We are excited to announce a new Request for Proposals (RFP) for effective giving organizations, defined as initiatives that raise funds for highly effective charities. Through this RFP, we aim to identify and support additional efforts in the effective giving space and streamline the application process for potential grantees.
Motivation
Our Effective Giving & Careers Fund has historically supported a variety of effective giving organizations across multiple countries. Examples of current grantees include Giving What We Can, Effektiv Spenden, and Doneer Effectief (you can find other recent grants here).
Effective giving currently comprises ~70% of our portfolio, reflecting its central role in our broader funding strategy. In the past few years, we have been surprised by the growth of the effective giving ecosystem: new initiatives have launched worldwide, and existing efforts have successfully channeled substantial funds to promising opportunities.
Based on our internal analysis, we estimate that our current grantees deliver an average adjusted return on donations of 6x across our effective giving portfolio, with some grantees as high as ~10x. We believe that additional organizations we’re not currently supporting may be poised to generate similar impact. Through this RFP, we hope to:
- Invite and encourage new and existing effective giving organizations to apply for funding.
- Simplify and standardize the application process for both applicants and our internal review team.
- Better understand the current funding needs and gaps within the effective giving space.
Eligibility
Any organization contributing to raising funds for effective charities can apply. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Donation platforms (and associated outreach efforts) in their respective operating countries.
- Organizations advising (U)HNW donors on charitable giving.
- Organizations recruiting pledgers (i.e. those encouraging individuals to pledge a percentage of their income to charity).
- Organizations using matching or multiplier schemes to encourage donations to more effective charities.
- Groups raising awareness of effective giving or funneling new donors to other effective giving organizations.
Additional considerations
Our current grantees raise funds across a variety of focus areas that align with Coefficient Giving’s strategic priorities (global health and development, farm animal welfare, global catastrophic risks). Any organization raising funds for those areas is welcome to apply.
Your organization should be able to justify how it can cost-effectively use additional funding.
Existing grantees on renewable grants will continue to be assessed for general support on their regular schedule. However, they are welcome to apply for top-up funding if they believe they can utilize additional funds cost-effectively. Top-up funds awarded through this RFP will be a one-time supplement rather than a permanent increase to future grant renewals.
Funding amount and grant structure
In general, we think unrestricted funding for general operating support can be the most valuable funding type, so we expect to provide that by default where possible. That said, we are open to funding specific projects or needs; also, other factors such as the grantee’s corporate structure may influence how we structure our grant.
We aim to represent at most 50% of operational funding for more established organizations, but are comfortable contributing to a larger percentage of total funding for newer organizations. Please keep that in mind when you apply for funding.
We expect most grants to be for one or two years and non-renewable by default.
We don’t have a predetermined minimum or maximum number of applications we intend to fund. We are keen to support as many promising opportunities as possible.
Ideas we’d be excited about:
- New country-level organizations in promising markets (e.g. higher-income Asian countries)
- Professionalized marketing support for effective giving organizations
- Growth and donor advisory capacity, especially for high-net-worth donors
- More ambitious partnerships with mainstream philanthropy
- Targeted outreach to high-influence audiences (e.g. celebrities, public figures)
- Working with corporate social responsibility arms of companies to direct funds to effective charities
- Partnering with donor-advised fund platforms to nudge donors toward cost-effective giving at the point of allocation
- Workplace giving campaigns and payroll giving integrations to reach donors earlier in their giving journey
Selection criteria and evaluation process
We expect to consider the following factors in our assessment:
- Track record (if applicable). This will include, but not be limited to, our estimated return on donations
- Strength of the theory of change and plans moving forward
- Scalability and growth potential
- Geographic or strategic fit with our current portfolio
Our application was designed to be comprehensive and provide all of the information we think we will need to assess the candidates. That being said, we may reach out to certain applicants for additional information.
Application logistics
You can apply using this link. If useful, you can refer to this sample application using a mix of mock and real data. Applications are due by June 26, 2026, at 11:59 pm PT.
We aim to notify all applicants of their status by the end of August. Due to the anticipated high number of applications, we won’t be able to provide individualized feedback to organizations we decide not to fund.
If you have any questions related to this RFP, please feel free to contact Melanie Basnak at melanie.basnak@coefficientgiving.org or Kearney Capuano at kearney.capuano@coefficientgiving.org. Please note that we will not be fielding questions after June 15.