The founders of Coefficient Giving began their work in 2011 with a central question: how can large-scale philanthropy create the greatest possible positive impact? Initially known as Open Philanthropy, the organization grew from a partnership between Good Ventures and GiveWell, aiming to move beyond traditional evidence-rich areas and explore high-impact opportunities across a wider range of issues. Their mission expanded over time to support not just the giving of their founders but also to guide other philanthropists. With over $4 billion distributed so far, they reflect on their major lessons in strategic, effective giving.
A key insight is that choosing the right causes is the most consequential decision in philanthropy. The issues philanthropists focus on determine almost every aspect of their work, yet many donors choose areas based on personal interest rather than broad impact. Coefficient Giving has long used the “importance, neglectedness and tractability” framework to identify opportunities where funding can achieve the most good. They have increasingly prioritized importance and neglectedness, noting that some of the most overlooked problems—such as factory farming or Strep A—represent enormous opportunities for cost-effective impact.
Another core lesson is that building new fields can yield exceptional long-term returns, though it requires patience. Early investments in areas like zoning reform and AI safety helped catalyze movements, expand research communities and create policy change. These successes show how initial funding in neglected spaces can spark broader momentum. At the same time, missed opportunities—such as slower engagement on lead poisoning or the global shortcomings in pandemic preparedness—highlight the difficulty of predicting where early action will pay off most.
The organization also learned that high-impact philanthropy is possible across the entire risk spectrum. While some grants offer fast feedback through measurable outcomes, others—especially in policy or scientific research—have slower or more uncertain paths to impact. Yet experience has shown that middle-risk opportunities can be as cost-effective as highly measurable global health interventions or high-risk, high-reward bets aimed at reducing catastrophic risks.
Balancing the desire to maximize impact with the need for moderation remains one of the toughest challenges. The organization works across areas where even small amounts of funding can save lives, reduce mass suffering or lower existential threats. Choosing how to weigh these diverse forms of impact cannot be solved through a single metric. Instead, they divide resources based on different worldviews to avoid overcommitting to one philosophical approach. This balance reflects their belief that rigidly maximizing a single value can cause other important priorities to be overlooked.
Looking ahead, Coefficient Giving emphasizes the need for urgency in philanthropy. Despite vast global challenges and rapidly advancing risks in fields like AI and biotechnology, most billionaires give away only a small fraction of their wealth. Many opportunities—from scalable global health programs to time-sensitive risk-reduction measures—are available now and could save millions of lives. By sharing what they have learned, the organization hopes to encourage more donors to act strategically, ambitiously and with greater speed, contributing to a more effective and collaborative philanthropic ecosystem.
