Rethink Priorities (RP) has advised, consulted, and/or been commissioned by GiveWell, Open Philanthropy, EA Funds, Centre for Effective Altruism, 80,000 Hours, and other major organizations, donors, and foundations, in order to inform their grantmaking and/or increase their positive impact. This year, we are launching a pilot project to see if we can do this work for an even broader audience. If you are a philanthropist, foundation, or grantmaker and are interested in using RP’s work/advising to inform your grantmaking, we invite you to fill out this form. ^[1]   

In general grantmakers face a significant amount of uncertainty, and RP can help reduce that uncertainty. For our pilot project to expand this work to a broader audience, we are open to commissions/advising in any of the following areas:

• AI 
• Animal Welfare 
• Climate Change
• Global Health and Development
• Existential security / global catastrophic risks
• Figuring out how to compare different worldviews, causes, and/or philanthropic approaches

Within those areas, there’s a broad array of work that we could conduct, including:

• Reviews of sub-areas. For instance:
  • An overview of market shaping in global health: Landscape, new developments, and gaps
  • Exposure to Lead Paint in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
  • Historical Global Health R&D ‘hits’
• Reviews of specific groups. For instance:
  • Family Empowerment Media: track record, cost-effectiveness, and main uncertainties 
• Conducting research and analysis related to particular approaches. For instance: 
  • Strategic considerations for upcoming EU farmed animal legislation and EU Farmed Fish Policy Reform Roadmap
  • Survey on intermediate goals in AI governance
• Convening workshops and events. For instance:
  • “Dimensions of Pain” workshop: Summary and updated conclusions
  • 2022 Effective Animal Advocacy Forum Survey: Results and analysis
• Conducting public polling, survey work, message testing, online experiments, or focus groups to understand public or expert opinion on any of the above areas and to fine-tune approaches. As well as conducting broader data analysis and impact assessment for organizations. For instance:
  • US public opinion of AI policy and risk
  • US public perception of CAIS statement and the risk of extinction
• Or otherwise generally offering consulting/advising services. 

Our Process

Upon expressions of interest we are happy to further elaborate on any of the types of work that we could do. To very briefly further elaborate on one type of work we could do: in one case a significant funder was considering a grant to Family Empowerment Media— a nonprofit that uses radio communication to enable informed family planning decisions. We were then commissioned by them to further examine the group. We conducted an analysis of the organization and its cost-effectiveness, working to help assess whether or not it was as impactful as other organizations in the funder's portfolio.

Next Steps

If you are potentially interested in these services, please fill out this brief form, and someone from our team will be in touch soon to discuss your needs and our fee structure. Interested readers are also encouraged to see an overview of a cost-effectiveness model for this type of work here, and use related tools and spreadsheets to help further assess the potential cost-effectiveness of this work. 

Acknowledgments

This post is a project of Rethink Priorities, a global priority think-and-do tank, aiming to do good at scale. We research and implement pressing opportunities to make the world better. We act upon these opportunities by developing and implementing strategies, projects, and solutions to key issues. We do this work in close partnership with foundations and impact-focused non-profits or other entities.

This was written by Kieran Greig. Thanks to Melanie Basnak, Whitney Childs, Marcus A. Davis, Tom Hird, David Moss, Rachel Norman, Daniela Waldhorn, Peter Wildeford, and Sarina Wong for their quick feedback.

1. ^{^}

   Other organizations too, not necessarily grantmaking ones, are also welcome to fill out this form with any expressions of interest for RP completing certain work.