Five Years of RP: Past, Present, and Future

Rethink Priorities (RP) aims to safeguard a flourishing long-term future for humans and animals. With five years of growth and impact behind us, RP combines rigorous research, communication, strategic counsel, and capacity-building efforts to address cause areas including animal welfare, artificial intelligence, climate change, and global health and development.

Now, with the support of this community, we will approach the next five years in pursuit of bolder agendas, expanding our influence, and accelerating our mission to turn research into action.

Will you join us and fund this future?

Together, we can:

From being one of the pioneers of the study of welfare improvements for invertebrates to developing the Moral Weight Project to creating cross-animal species cost-effectiveness analyses, RP has been at the forefront of groundbreaking research that identifies and addresses neglected cause areas.

Your donation will accelerate change when it matters most and enable new research that responds swiftly to emerging challenges.

• $130 - $200 pays for one research hour

• $1000 pays for physical materials for a typical lab-based project

• $20k - $40k pays for a typical short-term research project

• $70k - $100k pays for a typical in-depth research project

Ahead of 2023 negotiations on farmed animal protection in the European Union (EU), RP researchers held extensive discussions with dozens of EU animal advocacy organizations, which significantly influenced the policy strategy for the EU animal welfare space and the expenditure of at least $1M USD of funding.

The use of rodenticides is widespread in the U.S, and has a detrimental effect on mice and rats. RP was the sole organization to present data arguing for the closure of an online sales loophole in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's legislation which, if implemented, will limit distribution of the most harmful rodenticides. 

Our research also informed a prominent UK policy think tank’s framing of “longtermism” in their policy proposals to appeal to a broader audience and increase their likelihood of success.

Your support will put important research in front of influential decision-makers – be they policymakers or funders - especially during critical moments such as the current conversations on AI governance and climate change. 

• $1700 pays for one researcher to attend a conference and present their findings

• $2730 pays for a researcher to organize, prepare for, and present our findings at a 1:1 meeting with an industry player to influence their decisions

As a trusted consultancy, RP advises organizations like Open Philanthropy, guiding the allocation of millions of dollars towards high-impact interventions. Since 2021, we’ve assessed the cost-effectiveness of 23 global health and development interventions for Open Phil and formed a dedicated team to explore their AI governance questions.

Your support will influence new grant-making organizations, and drive additional funding towards important causes.

• $3000 pays for one edition of our Research Insights in which we share updates with our audience of grantmakers, and other stakeholders in their fields

RP has provided 23 visiting fellowships to aspiring researchers, building a robust talent pipeline. RP fellows and employees have gone on to have careers at Open Philanthropy, Founders Pledge, Centre for Effective Altruism, 80,000 Hours, and US state-level elected government.

We also provide operational support to promising new organizations like EPOCH, Apollo Research, and Condor Camp. By supporting RP, you will foster the growth of emerging organizations and individuals dedicated to creating a better future.

Your donation will lead to the creation of new high-potential altruistic projects, and give researchers the freedom to focus on generating impactful insights, in the knowledge that RP’s operational infrastructure and long-term sustainability are secure.

• $1450 - $2500 pays for one Research Fellow to dedicate 10% of their time to developing their skills and knowledge

• $15k pays for a typical hiring round to select the most talented researchers and operations staff from an applicant pool of hundreds

• $20k - $40k pays for a retreat for one department to develop a stronger strategy to facilitate impact

Your gift will multiply the impact of important research, amplify critical messaging, and fuel transformative change to build a better future for all.

Currently, just 25% of our funding is unrestricted. Yet this is our greatest need; it plays a key role in allowing us to sustain and explore new avenues of research. Because much of our work is driven by consulting for other organizations, we often aren't able to pursue the independent projects we think might be most impactful.

Unrestricted gifts allow us to explore these ideas and have played a crucial role in RP’s development and success.

By donating now, you can ensure that Rethink Priorities remains a reliable and influential force for years to come. 

Questions?

• Learn more about Rethink Priorities work over the past five years and our plans for the future in this post.

• Ask us Anything about Rethink Priorities! On Monday, July 24, Co-CEO Peter Wildeford will be running an AMA on the EA Forum.

• If you have questions about our work or donation technicalities, please email Janique Behman, Director of Development, at janique@rethinkpriorities.org.

Join us in reaching our goal of 150 donors for this campaign!

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Rethink Priorities works with Every.org to accept most donations. Every.org is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that regrants funds to RP based on donor recommendations. Donating via Every.org helps RP minimize operations costs so more of your donation goes directly to critical research. Every.org accepts major credit cards, PayPal, Venmo, bank transfers, cryptocurrency donations, and stock transfers.

Gifts from countries other than the US may be tax-deductible by giving through one of our partner organizations.

Donors in Canada can give through RC Forward. Gifts through Rethink Charity may be tax-deductible in Canada.

Donors in other countries can give through Giving What We Can. Gifts from the UK are eligible for Gift Aid and may be tax-deductible.