Application Guide
How to Apply for Request for Proposals: Project Tailwind
at Coefficient Giving
🏢 About Coefficient Giving
Coefficient Giving is a grantmaking and research nonprofit that funds high-impact work across multiple cause areas, and it is notably 80,000 Hours' largest funder. Its Project Tailwind specifically backs founders launching new AI safety organizations or research projects, making it a rare opportunity to get both significant funding and strategic support from experienced grantmakers. Working here means operating at the center of the AI safety funding ecosystem, with the resources to turn ambitious ideas into real institutions.
About This Role
This is not a traditional job but a founder-funding opportunity: you would launch a new AI safety organization or research project, either from Project Tailwind's curated ideas or from your own conviction. You can access pre-seed ($200k–2m), seed ($2m–20m), or scale ($20m–200m) funding with flexible renewal, plus strategic support, vendor connections, and competitive salary funding as you grow. The impact comes from filling critical gaps in the AI safety ecosystem by building new organizations that would not otherwise exist.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve refining your project's research agenda or organizational strategy, meeting with Coefficient Giving grantmakers for feedback, and reaching out to potential collaborators, hires, or vendors. You would spend significant time building the early infrastructure of a new AI safety initiative, from drafting a public-facing research plan to setting up operational systems. Because the role is remote and founder-led, you would largely set your own schedule while staying accountable to milestones agreed with your grantmakers.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Coefficient Giving Is Looking For
- Has a strong, specific conviction about a critical gap in the AI safety ecosystem and can articulate why a new organization or research project is the right way to address it.
- Demonstrates founder-like ambition, resilience, and execution ability, with a track record of launching or scaling projects, organizations, or research initiatives.
- Possesses deep familiarity with AI safety technical, governance, or field-building problems, enough to credibly lead a new initiative in one of those areas.
- Can operate independently in a remote, high-trust environment and is comfortable with the accountability that comes with significant grant funding.
📝 Tips for Applying to Coefficient Giving
Lead with your conviction: Project Tailwind explicitly prioritizes founders with a strong point of view, so open with the specific AI safety gap you want to address and why you are the person to build the solution.
Choose the right funding tier and justify it: clearly state whether you are seeking pre-seed, seed, or scale funding and explain how the amount maps to concrete milestones, not just general ambition.
Reference the curated ideas or explain why your own idea is better: if you are proposing your own project, show that you understand the existing landscape and why your approach is additive rather than duplicative.
Show evidence of execution, not just ideas: include past examples of starting something, shipping research, building a team, or raising resources, even if those examples are outside AI safety.
Be explicit about what strategic support you need: since grantmakers offer vendor connections and operational guidance, name the specific bottlenecks where their help would accelerate your launch.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
Focus on your specific thesis about a critical AI safety ecosystem gap and why a new organization is needed now. Explain your founder fit, including concrete examples of past execution and resilience. Justify your requested funding tier with a realistic plan for the first 6–18 months. Finally, describe how you would use Coefficient Giving's strategic support and what success would look like at your first renewal point.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read Coefficient Giving's website and any public materials on Project Tailwind to understand its funding tiers, selection criteria, and examples of previously funded initiatives.
- → Review 80,000 Hours' AI safety content and donor disclosures to understand the broader ecosystem and why Coefficient Giving is a major funder in this space.
- → Map the existing AI safety landscape: identify major organizations, research groups, and funders, then pinpoint where your proposed project fills a genuine gap.
- → Look into the curated ideas Project Tailwind has mentioned, if available, and prepare a clear rationale for either selecting one or proposing your own alternative.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Proposing a vague or generic AI safety idea without a clear theory of change, specific gap analysis, or concrete execution plan.
- Asking for a funding tier that is disconnected from your experience or milestones, such as requesting scale funding without a credible path to deploying it.
- Treating this like a standard job application by emphasizing credentials or past titles instead of founder conviction, independent execution, and a compelling vision.
📅 Application Timeline
This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Coefficient Giving!