You're right. Manifund's regranting system is quite different from the other funds, and we've spent a lot of time discussing how we should allocate our Future of the Planet funds. It was by far the most nuanced cause area to decide on.
Here’s a slightly modified copy-paste of my reply to Austin, who asked a very similar question:
Given the nature of the AI safety problem, where cluelessness is significant and there isn’t a clear, scalable intervention (like distributing mosquito nets for malaria), a system like Manifund's seems more valuable than the other committee-driven funds we considered.
Regarding the question of which regrantor to support: we're planning to choose at the end of each allocation cycle (every 3-4 months), based on recent grants and track records. It is kind of funny that you’re the one reviewing this, as we were already planning to contribute to your specific regranting budget for this first cycle.
That said, nothing is set in stone. We're very open to exploring alternatives as we gather more evidence; for example, if we observe that Manifund’s system introduces weirdness that puts off donors. If you see any reasons we might be missing or any downsides we should consider, please let me know.
Albert Casals, who has been thinking about this with me most closely, may also jump in with more details.
Hi Neel, thanks for your comment!
You're right. Manifund's regranting system is quite different from the other funds, and we've spent a lot of time discussing how we should allocate our Future of the Planet funds. It was by far the most nuanced cause area to decide on.
Here’s a slightly modified copy-paste of my reply to Austin, who asked a very similar question:
Regarding the question of which regrantor to support: we're planning to choose at the end of each allocation cycle (every 3-4 months), based on recent grants and track records. It is kind of funny that you’re the one reviewing this, as we were already planning to contribute to your specific regranting budget for this first cycle.
That said, nothing is set in stone. We're very open to exploring alternatives as we gather more evidence; for example, if we observe that Manifund’s system introduces weirdness that puts off donors. If you see any reasons we might be missing or any downsides we should consider, please let me know.
Albert Casals, who has been thinking about this with me most closely, may also jump in with more details.
Hi Joseph, thanks for your words!
Nice! I'm sending you my calendar link to schedule a call.
I'll also be at the EAG London if you'd like to meet in person :)