Recent Topic Activity
- AMAs
- Saloni Dattani, Science Writer and co-founder of Works in Progress
- Tom Ough, Author of ‘The Anti-Catastrophe League’, Senior Editor at UnHerd
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- Giving Season (2023)
- Donation Election (2023)
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- Funding Strategy Week
- Marginal Funding Week
- Donation Election
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All organisationsPosts from this week help potential donors understand which projects are welcome to take part. currently most constrained by funding, and how extra resources could increase their impact.
Participation in marginal funding weekMarginal Funding Week is open to all organisations working on impactful projects, regardless of cause area or size. It’s also one requirementa prerequisite for taking partinclusion in the Donation Election.
Election — organisations must post during this week to qualify.
In previous years, these posts have:
- Highlighted concrete, underfunded opportunities across multiple cause areas
- Helped donors compare the marginal value of additional funding between projects
- Led directly to tens of thousands of dollars in additional donations
Related entries
AFunding Strategy Week 2025 runs from November 10–16, as part of the Forum’s Giving Season 2025.
It’s a week for discussingexploring how individuals, organisations, and the EA community can make the most effective use of funding strategy,— broadly construed. defined. Contributors are encouraged to share practical lessons, analyses, and reflections on how to give, where to give, and how to think about funding strategy as a whole.
What to write about
Funding strategy can include almost anything related to how resources flow toward doing the most good. Possible topics include:
How to give
- Strategy for small donors
- Whether to split your donations or focus on one thing
- Giving now vs. investing to give later
- Giving to tried-and-tested organisations vs. underrated or risky opportunities
- Donor lotteries, prizes, and other nonstandard funding mechanisms
Where to give
- Analyses of neglected or promising funding areas
- Insights from large donors or philanthropic intermediaries (e.g. Open Philanthropy, Founders Pledge)
- How high-net-worth individuals or EA-adjacent donors think about their giving
- Organisational perspectives on fundraising, runway, and diversification
How to think about funding strategy
- The role of diversification and funding circles
- Tradeoffs between high-upside and predictable giving
- How funding concentration shapes cause prioritisation across EA
- Stewardship of funds — e.g. frugality, reserves, and good financial management
Personal and empirical reflections
- Stories from earn-to-give professionals
- Case studies of donation decisions and their impact
- Data visualisations or summaries of EA donation trends (e.g. from the EA Survey or Giving What We Can data)
Funding Strategy Week often sets the tone for the rest of Giving Season, leading into Marginal Funding Week (Nov 17–23), when organisations outline their funding gaps, and the Donation Election, which invites Forum users to help direct real funds to high-impact charities.
Related entries
A seriesGiving Season 2025 runs from November 10th to December 31st, with a packed schedule of themed Forum events on the EA Forum, aimed at causing designed to inspire more and better donations,giving and reachingto reach new audiences.
This year’s series includes back-to-back weeks focused on funding strategy, marginal funding opportunities, and a new round of the Donation Election — followed by community weeks celebrating donors and sharing personal stories of giving.
Timeline
Overview
More details inLast year, Forum posts during Giving Season helped raise roughly $130,000–$150,000 for participating organisations. This year’s goal is to go further — supporting more donors, more conversations, and more cause-neutral analysis about where funding can do the most good.
Ways to take part
- Write or comment on posts tagged Funding Strategy Week or Marginal Funding Week
- The donation election fund is live and taking donations. You can see 2023's winners here, and 2024's here. CEA will be matching the first $5000 donated.
- Share your ownWhy I Donate story
- Join discussions or AMAs on effective giving
For full details, see the Giving Season 2025 announcement post. See also:
Related entries
- |
Marginal Funding WeekGiving Season (2024)
Giving Season 2024 will be runningran from November 4th to December 31st. The Forum will looklooked seasonably pretty, and we’ll runran several mini-events, including an interactive donation election, a marginal funding week, a donation celebration, and multiple AMAs.
‘Why I donate’ week is part of the EA Forum’s Giving Season 2025 lineup — a dedicated week (December 8–14) for posts exploring the personal and philosophical motivations behind giving. Forum users are encouraged to share reflections on how and why they give, whether that’s through individual donations, pledges, or broader commitments to effective altruism.
The week aims to make effective giving more visible and socially normal, highlighting diverse perspectives from across the community. GWWC will also be encouraging “Why I pledge” posts, and Toby will be encouraging some organisations to publish staff donation posts like this one.
It's also be great to interview/ host AMAs with some earning to give folks (like this, and this). If you are one of these people, or you would like to recommend one, message Toby.
Read more in the Giving Season 2025 announcement post.
Related entries
‘Why I donate’ week is part of the EA Forum’s Giving Season 2025 lineup — a dedicated week (December 8–14) for posts exploring the personal and philosophical motivations behind giving. Forum users are encouraged to share reflections on how and why they give, whether that’s through individual donations, pledges, or broader commitments to effective altruism.
The week aims to make effective giving more visible and socially normal, highlighting diverse perspectives from across the community. GWWC will also be encouraging “Why I pledge” posts, and Toby will be encouraging some organisations to publish staff donation posts like this one.
It's also be great to interview/ host AMAs with some earning to give folks (like this, and this). If you are one of these people, or you would like to recommend one, message Toby. ...
The EA Forum Donation Election 2025 runs during Giving Season (November–December 2025). Following the 2023 and 2024 formats, Forum users contribute to a shared fund and decide via ranked-choice voting which organisations receive the money.
To qualify for the election, organisations must:
- Post during Marginal Funding Week (Nov 17–23)
- Be a 501(c)(3) in the US, a registered UK charity, or fiscally sponsored by one
Only users with a Forum account created before the announcement post are eligible to vote.
CEA will match the first $5,000 donated to the fund. Donors who give $50 or more receive a bad animal drawing, and all donors get a temporary “I donated” flair.
The Donation Election is part of a broader Giving Season lineup, which includes:
- Funding Strategy Week (Nov 10–16) — discussion on funding diversification and community prioritisation
- Marginal Funding Week (Nov 17–23) — organisations outline their funding gaps
- Donation Election (Nov 24–Dec 7) — voting and debate on how to allocate the shared fund
- ‘Why I Donate’ Week (Dec 8–14) — posts and AMAs about personal giving motivations
- Donation Celebration Banner (Dec 15–EOY) — a frontpage space to share completed donations
Read the full announcement post for details.
Related entries
Giving Season (2025) | effective giving | donation choice | effective giving | diminishing returns | philanthropic coordination | philanthropic diversification | room for more funding | cost-effectiveness | cost-effectiveness analysis | impact assessment | earning to give
The EA Forum Donation Election 2025 runs during Giving Season (November–December 2025). Following the 2023 and 2024 formats, Forum users contribute to a shared fund and decide via ranked-choice voting which organisations receive the money.
To qualify for the election, organisations must:
- Post during Marginal Funding Week (Nov 17–23)
- Be a 501(c)(3) in the US, a registered UK charity, or fiscally sponsored by one
Only users with a Forum account created before the announcement post are eligible to vote....
A two-long series of events on the EA Forum, aimed at causing more and better donations, and reaching new audiences.
EA Funds is a spin-offin the process of themerging with Centre for Effective Altruism. Currently, four Funds exist:
Animal Welfare Fund | Effective Altruism Infrastructure Fund | Founders Pledge | Global Health and Development Fund | Long-Term Future Fund
During Marginal Funding Week (November 17 - 23), organisations post about their funding gaps, and what they could achieve with extra funding.
All organisations are welcome to take part. Participation in marginal funding week is also one requirement for taking part in the Donation Election.
If your organisation would like to take part and has not yet been invited, please message Toby Tremlett on the Forum.
During Marginal Funding Week (November 17 - 23), organisations post about their funding gaps, and what they could achieve with extra funding.
Posts from this week help potential donors understand which projects are currently most constrained by funding, and how extra resources could increase their impact.
Participation in Marginal Funding Week is open to all organisations working on impactful projects, regardless of cause area or size. It’s also a prerequisite for inclusion in the Donation Election — organisations must post during this week to qualify....
More details in the announcement post.
See also:
A week for discussing funding strategy, broadly construed.
Funding Strategy Week 2025 runs from November 10–16, as part of the Forum’s Giving Season 2025.
It’s a week for exploring how individuals, organisations, and the EA community can make the most effective use of funding — broadly defined. Contributors are encouraged to share practical lessons, analyses, and reflections on how to give, where to give, and how to think about funding strategy as a whole.
A two-long series of events on the EA Forum, aimed at causing more and better donations, and reaching new audiences.
| Dates | Nov 10-16 | Nov 17-23 | Nov 24-Dec 7 | Dec 8-14 | Dec 15-EOY |
| Event | Funding Strategy Week | Marginal Funding Week | Donation Election
| ‘Why I donate’ week | Donation Celebration Banner
|
More details in the announcement post.