New organisations

This page is out of date, and no longer kept updated. See our evaluations for current information.

Here’s a list of organisations that were founded in part due to 80,000 Hours. In each case, there’s a reasonable chance they wouldn’t exist if 80,000 Hours had never existed.

In total, at least in part due to us, past users have founded five nonprofit organisations with full-time staff, three further nonprofits with part-time or voluntary staff, and two for-profit startups for earning to give (and they’ve closed down one startup!).

Below we list the organisations and how we’ve helped them. Each has been reviewed by the relevant founders. It’s accurate as of March 2015.

Nonprofits

Global Priorities Project

What is it? The Global Priorities Project is a think tank, which aims to improve the methodology behind government priority setting. It’s a collaboration between the Centre for Effective Altruism and the Future of Humanity Institute, part of the University of Oxford.

Impact It has already advised high levels of the UK government of aid spending and existential risk. For instance, DFID recently announced a change in aid spending affecting £2.5bn, which GPP was advocating for.

Budget In 2014, £30,000 was spent. In 2015, about £70,000 was spent. The project is aiming to raise a budget of £150,000 for 2016.

How did we help?

  • The first staff member hired by the project, Owen CB, decided to switch into this research field from pure mathematics in part due to 80,000 Hours.
  • GPP was initially managed by Niel Bowerman, another significant plan change.
  • We introduced them to their largest donor, who has since donated £50,000.
  • We produced research arguing that a project like GPP is high-priority, building early support for the organisation.
  • We helped prepare the initial business plans for the organisation.
  • It was incubated in CEA, an incubator we co-founded.

Animal Charity Evaluators

What is it? Animal Charity Evaluators does research into the most effective ways to promote animal welfare and recommends high-impact giving opportunities. In 2014, $141,000 was donated to their recommendations, and $100,000 has been donated so far in 2015.

Budget As of the end of 2014, the project has spent $133,000. In 2015, it intends to have a budget of $125,000. More detail.

How did we help?

  • Animal Charity Evaluators grew out of Effective Animal Activism, which was founded by Eitan Fischer during an internship at 80,000 Hours.
  • We contributed to the initial concept for the charity and introduced it to its initial donors. The project was also initially contained within 80,000 Hours and received substantial aid from the team, for instance, we built the first version of the website.
  • One of team members, Rob Wiblin, is a founding trustee of the organisation.

GBS Switzerland

What is it? GBS Switzerland is an effective altruist think-and-do-tank for the application of critical, rational thinking to the intersection of science and ethics. It has 10 full-time staff and launches projects, conducts research, and promotes effective altruism.

Its two largest projects are: Sentience Politics, which campaigns against antispeciesm, and Raising for Effective Giving, which encourages poker players to donate 5-10% of their net income to effective charities and has raised over $500,000 for high-impact charities.

Note: We count GBS Switzerland, REG and Sentience Politics as three new organisations, since they have their own teams, missions, budgets and websites, although they all collaborate closely and officially REG and Sentience Politics are part of GBS Switzerland.

Budget GBS Switzerland (including all its projects) has spent £230,000 to date and expects to have a budget of £230,000 over the next year.

How did we help?

  • Jonas Vollmer switched from being a medical student to wanting to work directly promoting effective altruism in part due to 80,000 Hours. He became a founding member and is now the Executive Director of the project.

  • Five of the other early staff members used 80,000 Hours materials and were similarly influenced in their careers.

“80,000 Hours was and continues to be essential for the success of the Swiss effective altruism movement.”

Jonas Vollmer

Effective Altruism Ventures

What is it? Effective Altruism Ventures is an angel network that aims to connect funders with high-impact startup projects. Funders already onboard include Jaan Tallinn, the co-founder of Skype, Bryan Johnson, of the OS fund, and organisational partners include Y Combinator and the Full Circle Fund. Their first call for projects is currently in progress.

Budget The project receives support from Effective Altruism Outreach. They intend to hire a full-time staff member in the next 6-18 months.

How did we help?

  • The second founding partner, Tyler Alterman, decided to work within effective altruism in part because of 80,000 Hours.
  • It is being incubated in CEA, an incubator we co-founded.
  • Many of the initial funders are earning to give due to 80,000 Hours. Many of their initial advisors changed their career plans due to 80,000 Hours.

High impact careers in healthcare

What is it? A network of healthcare professionals who want to maximise the social impact of their careers.

Budget £6,000 in funding from the NHS’s 2023 Challenge.

How did we help?

dotimpact

What is it? Dotimpact is distributed volunteer force of effective altruists working on high-impact part-time projects. Currently, they have over 50 members and 11 active projects, including a $70,000 study of the effects of vegan adverts, a skill share board, and effective-altruism.org.

Budget Volunteer organisation.

How did we help?

  • The project was founded by Ozzie Gooen and Peter Hurford, while Ozzie was working at 80,000 Hours. They met while Peter was also working in our office (while working for Giving What We Can).
  • Peter was substantially influenced towards using his career for impact by 80,000 Hours.
  • Many of the members were also influenced by 80,000 Hours.

For-profits for earning to give

These are for-profit companies that have been founded with the intention of donating a significant fraction of the income to high-impact charities. So far, two have been founded in large part because of us, as listed below. Another founder decided to donate to GiveWell charities in large part due to us, but currently wants to remain anonymous.

Health eFilings

What is it? Health eFilings automatically does paperwork for physicians. The founder, Ben West, intends to donate all income above minimum wage from the startup to charity. Health eFilings has had paying customers since month three, and averaged over 100% monthly growth since then (as of the end of 2015).

How did we help?

  • Ben decided to switch into entrepreneurship from software engineering almost entirely due to our advice.
  • Ben received substantial advice and support from members of our community in launching the startup.

In their own words

The community has helped me at every step of the way: I never craft an investor pitch without running it by 80,000 Hours members first; my sales process relies on volunteer 80,000 Hours members; and even my Y Combinator interview was aided by 80,000 Hours members who happens to be YC alums.”

LendLayer

Note: LendLayer was acquired in 2015 – we’ll update the information here in our next impact evaluation.

What is it? LendLayer is a marketplace where investors, employers and government fund students of tech and healthcare professional training. The founders have bound themselves themselves to donate 33% of exit value to high-impact charities.

How did we help?

  • Matt Gibb, one of the co-founders, decided to donate 30% of his income due to 80,000 Hours, and persuaded the other founders to make pledges too.
  • We introduced them to Ben Gilbert who now work with the team and funds the project.
  • We introduced them to two other major funders.

Also check out Founder’s Pledge

They weren’t founded because of us but we did help them on their way. Read more.