As a thought experiment I really like this idea. Practically the way it’s currently described I’m unsure how this could compete with existing projects, especially in cause areas like animal welfare where funding is super limited.
I fall into the category of people you described (probably like the majority of people?): I can’t just drop everything and not work for 5 years to focus on a project that funders wouldn’t fund. In fact, I actually decided not to work on my project (Hive) back in 2022 when it was only a side project because I didn’t get funding for it, and then I was offered another (paid) job which was already in an impactful charity and just worked there. So Hive could have started a year sooner and maybe if we did, we would have made more impact, but maybe I did a better job a year later because I had more experience… Not sure.
RE idea: As far as I’m aware, some funders already offer this kind of funding but it’s shorter term than what you’re talking about (e.g. a year to just experiment on projects), and it’s definitely not an open application or even an invite-only application, and it’s based on getting on the radar of those funders (which I appreciate can also be due to privilege).
I think a more feasible version of your idea would be funding and promoting spaces like CEEALAR and Pause house where accommodation and food is paid for. People literally get “a room of one’s own”. Some places even offer a small stipend for expenses. Because of their cost-effective model, it’s not that expensive to fund a person for a few years as paying them a full-time salary. The only problem is Blackpool is not exactly an international hub, and you do have to share a living and working space with others, but I guess for the purposes of your idea, they can just retreat and focus on experimenting with various projects.
Another virtue of the houses as a way of doing it is would be a pretty strong signal that someone using the resource is in it for the right reasons. There are a lot more constraints than someone just receiving a check and hoping that the person is trying to make an impact.
Definitely! I also thought that the drawback of these houses is that they are not very accessible to people with families, so it may put some experienced professionals off.
Another lighter version of this idea is for these people to find a job that pays their bills with working 20h a week and dedicate 20h for exploration (or another allocation, e.g. 10h a week).
As a thought experiment I really like this idea. Practically the way it’s currently described I’m unsure how this could compete with existing projects, especially in cause areas like animal welfare where funding is super limited.
I fall into the category of people you described (probably like the majority of people?): I can’t just drop everything and not work for 5 years to focus on a project that funders wouldn’t fund. In fact, I actually decided not to work on my project (Hive) back in 2022 when it was only a side project because I didn’t get funding for it, and then I was offered another (paid) job which was already in an impactful charity and just worked there. So Hive could have started a year sooner and maybe if we did, we would have made more impact, but maybe I did a better job a year later because I had more experience… Not sure.
RE idea: As far as I’m aware, some funders already offer this kind of funding but it’s shorter term than what you’re talking about (e.g. a year to just experiment on projects), and it’s definitely not an open application or even an invite-only application, and it’s based on getting on the radar of those funders (which I appreciate can also be due to privilege).
I think a more feasible version of your idea would be funding and promoting spaces like CEEALAR and Pause house where accommodation and food is paid for. People literally get “a room of one’s own”. Some places even offer a small stipend for expenses. Because of their cost-effective model, it’s not that expensive to fund a person for a few years as paying them a full-time salary. The only problem is Blackpool is not exactly an international hub, and you do have to share a living and working space with others, but I guess for the purposes of your idea, they can just retreat and focus on experimenting with various projects.
Another virtue of the houses as a way of doing it is would be a pretty strong signal that someone using the resource is in it for the right reasons. There are a lot more constraints than someone just receiving a check and hoping that the person is trying to make an impact.
Definitely! I also thought that the drawback of these houses is that they are not very accessible to people with families, so it may put some experienced professionals off.
Another lighter version of this idea is for these people to find a job that pays their bills with working 20h a week and dedicate 20h for exploration (or another allocation, e.g. 10h a week).