A multidisciplinary database of visionary philanthropic experiments, advancing current social practices and rules for collective good.
Think different. Build different too.
The non-profit sector is gaining increasing significance in the modern world, and it is currently one of the fastest-growing industries. From an economic standpoint, non-profits play a crucial role in addressing the issue of information asymmetry, which means they're highly valuable for our economy.
While all forms of charity are commendable, it is essential not only to provide direct assistance to individuals and communities during crises but also to focus on updating current social structures and rules to achieve far greater public benefits. Take, for instance, Dr. Kariko, a recent Nobel laureate, who faced significant challenges in securing funding for her groundbreaking research on mRNA. If the funding mechanisms for scientific work were different, we could have not only accelerated the development of her innovation but also facilitated numerous breakthroughs by other scientists.
Proposition of new funding mechanisms by independent organizations such as the Institute for Progress or Fast Grants perfectly illustrates the essence of philanthropy which involves “using private assets to experiment with public goods” to identify unique ideas and solutions to implicit but important problems.
And while startups are ceasing to be the most ambitious and promising avenue for young people, philanthropy is beginning to be so. In fact, any social institution like governments, academia, media, education, technological labs, democracy and others need to be updated to address contemporary global challenges like climate change, the shift of geopolitical power to New Axis, degrowth, the emergence of new risky technologies, and more. Technical progress alone cannot resolve these challenges, so updating our institutions should become a central mission of the 21st century.
That’s why we believe that the true potential of philanthropy and more generally institutional experiments is greatly underrealized.
We have built this website to convene unique projects that aspire to reimagine particular public goods and provide contrarian insights about the world. We’re trying to build something that can bring those to you, to help you find inspiration, original ideas and interesting areas for making an impact. At the same time organizations would find new donors, followers, participants and even employees.
So, let’s start diving down those rabbit holes through the filters in the top right corner!
If you know of an exciting philanthropic organization that we have not included, let us know!
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