Authors: Austin, …

status: braindump, almost no fact checking yet

Summary

LTFF funds early-stage AI safety projects and individuals with $20-200k. Grant applications are screened by fund managers who have expertise in technical AIS.

Grants

Focus area, views

What fields do they support? What are they excited by?

???

TL: Lots of things, but in practice fund a lot of independent AI safety research, miscellaneous small grants for AI policy research, etc.

Funding source

Where does their money come from?

Historically, a large chunk of money directly from OpenPhil (~$30m in X years?). Starting as of 2024, OpenPhil has transitioned off of funding LTFF, and now they receive donations, primarily through Giving What We Can (is this true?).

Decision process

How do they make grants? Who to contact, how to apply?

LTFF has an open application, here. Applications get routed to one of ~5 part-time fund managers. Turnaround time is typically 2-6 weeks (?).

Recently they’ve switched to a new “round” model.

Caleb Parikh current chairs the LTFF, though they are seeking a new chair. Linchuan Zhang is the other full time employee; the other fund managers volunteer ~10h/mo.

Hot takes

Takes, criticisms, what they’re good at, what they’re bad at