How to apply for Funding for Programs and Events

About Coefficient Giving

Coefficient Giving is a grantmaking and research nonprofit that funds programs and events across effective altruism, global catastrophic risks, biosecurity, forecasting, and adjacent areas. It is the largest funder of 80,000 Hours, giving it significant influence in the EA talent pipeline. Working here means directly shaping which conferences, fellowships, and training programs get off the ground in high-impact cause areas.

About the role

As a funder for programs and events, you will evaluate and manage grants for fellowships, internships, residencies, visitor programs, courses, conferences, seminars, workshops, and retreats. You will be the key decision-maker for whether events and programs in existential-risk-adjacent fields receive funding, directly influencing the growth and quality of the EA and GCR communities. This is a high-leverage role where your grantmaking decisions can accelerate talent, ideas, and collaboration in areas that matter enormously.

A typical day

A typical day might involve reviewing a batch of grant applications for a biosecurity workshop, drafting feedback for a fellowship program, and meeting with a potential grantee about a new conference series. You'll balance deep evaluation with quick triage, ensuring that promising programs get funded efficiently while maintaining high standards across diverse cause areas.

Who Coefficient Giving is looking for

• Deep familiarity with effective altruism, global catastrophic risks, biosecurity, or forecasting—ideally through direct involvement in events, fellowships, or community building.
• Experience evaluating or running programs and events, such as conferences, workshops, or training courses, with a strong sense of what makes them effective.
• Strong grantmaking or philanthropic judgment: ability to assess proposals, budgets, and impact potential quickly and rigorously.
• Comfort working remotely and independently, with excellent written communication and stakeholder management skills across a diverse, global applicant pool.

Tips for this application

• Explicitly connect your past event or program experience to the specific categories they fund (fellowships, internships, conferences, etc.)—show you understand the landscape.
• Demonstrate your familiarity with Coefficient Giving's existing grants or the EA/GCR ecosystem by referencing specific programs or events they've supported or that are adjacent.
• Since applications are rolling and decisions take up to three months, apply early and make your proposal or candidacy easy to evaluate—use clear headers and impact metrics.
• Highlight any experience you have with grantmaking or funding decisions, even informally, as this role requires strong judgment about where money should go.
• Show that you can work across cause areas (EA, GCR, biosecurity, forecasting) by giving examples of how you've engaged with multiple domains, not just one.

What to cover in your cover letter

Emphasize your direct experience with programs and events in EA or GCR-adjacent fields, including what you learned about their impact. Explain why you are well-suited to evaluate and fund such initiatives, with specific examples of programs you've run, attended, or assessed. Articulate your understanding of Coefficient Giving's role as a major funder and how you would approach grantmaking decisions. Finally, demonstrate your ability to manage a rolling, high-volume application process with clear communication and quick judgment.

Research before applying

• Review Coefficient Giving's website, especially their grants database or past funded projects, to understand their priorities and typical grant sizes.
• Read 80,000 Hours' content on high-impact careers and their relationship with Coefficient Giving, since this connection is central to the organization's mission.
• Familiarize yourself with key organizations and events in EA, GCR, biosecurity, and forecasting, such as EAG conferences, SERI, or forecasting tournaments.
• Understand the grantmaking process: rolling applications, three-month decision timelines, and what makes a proposal stand out in this space.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you evaluate a fellowship program proposal in biosecurity versus a conference on forecasting? What criteria would you use?
• Tell us about a time you ran or funded an event that had a measurable impact. How did you assess its success?
• What do you see as the biggest gaps in current EA/GCR programs and events, and how would you address them through funding?
• How would you handle a situation where a promising applicant has a weak track record but a compelling idea?
• Describe your familiarity with Coefficient Giving's past grants and how you would build on that portfolio.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Being too generic about 'passion for EA' without concrete examples of programs or events you've been involved with—this role requires operational judgment, not just enthusiasm.
• Ignoring the breadth of the role: focusing only on conferences or only on fellowships when the job spans many program types.
• Underestimating the need for grantmaking rigor: treating this as an event planning role rather than a funding decision role with significant budget responsibility.