2018-19 Donor Lottery Report, pt. 1

Abstract

This article presents a report on the author’s decision to allocate a $500k donation received from the 2019 CEA donor lottery to two earmarked grants for the Good Food Institute (GFI). The author first provides context by outlining their background as a trader at a quantitative trading firm and an independent research economist, as well as their involvement in effective altruism since 2014. The author then discusses their decision-making process, highlighting the importance of finding opportunities that are relatively underdone compared to the consensus opinion. They argue that, even without a complete model of the world, a focused examination of a specific area can reveal opportunities for increased efficiency in resource allocation. The author considers GFI to be a highly-rated organization that is undervalued by the animal-welfare EA consensus. They believe that GFI’s approach to changing the world through economic levers is more likely to be successful than relying solely on moral suasion. The author’s primary concerns are about GFI’s European and Asia–Pacific affiliates, and they argue that there is significant room for further investment in both organizations. – AI-generated abstract.