Open Philanthropy Project

Open Philanthropy Project. It is a philanthropic research and grantmaking organization that aims to identify and fund the most effective ways to improve the world. Founded by Cari Tuna and Dustin Moskovitz, it operates within the framework of effective altruism, emphasizing rigorous analysis and evidence-based giving. The organization focuses on high-impact causes, including mitigating global catastrophic risk, improving animal welfare, and advancing global health and development.

History and background

The initiative began in 2011 as the philanthropic arm of Good Ventures, a foundation established by Cari Tuna and her husband, Dustin Moskovitz, a co-founder of Facebook and Asana. It initially operated in close partnership with GiveWell, a charity evaluator, to inform its early giving in global health. In 2014, the partnership formalized into the Open Philanthropy Project, with Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld of GiveWell playing key advisory roles. The organization was created to expand beyond GiveWell's traditional scope, exploring new cause areas through in-depth research. Its early work involved significant investigation into fields like U.S. criminal justice reform and biosecurity, setting the stage for its distinctive grantmaking portfolio.

Focus areas and grantmaking

Its grantmaking is concentrated in several high-priority cause areas believed to offer exceptional opportunities for impact. A major focus is on global catastrophic risk, particularly from artificial intelligence, pandemic preparedness, and biosecurity, funding research at institutions like the Future of Humanity Institute and the Center for Security and Emerging Technology. In animal welfare, it is a leading funder of efforts to improve conditions for farm animals, supporting advocacy groups such as The Humane League and research into cellular agriculture. Within global health and development, it supports interventions like seasonal malaria chemoprevention and vaccine delivery, often following recommendations from GiveWell. Additional funding has gone to scientific research, including metabolomics and cryo-electron microscopy, and to policy work on issues like land use reform and immigration policy.

Research and methodology

The organization employs a distinctive research methodology characterized by deep, cause-specific investigations and a commitment to cause neutrality. Its process often involves publishing detailed "cause reports" and "shallow investigations" to evaluate the importance, tractability, and neglectedness of potential funding areas. Staff researchers, sometimes called "grant investigators," conduct extensive interviews with academics, policymakers, and field experts, as seen in their work on AI governance and industrial animal agriculture. This approach is influenced by principles from effective altruism and aims to be transparent, with many research materials and grant write-ups publicly available. The methodology also includes a focus on worldview diversification, seeking to fund a range of approaches within a cause area to hedge against uncertainty.

Key people and organization

The organization's leadership includes Co-CEOs Holden Karnofsky, a co-founder of GiveWell, and Alexander Berger. Cari Tuna serves as President, overseeing the broader strategy of Good Ventures. Other notable staff have included Lewis Bollard, who leads its farm animal welfare portfolio, and Chris Somerville, a former program officer for scientific research. The project operates as a collaboration between Good Ventures and GiveWell, with staff often holding roles at both entities. Its advisory network includes figures like Toby Ord of the Global Priorities Institute and Andrew Snyder-Beattie. The organization is based in San Francisco and has cultivated a team with diverse expertise in fields like economics, biology, and public policy.

Impact and reception

It has significantly influenced the landscape of modern philanthropy, particularly in elevating the focus on global catastrophic risk and industrial animal agriculture. Its grants have funded pivotal work in AI safety research at organizations like the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and the Alignment Research Center, and have bolstered the field of biosecurity through support for the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Within animal advocacy, its funding is widely credited with accelerating the adoption of cage-free policies by major corporations like McDonald's and Walmart. The organization's transparent, research-driven model has been praised by figures in the effective altruism community and has inspired other funders. Some criticism has emerged regarding its concentrated influence in niche fields and the long-term, uncertain nature of its bets on existential risk mitigation.

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