I'm interested in the authors' take on this question: Change my mind: EA national organisations should be 'professional associations' not 'communities'
I'm interested in the authors' take on this question: Change my mind: EA national organisations should be 'professional associations' not 'communities'
Interesting! I didn't see this, will check it out
This post was primarily authored by Kiryl Shantyka (EA Sweden), James Herbert (EA Netherlands), and Rocky Schwartz (EA NYC). They received initial feedback from many MEARO leaders and some initial feedback from Caleb Parikh (EA Funds) and Naomi Nederlof (CEA Community Building Grants Manager), though they don’t necessarily endorse all of the points made in this post. All mistakes are the authors' own.
Last month, we introduced a new term: Meta EA Regional Organisation (MEARO) and invited the broader EA community to participate in discussion on the value and evaluation of these organisations. This post focuses on funding for MEAROs. We share information on recent changes in MEARO funding and request contributions to funding data collection efforts. We think there is strong potential for a more structured MEARO funding strategy, backed by robust data. Our hope is to spark a conversation that ensures MEAROs' work is intentionally supported and their significance fully recognized.
We think the EA community might want to answer the questions:
To answer the above questions, among other considerations, we need to know:
The results of our investigation are below. We gathered this information by speaking with funders (EA IF and CBG) and MEARO leaders.
Next steps:
To provide a clearer and more nuanced overview of the MEARO funding situation, we've developed an interactive map. It's important to note that our current dataset does not fully capture all MEAROs' funding details. Read about our methodology in notes to the map.
We divide existing MEAROs into the following classification categories:
For MEARO leaders, particularly those with active or adjusted full-time equivalents (FTE), your input is invaluable. By sharing your information through this form, you'll be contributing to a more complete and accurate overview.
The historical structure of MEARO funding makes organisations particularly vulnerable to funding cuts because they usually are reliant on one major funder and do not have an independent financial runway.
If you have any ideas, suggestions, or thoughts on how different stakeholders could approach the future of funding of MEAROs, please share them in the comments or reach out to the authors of this post. We'll make sure to pass them along to the relevant organisations and decision-makers.
Nice graphic, and interesting (if not surprising) that the trend is towards reduction at the moment.
I'd be interested in hearing more of the authors' and organisers' thoughts about the situation. I'd like to hear your thoughts on questions like
If you've written about this somewhere else feel free to post a link too. I read your "MEARO" post as background
Really appreciate all the work you do.