Request for Proposals: Meta Charity Funders - Fall 2025

Summary

We’re launching the fifth round of Meta Charity Funders — a selective funding opportunity for promising meta charities, i.e. organisations that support or mobilise others to have a large positive impact. Last round (Spring 2025), MCF awarded ~$550k to 10 charities, including effective giving initiatives and specialised community- and capacity-building groups. 

Apply for funding by October 31st 23:59 GMT or join the circle as a funder (more information below)!

We expect all applicants to have read this post carefully, as well as “Meta Charity Funders: What you need to know when applying” to understand how to write your application. The application method has been modified compared to last round, but previous materials published on the EA forum will still give relevant context.

Eligibility criteria

• (Strict) You operate as a meta charity, i.e. you are one step removed from direct impact. The outcomes of your work are designed to benefit people or organisations that have a major positive impact.
• (Strong) This funding opportunity is designed for early-midstage funding. We prioritise organisations with a budget well under $1M and with an operating history of under 5 years. This is broadly split in two buckets
  • Small (<$50k) grants for organisations without a track record, but a strong team and a great idea.
  • Midsize (>$50k) grants for midstage organisations with a highly promising track record, but a demonstrated funding gap.
• (Preferred) You are a registered charitable organisation or operate under fiscal sponsorship, though some of our funders are able to grant to individuals who have a legal means of receiving funding.

Historical funding areas

In the past, MCF has supported

• ‘Effective Giving Initiatives’ or ‘HNWI engagement’ organisations fundraising for effective charities
• Young or small EA groups, especially in LMICs
• Specialized community building organisations focused on a particular cause area or particular demographic/profession
• Organisations supporting the wider EA community
• Organisations making other charities more effective

But we are open to other or novel types of meta charities that look particularly promising along the following criteria

What makes for a competitive application?

A competitive application

• Has clearly identified a gap in the space in which it is operating
• Is clearly a better funding opportunity than the best organisations that it seeks to support or comparable direct impact charities. For example, there is little point in giving to an effective giving initiative if it can’t raise significantly more money than it uses. In that case, donors should donate to the charities themselves or give them a grant to hire an exceptional fundraiser. Similar considerations exist for charities providing services to other charities.
• Has a clear, focused theory of change of which any uncertainties can be mitigated or tested
• Has robust and relatively short feedback loops and a plan to track progress
• Is led by a team that have demonstrated capabilities to execute and succeed on the most challenging aspect of the project
• Demonstrates a clear funding gap that is unlikely to be filled by funders that are in a better position to fund the project. MCF is a selective and competitive funding opportunity focused on high-leverage early-stage projects.
• Has a well thought out scaling pathway, including a clear pathway to get on the radar of other funders once it has established more of a track record and reputation.

Information for this round

Process

The process is as follows:

• Applications open: October 3rd to October 31st 23:59 GMT.
• We will get back to you within two weeks from the deadline with a request for more information or an invitation to an interview if there is sufficient interest in your application
• Decisions are communicated and grants paid out mid December
• At the beginning of December, we will also share our post-round recommendations with our wider, private network of funders if you opt-in to your application being shared. 

Historical support

• You can get a sense of what we have supported historically by reading our retrospectives from the  first, second, and third round (fourth round retrospective incoming). 

Last round, we received around 60  applications and ultimately funded 10 projects. In total, our members granted ~$550k in that round. We are grateful for your interest and are looking forward to funding new impactful proposals this round.

Join as a funder

For funders who want their dollars to catalyse more funding, more effective organisations, and more innovation in the EA meta space, MCF is an excellent opportunity to multiply your impact by strengthening the early- and midstage funding landscape.

Funders who are able and willing to allocate roughly $100k or more per year to promising metacharities are welcome to join MCF. Funders who occasionally grant larger amounts ($10k or more) to metacharities, are welcome to join our wider network and receive post-round funding recommendations. For both of these options, you can express interest here.

By joining, you’ll gain access to a peer network of experienced funders, co-funding opportunities, and a streamlined twice-a-year grant process. You are welcome to join the first rounds as an observer, and you’re not locked into giving if none of the rounds appeal.