foundation's mission is to help humanity thrive by identifying and funding the most pressing opportunities to improve the future. Its primary focus areas are determined through a process of cause prioritization, weighing scale, neglectedness, and tractability. Major giving categories include global health and poverty interventions, such as combating malaria and supporting cash transfers. It also dedicates substantial resources to what it terms "global catastrophic risk" reduction, with significant portfolios in biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, as well as artificial intelligence safety and governance. Additional areas of interest include animal welfare, particularly factory farming, and foundational research in science policy and macroeconomic stabilization policy.

Major initiatives and grants

Good Ventures, via Open Philanthropy, has made several landmark grants that define its strategic approach. In global health, it has been a major funder of the Against Malaria Foundation and the Helen Keller International vitamin A supplementation program. For biosecurity, it provided early and substantial funding to the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and supported research on pandemic influenza. In AI safety, it has funded leading research institutes like the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and the Center for Human-Compatible AI at the University of California, Berkeley. A notable grant was a $100 million commitment to the Good Food Institute to advance cellular agriculture and plant-based meat alternatives.

Organizational structure

Good Ventures operates with a minimal internal staff, functioning primarily as a funder that houses an endowment. Its grantmaking activities, research, and day-to-day operations are managed entirely by its partner, Open Philanthropy. This structure allows the foundation to leverage Open Philanthropy's extensive team of researchers specializing in cause areas like global health, biosecurity, and AI governance. Key leadership includes President Holden Karnofsky, who also serves as a co-CEO of Open Philanthropy. The board includes the founders and key advisors, ensuring alignment with the principles of effective altruism.

Financials and endowment

The foundation's endowment is derived almost entirely from the wealth of Dustin Moskovitz, primarily his shares in Facebook (now Meta Platforms) and the project management software company Asana. With an estimated endowment of approximately $10 billion, it is among the largest private foundations in the United States. Its annual grantmaking, recommended by Open Philanthropy, has grown significantly, exceeding $500 million per year. The foundation's financial strategy involves making long-term, patient commitments to its focus areas, with grants often structured as multi-year pledges to provide stability for grantees like the Center for Global Development.

Impact and reception

Good Ventures has had a substantial impact by directing unprecedented levels of funding toward previously under-resourced causes like AI safety and biosecurity. Its support has been critical in building the field of effective altruism and organizations such as the Centre for Effective Altruism. The foundation's work has received praise from figures like Toby Ord and within communities focused on longtermism for its rigorous, forward-looking approach. However, it has also faced criticism and scrutiny, including debates about the concentration of influence in philanthropy, the speculative nature of some focus areas, and its historical associations with figures like Sam Bankman-Fried of the cryptocurrency exchange FTX.

Category:Philanthropic organizations based in California Category:Effective altruism Category:Organizations established in 2011