Considerations against s-process philanthropy

When you have millions to give away, how do you structure the decision? A new LessWrong essay explores two approaches. The traditional model: trust a foundation with your money and high-level direction. The competitive model: have multiple recommenders pitch competing visions for your budget, then allocate to the most compelling ideas. Each path has real tradeoffs. Foundations move fast, operate privately on sensitive matters, and can steer grantees with conditions. But competitive systems invite critique and pull in diverse perspectives. The open question: does competition prevent grifters better than delegation? Writer Zach Stein-Perlman suggests the answer might be that how you organize the process matters less than who you choose. Execution and judgment beat structure.

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