The Nonlinear Library EA - Meta Charity Funders: Launching the 2nd round by Vilhelm Skoglund
Feb 27, 2024
07:46
Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Meta Charity Funders: Launching the 2nd round, published by Vilhelm Skoglund on February 27, 2024 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
Previously:
Launch of 1st round &
1st round retrospective (recommended for all applicants).
We are now launching the second round of Meta Charity Funders.
Apply for funding by March 24th or
join the circle as a donor.
Below we will first list some updates from the previous round before providing some information primarily meant for people who intend to apply to the next round.
Updates from the previous round
We expect to grant more money this time than the last time ($686,580), as we have more members and people still haven't deployed their yearly spending, which was the case for many members the last time around. Our expected grant amount this time around is $500k - $3mio, though this is still uncertain and is dependent on funder-applicant fit.
We are now 10 members in the circle, up from 9 last time around.
We expect to fund many initiatives not on this list, but some projects that members of our circle have expressed extra interest in funding this round:
Effective Giving/Giving multiplier-organizations, such as the ones incubated by CE's
Effective Giving Incubation program.
Career development programs, that increase the number of individuals working in high-impact areas, including GCR reduction, animal welfare and Global Health
Especially in regions where there currently are fewer opportunities to engage in such programs
Research/Mapping of the Meta space, to better understand current gaps and opportunities.
Information for this round
In this part we will outline the application process and guide you as an applicant to create a good application. We expect all applicants to have read this part to inform themselves.
Process
The expected process is as follows:
Applications open, February 26th
Stick to 100 words in the summary, this should give a quick overview of the project.
In the full project description, please include a main summarizing document no longer than 2 pages. This is all we can commit to reading for the first stage. Any extra material can only be expected to be read if we choose to go further with your application.
When choosing the "Meta" category, please be as truthful as possible, it's obvious (and reflects negatively on the application) when a project has deliberately been placed in a category in which it does not belong.
Applications close, March 24th
Initial application review finished, March 31st
If your project has been filtered out during the initial application review (which we expect 60-80% of applications will), we will let you know around end of March.
Interviews, due diligence, deliberations, April 1st - May 14th
If your application has passed the initial application review, we will discuss it during our gatherings and we might reach out to you to gather more information, for example by conducting an interview. This is still not a commitment from us to fund you.
Decisions made, May 15th
We expect to pay out the grants in the weeks following the decisions.
What we mean by Meta
A common reason for rejection in the last round was that projects were not within scope for the funding circle. We recognize that this was primarily our fault as we never clearly defined it, so we will try to make it a bit clearer here.
Meta organizations are those that operate one step removed from direct impact interventions. These can focus on the infrastructure, evaluation, and strategic guidance necessary for the broader field to maximize effectiveness and impact. They are essential in bridging gaps, identifying high-impact opportunities, and enabling other organizations to achieve or amplify their end-product impact.
Below we will list a couple of illustrative examples. Note that we only chose these examples because we think the org...
Previously:
Launch of 1st round &
1st round retrospective (recommended for all applicants).
We are now launching the second round of Meta Charity Funders.
Apply for funding by March 24th or
join the circle as a donor.
Below we will first list some updates from the previous round before providing some information primarily meant for people who intend to apply to the next round.
Updates from the previous round
We expect to grant more money this time than the last time ($686,580), as we have more members and people still haven't deployed their yearly spending, which was the case for many members the last time around. Our expected grant amount this time around is $500k - $3mio, though this is still uncertain and is dependent on funder-applicant fit.
We are now 10 members in the circle, up from 9 last time around.
We expect to fund many initiatives not on this list, but some projects that members of our circle have expressed extra interest in funding this round:
Effective Giving/Giving multiplier-organizations, such as the ones incubated by CE's
Effective Giving Incubation program.
Career development programs, that increase the number of individuals working in high-impact areas, including GCR reduction, animal welfare and Global Health
Especially in regions where there currently are fewer opportunities to engage in such programs
Research/Mapping of the Meta space, to better understand current gaps and opportunities.
Information for this round
In this part we will outline the application process and guide you as an applicant to create a good application. We expect all applicants to have read this part to inform themselves.
Process
The expected process is as follows:
Applications open, February 26th
Stick to 100 words in the summary, this should give a quick overview of the project.
In the full project description, please include a main summarizing document no longer than 2 pages. This is all we can commit to reading for the first stage. Any extra material can only be expected to be read if we choose to go further with your application.
When choosing the "Meta" category, please be as truthful as possible, it's obvious (and reflects negatively on the application) when a project has deliberately been placed in a category in which it does not belong.
Applications close, March 24th
Initial application review finished, March 31st
If your project has been filtered out during the initial application review (which we expect 60-80% of applications will), we will let you know around end of March.
Interviews, due diligence, deliberations, April 1st - May 14th
If your application has passed the initial application review, we will discuss it during our gatherings and we might reach out to you to gather more information, for example by conducting an interview. This is still not a commitment from us to fund you.
Decisions made, May 15th
We expect to pay out the grants in the weeks following the decisions.
What we mean by Meta
A common reason for rejection in the last round was that projects were not within scope for the funding circle. We recognize that this was primarily our fault as we never clearly defined it, so we will try to make it a bit clearer here.
Meta organizations are those that operate one step removed from direct impact interventions. These can focus on the infrastructure, evaluation, and strategic guidance necessary for the broader field to maximize effectiveness and impact. They are essential in bridging gaps, identifying high-impact opportunities, and enabling other organizations to achieve or amplify their end-product impact.
Below we will list a couple of illustrative examples. Note that we only chose these examples because we think the org...