The Nonlinear Library EA - Rethink Priorities' 2023 Summary, 2024 Strategy, and Funding Gaps by kierangreig
Nov 15, 2023
06:41
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: Rethink Priorities' 2023 Summary, 2024 Strategy, and Funding Gaps, published by kierangreig on November 15, 2023 on The Effective Altruism Forum.
The remainder of this post is the executive summary of a longer document available in full
here.
Executive Summary
Rethink Priorities (RP) is a research and implementation group. We research pressing opportunities and implement solutions to make the world better. We act upon these opportunities by developing and implementing strategies, projects, and solutions to address key issues. We do this work in close partnership with a variety of organizations including foundations and impact-focused nonprofits. This year's highlights include:
Early traction we have had on AI governance work
Exploring how risk aversion influences cause prioritization
Creating a cost-effectiveness tool to compare different causes
Foundational work on shrimp welfare
Consulting with GiveWell and Open Philanthropy (OP) on top global health and development opportunities
Key updates for us this year include:
Launching a new
Worldview Investigations team, who, over the course of the year, rounded off initial work on the
Moral Weight Project prior to completing a sequence on "
Causes and Uncertainty: Rethinking Value in Expectation"
Launching the
Institute for AI Policy & Strategy (IAPS), which evolved out of our AI Governance and Strategy Team. More information can be found at
IAPS's announcement post
Commencing four new fiscal sponsorships for unaffiliated groups (e.g.,
Apollo Research and the
Effective Altruism Consulting Network)
Fundraising was comparatively more difficult this year, and we think that funding gaps are the key bottleneck on our impact.
All our published research can be found
here.[1] Over 2023, we worked on approximately 160 research pieces or outputs. Our research directly informed grants made by other organizations of a volume at least similar to the one of our operating budget (i.e., over $10M).[2] Further, through our Special Projects program, we supported
11 external organizations and initiatives with $5.1M in associated expenditures. We have reason to think we may be influencing grantmakers, implementers, and other key stakeholders in actions that aren't immediately captured in either that grants influenced or special projects expenditures sum. We have also completed work for ~20 different clients, presented at more than 15 academic institutions, and organized six of our own in-person convenings of stakeholders.
By the end of 2023, RP will have spent ~$11.4M.[3] We predict a revenue of ~$11.7M over 2023, and predict assets of ~$10.3M at year's end.
Some of RP's
key strategic priorities for 2024 are: 1) continuing to strengthen our reputation and relations with key stakeholders, 2) diversifying our funding and stakeholders to scale our impact, and 3) investing greater resources into other parts of our theory of change beyond producing and disseminating research to increase others' impact. To accomplish our strategic priorities, we aim to hire for new senior positions.
Some of our tentative plans for next year are:
Creating key pieces of animal advocacy research such as a cost-effectiveness tracking database for chicken welfare campaigns, and annual state of the movement report for the farmed animal advocacy movement.
Addressing perhaps critical windows for AI regulations by producing and disseminating research on compute governance, and lab governance.
Consulting with more clients on global health and development interventions to attempt to shift large sums of money in effective fashion.
Helping launch new projects that aim to reduce existential risk from AI.
Being an excellent option for any promising projects seeking a fiscal sponsor.
Providing rapid surveys and analysis to inform high priority strategic questions.
Examining how ...
The remainder of this post is the executive summary of a longer document available in full
here.
Executive Summary
Rethink Priorities (RP) is a research and implementation group. We research pressing opportunities and implement solutions to make the world better. We act upon these opportunities by developing and implementing strategies, projects, and solutions to address key issues. We do this work in close partnership with a variety of organizations including foundations and impact-focused nonprofits. This year's highlights include:
Early traction we have had on AI governance work
Exploring how risk aversion influences cause prioritization
Creating a cost-effectiveness tool to compare different causes
Foundational work on shrimp welfare
Consulting with GiveWell and Open Philanthropy (OP) on top global health and development opportunities
Key updates for us this year include:
Launching a new
Worldview Investigations team, who, over the course of the year, rounded off initial work on the
Moral Weight Project prior to completing a sequence on "
Causes and Uncertainty: Rethinking Value in Expectation"
Launching the
Institute for AI Policy & Strategy (IAPS), which evolved out of our AI Governance and Strategy Team. More information can be found at
IAPS's announcement post
Commencing four new fiscal sponsorships for unaffiliated groups (e.g.,
Apollo Research and the
Effective Altruism Consulting Network)
Fundraising was comparatively more difficult this year, and we think that funding gaps are the key bottleneck on our impact.
All our published research can be found
here.[1] Over 2023, we worked on approximately 160 research pieces or outputs. Our research directly informed grants made by other organizations of a volume at least similar to the one of our operating budget (i.e., over $10M).[2] Further, through our Special Projects program, we supported
11 external organizations and initiatives with $5.1M in associated expenditures. We have reason to think we may be influencing grantmakers, implementers, and other key stakeholders in actions that aren't immediately captured in either that grants influenced or special projects expenditures sum. We have also completed work for ~20 different clients, presented at more than 15 academic institutions, and organized six of our own in-person convenings of stakeholders.
By the end of 2023, RP will have spent ~$11.4M.[3] We predict a revenue of ~$11.7M over 2023, and predict assets of ~$10.3M at year's end.
Some of RP's
key strategic priorities for 2024 are: 1) continuing to strengthen our reputation and relations with key stakeholders, 2) diversifying our funding and stakeholders to scale our impact, and 3) investing greater resources into other parts of our theory of change beyond producing and disseminating research to increase others' impact. To accomplish our strategic priorities, we aim to hire for new senior positions.
Some of our tentative plans for next year are:
Creating key pieces of animal advocacy research such as a cost-effectiveness tracking database for chicken welfare campaigns, and annual state of the movement report for the farmed animal advocacy movement.
Addressing perhaps critical windows for AI regulations by producing and disseminating research on compute governance, and lab governance.
Consulting with more clients on global health and development interventions to attempt to shift large sums of money in effective fashion.
Helping launch new projects that aim to reduce existential risk from AI.
Being an excellent option for any promising projects seeking a fiscal sponsor.
Providing rapid surveys and analysis to inform high priority strategic questions.
Examining how ...