When you donate can matter more than where

An analysis published on LessWrong argues that the timing of charitable donations can matter more than which cause you choose. The example: Timaeus, an AI safety research organization, received one hundred forty-three thousand dollars from Manifund regrantors in August 2023. This year, Timaeus merged into Resolution, which secured one hundred sixty million dollars from the philanthropic fund Coefficient Giving. Applying venture-capital logic to that early investment suggests it captured outsized value. The broader takeaway: in nonprofit funding, just as in venture capital, early support for promising projects — offered quickly before other funders move — can generate disproportionate impact compared to later donations to established organizations.

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