Grantmaking methodology for high-uncertainty contexts

One of the most common questions we’re asked is how we make decisions in the very confusing world of climate action and climate philanthropy.

We have often written about how we think about particular events, strategies, and world regions, but we have written less about how it all fits together, how we make choices between different strategies, and how our work relates to the broader project of attempting high-impact philanthropy in contexts where:

• Evidence is highly uncertain
• Theories of change are indirect, and sometimes take decades
• Most philanthropic actions can be thought of as bets chosen from an essentially infinite portfolio of possible bets

So, we were very excited to have an opportunity to outline our methodological approach at the main stage at EA Global London this spring. We hope this elucidates how we have been building frameworks for many years—the origins of this work go back to 2021—to prepare for and execute a grantmaking strategy with increasing budgets, covering various geographies, strategies, and other variables in a globally and strategically diversified portfolio.

Here is the video, and an enhanced transcript:

Expression of Interest

As described in the talk, we are aiming to release this tool to other organizations working on similar issues in other cause areas. If that is you and you are interested in using the tool or getting a demo / have a conversation, please reach out to luisa@founderspledge.com. Thank you!