Open Philanthropy Rebrands to Coefficient Giving, Expands Donor Model

2 hours ago7 min read

In a move signaling a significant evolution for one of the world's most influential philanthropic organizations, Open Philanthropy has rebranded itself as Coefficient Giving, marking a strategic pivot from its origins as the primary vehicle for Good Ventures, the foundation of Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife Cari Tuna. Over the past decade, this entity has directed more than $4 billion with a singular, almost mathematical obsession for maximizing impact, an approach that has saved an estimated 100,000 lives, catalyzed the YIMBY movement in California, improved conditions for billions of farmed animals, and even supported research that later won a Nobel Prize.The new name, as explained by CEO Alexander Berger, is a carefully chosen portmanteau: 'co-' for collaboration and 'efficient' for their longstanding focus on cost-effectiveness, together forming a 'coefficient'—a multiplier. This isn't merely a cosmetic change; it represents a fundamental shift in operational model.Where Open Philanthropy primarily served a single anchor donor, Coefficient Giving is now actively converting its internal programs into multi-donor funds, such as the $125 million Lead Exposure Action Fund and the $120 million Abundance and Growth Fund, inviting other philanthropists to co-invest. The organization reportedly directed over $100 million from external donors in 2024 and has more than doubled that figure in 2025, suggesting a growing appetite among the wealthy for this kind of rigorously vetted, high-impact giving.This transition raises fascinating questions about the future of large-scale philanthropy, particularly at a moment when public funding for global health and development is facing volatility in the United States, while private tech wealth continues to surge. Berger, a pragmatic optimist, frames this not as solving a problem but as fulfilling the organization's original ambition to become a resource for others asking the same fundamental question: where can my resources do the most good? The philosophical underpinnings remain rooted in the 'importance, tractability, neglectedness' framework, though Berger notes a key lesson from their first decade was to downweight perceived tractability, as it's notoriously hard to predict, and instead prioritize causes that are orders of magnitude more important and neglected.This has allowed them to take calculated risks, funding everything from long-shot scientific research in protein design—which eventually contributed to a Nobel Prize—to the long-game of policy advocacy for housing abundance, where success only materialized after years of failed legislative attempts. The rebrand also subtly distances the organization from the effective altruism movement with which it's often, and in Berger's view, incorrectly, synonymous.His aim is for Coefficient to be a resource even for those who find effective altruism unappealing, broadening its appeal. In a world of accelerating AI and strained public budgets, Coefficient Giving's second act becomes a live experiment: can a multiplier effect, pooling capital and expertise from a wider base of donors, actually deliver more impact, faster? The answer will depend on its ability to maintain its legendary analytical rigor while navigating the complexities of collaborative decision-making and continuing to make those high-risk, high-reward bets that most traditional foundations shy away from.

#Coefficient Giving

#Open Philanthropy

#rebranding

#effective altruism

#philanthropy strategy

#housing reform

#AI safety

#global health

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