In this comment I want to address the following paragraph (#3).
I also want to point out that the fact that EA Russia has made oral agreements to give copies of the book before securing funding is deeply unsettling, if I understand the situation correctly. Why are promises being made in advance of having funding secured? This is not how a well-run organization or movement operates. If EA Russia did have funding to buy the books and this grant is displacing that funding, then what will EA Russia spend the original $28,000 on? This information is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of this grant and should not be absent.
I think that it is a miscommunication on my side.
EA Russia has the oral agreements with [the organizers of math olympiads]...
We contacted organizers of math olympiads and asked them whether they would like to have HPMoRs as a prize (conditioned on us finding a sponsor). We didn’t promise anything to them, and they do not expect anything from us. Also, I would like to say that we hadn’t approached them as the EAs (as I am mindful of the reputational risks).
Dear Morgan,
In this comment I want to address the following paragraph (#3).
I think that it is a miscommunication on my side.
We contacted organizers of math olympiads and asked them whether they would like to have HPMoRs as a prize (conditioned on us finding a sponsor). We didn’t promise anything to them, and they do not expect anything from us. Also, I would like to say that we hadn’t approached them as the EAs (as I am mindful of the reputational risks).