Hey Vasco,
Sorry I was out of the country without internet so only just getting back to this!
Of those eight grants, six received 100% of what they applied for. One organisation was partially funded because we collaborated with the Strategic Animal Funding Circle and they were excited to partially fund this organisation, otherwise we likely would have fully funded their grant. The final organisation we have been funding at the same level for a few years and werenāt as excited about what they would do with additional funding compared to the other projects we were considering.
In general, our experience is that organisations that are seeking larger grants tend to apply to be evaluated by ACE, as the Recommended Charity Fund raises more money, so usually disburses larger grants and offers more stable funding. As we raise more funds for Movement Grants we might see orgs applying for larger amounts, as well as proactively encouraging applicants to think about what they would do with more funding.
We have started making improvements in our cost-effectiveness analyses, although we are constrained by a number of factors, namely limited team capacity, the volume of applications, the exploratory nature of applications, so I want to be honest in saying there is still room for improvement here.
Thanks for the questions, and do keep posting or email me if you have any other thoughts on how we can improve our grant making!
Just commenting in the likelihood of a full-EU ban being low. FWIW I donāt think it is currently more likely to happen than not, but I think you are underestimate the risk.
To block a regulation or legislation in the European Union under qualified majority voting rules, a āblocking minorityā must be formed by at least four member states and represent more than 35% of the EU population.
Italy and Hungary have already banned cultivated meat. The Romanian Senate has also approved a ban (although I donāt think it has been implemented). France and Austria have also called for moratoriums or greater regulation, and these countries could plausibly tip over into a ban. These five countries alone would lead to a ban at the EU level. Or if some other countries abstain rather than voting in favour of cultivated meat, it becomes even easier for fewer than these five countries to secure a ban.