These are the Executive Summaries of two final reports from a Philanthropy Advisory Fellowship project to research strategy and best practices for funding research in brain science. This research was conducted on behalf of PAF client One Mind.
Read MoreIn this report, we evaluated interventions to combat the growing opioid epidemic in the United States. We developed a methodology for evaluating interventions based on 3 key criteria: evidence, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. We also created a scoring rubric to simplify our conclusions on the strength of the interventions in each of these 3 areas. We looked at interventions in 5 broad problem areas: pain treatment, opioid supply, addiction treatment, access/referral to treatment, and harm reduction.
Read MoreWhat can universities do to empower student change-makers to address major global challenges? In this report, we develop the outline of a program that can deliver tools to students change-makers through different channels, including a full syllabus for a course on Effective Altruism.
Read MoreWe analyzed climate change from a high-level perspective, exploring various potential philanthropic interventions: Direct emissions reductions, adaptation, R&D, advocacy/litigation, and climate finance. We recommend fighting coal power in asia, building capacity in the US at local levels, and investing in innovative climate finance models.
Read MoreIn this report, we considered four broad interventions: post-publication peer review, quantitative metrics for transparency (e.g. “transparency index”), tenure criteria, and characterizing dependency relationships between pieces of research. All of these categories can be implemented in different ways, and can improve reproducibility through multiple channels.
Read MoreThis Philanthropy Advisory Fellowship report identified innovative approaches and organizations in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WaSH) space. This research was conducted on behalf of PAF client Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, combining scientific evidence on the most effective approaches with the unique demands of the client's venture philanthropy model.
Read MoreAlthough traditionally mental health has not been considered an immediate cause for concern in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is increasingly receiving more attention as the extent in which people suffer from various disorders has become apparent. Within this report, our team seeks to quantify and analyze the burden of mental health disorders in the region, estimate the cost-effectiveness of various interventions, recommend local organizations that are taking a scientifically-sound, scalable approach, and recommend promising research opportunities to develop new, highly cost-effective and scalable interventions.
Read MoreThis is the Executive Summary of the final report from a Philanthropy Advisory Fellowship project on advising corporate philanthropy program. The PAF team has identified 13 charities as potential [program] partners. Of the 13 charities, 11 focus on poverty, one on diversity and one on violence.
Read MoreThis is the Executive Summary of the final report from a Philanthropy Advisory Fellowship project on Gene Drive research. The purpose of this report is to provide recommendations to philanthropists interested in funding a new genetic technology called “CRISPR gene drive.” This synthetic biology technology allows scientists to design genetically modified animals that can rapidly spread particular genes through wild populations.
Read More