Gregory Pincus

#21 - Holden Karnofsky on times philanthropy transformed the world & Open Phil’s plan to do the same

Holden Karnofsky, Margaret Sanger, Gregory Pincus, Katherine McCormick, Keiran Harris, Rob Wiblin

The Open Philanthropy Project, funded primarily by Good Ventures, operates on a venture-capital model to deploy over $100 million annually toward high-risk, high-impact causes including U.S. criminal justice reform, farm animal welfare, and artificial intelligence safety. The organization employs a distinct "50-40-10" grant approval framework and prioritizes field building to create expert communities in neglected areas like AI alignment and pandemic preparedness. Through strategic board engagement at institutions like OpenAI and a rigorous, truth-seeking hiring culture, the project aims to mitigate global catastrophic risks while maximizing philanthropic returns on long-term societal transformation.