Open Philanthropy University Group Funding

This program provides funding for group expenses for university groups (e.g. food and supplies for events, promotional materials, or venue rentals) focused on topics relevant to preventing global catastrophic risks, including potential risks from advanced artificial intelligence (we’re open to groups focusing on technical research, governance and policy, and other relevant topics), biosecurity and pandemic preparedness, and forecasting. Group expense requests commonly range from $2,000 to $10,000 per year, though some larger groups have greater funding needs. Graduate students can also apply for stipends to cover their time spent on organizing and running these university groups.

If you want to work full-time on organizing for students at universities (i.e. you’re not a student yourself and it would be your main job), or want funding for a university student-focused project that doesn’t fit cleanly into the categories above, please apply through our general form here.

Note that as of January 1, 2025, we are no longer accepting applications from groups focused on effective altruism (please apply to the Centre for Effective Altruism’s group support funding program instead) and are no longer providing stipends for undergraduate student organizers. See more details on these changes in our post here.

As explained above, graduate students can apply for stipends to cover their time spent on organizing and running these university groups. We are no longer providing stipends for undergraduate student organizers. See more details on these changes in our post here.

Open Philanthropy generally provides stipends in the form of individual grants. Stipends are determined by (among other things) the recipient’s expected average weekly contribution of hours to organizing activities. However, recipients of stipend funding are not employees or contractors of Open Philanthropy, and stipends are generally paid in lump sum grant payments. 

Stipends are typically calculated using reference rates of $25-32/hr in the US and £18-23/hr in the UK. Exact funding amount will depend on a number of factors, including city-specific cost of living, role, and experience level. Stipends in countries outside of the US and UK will be set according to cost of living and other location-specific factors.

Apply here for university group funding. Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis.

If you have any questions, email us.

If you have any feedback about this page or this program, we’re really interested in hearing it– let us know (anonymously, if you want) on this short feedback form.

Applicants may be interested in looking at the EA Student Groups Handbook and EA Groups Resource Centre for existing resources on running university groups.

The application asks for:

• Background information about you
• Which of the following you’re seeking funding for: personal organizing time, or non-organizer group expenses
• [If seeking funding for personal organizing time]
  • How many hours, on average, you want to commit to work per week (minimum 10 hours total over the course of the semester)
  • What group you would like to work on (or if you don’t have a specific group in mind, your preferences over what types of groups you’d like to work on)
  • A brief description of the role or activities you expect to perform
  • Any past experience relevant to your [planned/expected] role
• [If seeking funding for group expenses]
  • Information about your group and its plans for the upcoming term
  • How much additional funding you’re requesting, and what you would use it for
• (Optional) References

If you pass our initial screen, we will follow up with next steps, which may include requests for written or video answers to application questions, or an invitation to have an interview with an Open Philanthropy staff member.

Generally speaking, we aim to review proposals within 6 weeks of receiving them, although this may not prove possible for all applications, and is dependent on your timely reply to requests for follow-up information. Applicants who require more timely decisions can indicate this in their application forms, and we may be able to expedite the decision process in such cases.

If I apply and get rejected, is there a “freezing period” where I can’t apply again?

We don’t have an official freezing period, but we generally won’t spend time reevaluating someone within 3 months of when they last applied, unless they indicate on the application that something significant has changed in that time. If you’re considering applying, we encourage you to not to wait; in the vast majority of cases, we think it won’t make a difference whether someone applies now or a month from now.

Should I have prior experience organizing a group or running relevant projects before applying?

No – prior experience can be a plus, but it’s definitely not necessary, and it’s generally not the main factor in deciding whether or not to fund someone. 

See answers to more commonly asked questions in our “Ask Me Anything” post.