> Also, how do you judge their expected marginal cost-effectiveness? Do you do back-of-the-envelope calculations? Compare to previous projects with estimates? Check the project team’s own estimates (and make adjustments as necessary)? All of the above? Any others?
It varies by project and depends on who the grant investigator is.
If a) the project is relatively well-suited to a back of the envelope and b) a back of the envelope seems decision-relevant, then we will engage in one. Right now, a) and b) seem true in a minority of cases, maybe ~10%-25% of applications depending on the round to give some rough sense. However, note that there tends to be some difference between projects in areas or by groups we have already evaluated vs projects/​groups/​areas that are newer to us. I’d say newer projects/​groups areas are more likely to receive a back of the envelope style estimate. In cases where we do them, we generally look to compare to one’s we have previously done. If the project team submits an estimate (which tends to be relatively rare, again perhaps in that 10-25% range and they can be of varying quality), a fund manager will certainly review and note thoughts during the grant investigation.
More generally, here are some of the main general things that I’d say we like to look at to judge marginal cost-effectiveness (though note again the extent really depends on the fund manger and the specifics of the application):
Do they seem to be operating in an area that seems high-impact?
Things to look at include:
Is it work regarding a large scale and neglected animal population?
Or work in a neglected but large-scale geography?
Or does this seem like a promising addition to the philanthropic alt-protein ecosystem?
Or does this intervention have a relatively promising track record? E.g., corporatecampaigns.
Also, do their plans in that area seem reasonable?
Things to look at include:
Do their plans seem detailed and concrete, and exhibit a relatively deep understanding of the relevant issues?
How well do they respond when some alternative approach is suggested?
Combining 1 and 2, when applicable, does some quantitative back-of-the-envelope calculation suggest they impact a high number of animals per dollar spent? Metrics include:
How many animal lives improved per dollar in expectation?
Or how many farmed animal lives averted per dollar spent in expectation?
Or perhaps how many $’s influenced per $ donated?
Are we aware of any going ons regarding that group that should give us pause?
Things to look at include:
What level of staff retention have they had recently?
Has someone reached out to report some infraction that (reportedly) hasn’t been dealt with properly by the group?
Are there credible reports of concerns about how the group interacts with other groups in the movement?
What is that group’s current financial position?
Things to look at include:
Relative to their annual budget, how much funding do they have in reserve?
What amount of funding are they expecting to raise from other sources?
The investigator produces a brief write-up summarizing their overall thinking, and assigns a vote to the application.
> Also, how do you judge their expected marginal cost-effectiveness? Do you do back-of-the-envelope calculations? Compare to previous projects with estimates? Check the project team’s own estimates (and make adjustments as necessary)? All of the above? Any others?
It varies by project and depends on who the grant investigator is.
If a) the project is relatively well-suited to a back of the envelope and b) a back of the envelope seems decision-relevant, then we will engage in one. Right now, a) and b) seem true in a minority of cases, maybe ~10%-25% of applications depending on the round to give some rough sense. However, note that there tends to be some difference between projects in areas or by groups we have already evaluated vs projects/​groups/​areas that are newer to us. I’d say newer projects/​groups areas are more likely to receive a back of the envelope style estimate. In cases where we do them, we generally look to compare to one’s we have previously done. If the project team submits an estimate (which tends to be relatively rare, again perhaps in that 10-25% range and they can be of varying quality), a fund manager will certainly review and note thoughts during the grant investigation.
More generally, here are some of the main general things that I’d say we like to look at to judge marginal cost-effectiveness (though note again the extent really depends on the fund manger and the specifics of the application):
Do they seem to be operating in an area that seems high-impact?
Things to look at include:
Is it work regarding a large scale and neglected animal population?
Or work in a neglected but large-scale geography?
Or does this seem like a promising addition to the philanthropic alt-protein ecosystem?
Or does this intervention have a relatively promising track record? E.g., corporate campaigns.
Also, do their plans in that area seem reasonable?
Things to look at include:
Do their plans seem detailed and concrete, and exhibit a relatively deep understanding of the relevant issues?
How well do they respond when some alternative approach is suggested?
Combining 1 and 2, when applicable, does some quantitative back-of-the-envelope calculation suggest they impact a high number of animals per dollar spent? Metrics include:
How many animal lives improved per dollar in expectation?
Or how many farmed animal lives averted per dollar spent in expectation?
Or perhaps how many $’s influenced per $ donated?
Are we aware of any going ons regarding that group that should give us pause?
Things to look at include:
What level of staff retention have they had recently?
Has someone reached out to report some infraction that (reportedly) hasn’t been dealt with properly by the group?
Are there credible reports of concerns about how the group interacts with other groups in the movement?
What is that group’s current financial position?
Things to look at include:
Relative to their annual budget, how much funding do they have in reserve?
What amount of funding are they expecting to raise from other sources?
The investigator produces a brief write-up summarizing their overall thinking, and assigns a vote to the application.