Rethink Priorities
Rethink Priorities’ mission is to generate the most significant possible impact for others in the present and the long-term future. Using evidence and reason, it identifies where resources would be most effective and helps direct them there. It does this by conducting critical research to inform policymakers and philanthropists, and by guiding the development of new organisations to address key problems.
What problem is Rethink Priorities working on?
Rethink Priorities' work covers important and neglected cause areas, including animal welfare, artificial intelligence, climate change, global health and development, and other work to safeguard a flourishing long-term future. It also aims to understand and support effective altruism — the community of people focused on these issues.
What does Rethink Priorities do?
Rethink Priorities works as all of the following:
- A consultancy doing commissioned work in response to demands from effective altruism organisations.
- A research institute driven by research agendas it sets according to its own priorities.
- A think tank aiming to inform public policy to improve the world.
- An accelerator, incubator, and base for new priority projects.
As part of that work, Rethink Priorities:
- Studied how to measure and compare the wellbeing of humans and of different other animal species, including its reports on moral weights across species.
- Helped animal advocacy organisations, policymakers, and funders identify the most cost-effective strategies.
- Studied how to govern artificial intelligence and other potential risks for future generations.
To learn more, check out all of Rethink Priorities' published work and updates about its strategy.
What evidence is there of Rethink Priorities’ effectiveness?
Rethink Priorities meets our criteria to be listed on our donation platform because:
- It works across many of our high-impact causes and the Giving What We Can research team has a favourable impression of the quality and impact of their work.
- It has received several grants from an impact-focused expert grantmaker, Open Philanthropy, which is an indicator of its cost-effectiveness. (Note — Giving What We Can has also received funds from Open Philanthropy.)
- One of our trusted evaluators, Longview Philanthropy, shared that it thought their work on safeguarding the long-term future was highly cost-effective. (Our trusted evaluators are charitable giving experts who focus on impact — their research into the best charities means your donations can do even more good. Learn more about charity evaluators we trust and why.)
Why donate through the Giving What We Can donation platform?
Your donations through our portal are tax deductible in the UK, US, and the Netherlands. Giving What We Can does not take any fees from donors using our platform or from charities listed on our platform. We are independently funded to promote our mission of making giving effectively and significantly a cultural norm. Read more on our transparency page.
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