On one hand it’s clear that global poverty does get the most overall EA funding right now, but it’s also clear that it’s more easy for me to personally get my 20th best longtermism idea funded than to get my 3rd best animal idea or 3rd best global poverty idea funded and this asymmetry seems important.
Do you think that’s a factor of: how many places you could apply for longtermist vs. other cause area funding? How high the bar is for longtermist ideas vs. others? Something else?
I think it’s a factor of global health being already allocated to much more scalable opportunities than exist in longtermism, whereas the longtermists have a much smaller amount of funding opportunities to compete for. EA individuals are the main source of longtermist opportunities and thus we get showered in longtermist money but not other kinds of money.
On one hand it’s clear that global poverty does get the most overall EA funding right now, but it’s also clear that it’s more easy for me to personally get my 20th best longtermism idea funded than to get my 3rd best animal idea or 3rd best global poverty idea funded and this asymmetry seems important.
Do you think that’s a factor of: how many places you could apply for longtermist vs. other cause area funding? How high the bar is for longtermist ideas vs. others? Something else?
I think it’s a factor of global health being already allocated to much more scalable opportunities than exist in longtermism, whereas the longtermists have a much smaller amount of funding opportunities to compete for. EA individuals are the main source of longtermist opportunities and thus we get showered in longtermist money but not other kinds of money.
Animals is a bit more of a mix of the two.