Application Guide

How to Apply for Request for Proposals: Launchpad Funds

at Coefficient Giving

🏢 About Coefficient Giving

Coefficient Giving is a grantmaking and research nonprofit that funds high-impact work across global health, wellbeing, and other cause areas. It is also 80,000 Hours' largest funder, giving it significant influence in the effective altruism and longtermist funding ecosystem. Working here means shaping how millions of dollars flow to underfunded problems, with a strong emphasis on evidence, cost-effectiveness, and measurable outcomes.

About This Role

This is not a standard employment role; it is a request for proposals to launch or scale an outcome-oriented fund that addresses underfunded global health and wellbeing problems. Selected proposals receive $200k–$10m (pre-seed) or $10m–$50m+ (seed/scaling) to build fund strategy, hire a team, and make grants. The fund lead will be a single accountable general manager responsible for achieving clearly defined outcome goals and eventually attracting $100m+ from other funders.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve refining your fund's strategy and outcome metrics, meeting with potential grantees or co-funders, and reviewing grant proposals against cost-effectiveness criteria. You would also spend time building your team, managing budgets, and reporting on progress toward your fund's goals. Because this is a launchpad fund, much of the early work is entrepreneurial: iterating on the model, securing additional funding, and making initial grants.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Coefficient Giving Is Looking For

  • Proven entrepreneurial or executive leadership: you have built and run a team, program, or organization, and can serve as the single accountable general manager.
  • Deep domain expertise in a specific underfunded global health or wellbeing problem, with a clear theory of change and cost-effectiveness mindset.
  • Strong grantmaking or philanthropic strategy experience, including designing outcome metrics, evaluating interventions, and managing a portfolio of grants.
  • Ability to fundraise or scale: you can credibly articulate a path to absorbing $100m+ from other funders and have relationships in relevant funding networks.
  • Track record of operating under uncertainty and making high-stakes decisions with limited information, while maintaining a focus on measurable impact.

📝 Tips for Applying to Coefficient Giving

1

Submit a short expression of interest by October 2, 2026—do not wait for a full proposal; the EOI is the first filter and should clearly state the problem, your outcome goal, and why you are the accountable lead.

2

Explicitly frame your fund using Coefficient Giving's Importance, Tractability, and Neglectedness framework, and quantify cost-effectiveness where possible.

3

Specify which track you are applying for (pre-seed vs. seed/scaling) and align your budget request with the stated ranges and timeframes.

4

Demonstrate a credible plan for a single general manager structure—avoid proposing a co-lead or committee-led model unless you can justify it.

5

Show evidence that your fund can eventually absorb $100m+ from other funders, including a pipeline of potential co-funders or a scaling strategy.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your specific outcome goal and how it addresses an underfunded global health or wellbeing problem, with clear metrics for success.', 'Why you are the single accountable general manager, including relevant leadership, domain, and grantmaking experience.', 'How your fund scores on Importance, Tractability, and Neglectedness, and why it is cost-effective relative to alternatives.', 'Your plan for the requested budget and timeframe, and how you will leverage it to attract $100m+ from other funders.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Study Coefficient Giving's existing grantmaking portfolio and public writings to understand their funding priorities and evaluation style.
  • → Review the Importance, Tractability, and Neglectedness framework as used by Coefficient Giving and similar effective altruism funders.
  • → Research current gaps in global health and wellbeing funding, especially problems that are underfunded relative to their burden.
  • → Identify other funds or initiatives that have successfully scaled from seed to $100m+, and understand what made them attractive to co-funders.
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you define and measure outcomes for your proposed fund, and what is your cost per outcome?
2 Walk us through your theory of change and how you would prioritize grants within your fund.
3 What evidence do you have that this problem is neglected, and how would you avoid duplicating existing efforts?
4 How would you structure your team and decision-making as a single accountable general manager?
5 What is your strategy for scaling the fund to $100m+ from other funders, and who are potential co-funders?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Proposing a broad, vague cause area without a clearly defined outcome goal or measurable metrics.
  • Failing to designate a single accountable general manager, or proposing a leadership structure that diffuses responsibility.
  • Ignoring cost-effectiveness or neglecting to compare your approach against existing interventions in the same space.

📅 Application Timeline

⏰ Deadline: October 2, 2026

We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Coefficient Giving!

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