Civic, Social and Govtech Grantmaking
Civic and Govtech Development Grants
This initiative provides early stage grants and assistance for non-profits working to improve US Democracy, political polarization, sense making, and decision making processes that affect civil society.
- Clearer Thinking - co-creation of learning modules on bias and sense making
- We Vote Project - Improving US democracy via legislator constituent interaction and bill transparency
- Goodly Labs - for Public Editor, annotating important texts for accuracy and bias
- Society Library - for debate maps around complex issues such as nuclear power
- AI Objectives Institute - for Talk to the City to improve surveying with LLMs
- Foresight Institute - for their work on intelligent voluntary cooperation, support of their Vision Weekend conference and sponsorship of 5 $10k prizes
- Plurality Institute - Liquid Democracy / Voter Guides and OpenBallot
- Free and Equal Debates and Open to Debate (AI, social issues)
- Harvard Council on Academic Freedom - Academic Freedom (Stephen Pinker)
- Bipartisan Policy Center - Political polarization
- Civic Health Project - Political polarization
- Braver Angels - Political polarization - social psychologist Johnathan Haidt
- More in Common - Political polarization
- Free Press - Political polarization
US Domestic Policy Focus
- Decriminalize Sex Work - Human Trafficking US
- Let Grow - Childhood independence policy in the US
- Institute for Justice - Justice, Civil Asset forfeiture
- Co-funding with ACX Grants related to Kidney donation policy
We would also like to thank the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the Internet Archive and Battery Powered for events and convenings.
International Policy Focus
- Human Rights Foundation - Funding for work on AI issues in Human Rights
- Irish Council for Civil Liberties - Enforce project on cell phone surveillance in EU/US
- All-Fed - Research on how to feed people in disasters provided to governments and institutions
- The Emergency Communication Satellite project in support of UN Early Warning System goals
- MAPS - Psychedelic drugs in therapy settings, conflict zones for PTSD
- Canada's Citizenlab on state sponsored cyber threats
- Transform Drug Policy UK - drug crime policy proposals and justice
- Co-funding with ACX Grants related to UK Free speech
- Buckminster Fuller Institute
Democracies in Crisis and Conflict Zones
- We provided direct aid to several democracies in crisis (in general we prefer not to name which due to ongoing work)
- Emergency Assistance for select NGO's affected by USAID connecting grantees with ~$1.2m in short term emergency aid.
- A grant to Atlas Network for their work in Venezuela.
- Program funding to Ideas Beyond Borders regarding the middle east.
- Genocide relief grants to Sudan - Mutual Aid Sudan, Sudan Relief Fund
- Security and technical grants for Center for Non-violent Action Strategies and several other human rights affiliated organizations to purchase secure mobile devices and security software as part of our Internet Security advice for persons of interest
- Whistleblower Aid and direct whistleblower support.
Grants towards conflict relief zones via
- International Rescue Committee
- Doctors without Borders
We would also like to thank the Human Rights Foundation, and IRI for assistance received.
Blogs, Media, and Education
- Ideas Beyond Borders - Enlightenment ideas in the middle east
- Don't worry about the vase - Full program funds for blog covering AI and policy
- Ludlow Institute - A multi-year partnership and grants to deliver training media on privacy and cybersecurity topics
- Porobleno - Core backer for first popular science podcast about Ukrainian culture
- 404 Media - Microgrant for technology and privacy journalism.
- LessWrong / Lightcone / Lighthaven infrastructure (small grant)
- ProPublica journalism (small grant)
- The Stringer Foundation (journalism prize foundation)
Education and Empathy focus
- AJ Crabill's books and efforts on school board reform, and effective governance for student outcomes (anticipated)
- Clearer Thinking - co-creation of learning modules on bias and sense making
- Hand in Hand Parenting - Tools for emotional wellbeing
- Let Grow - Making childhood independence possible again