Good Ventures Foundation

Quick Stats

Annual Giving: $593 million (2024)
Total Assets: $5.8 billion
Grant Range: $5,000 - $60,000,000
Median Grant: $450,000
Geographic Focus: Global (with significant U.S. focus)
Application Process: No public application process - grants made via Open Philanthropy and GiveWell recommendations

Contact Details

Good Ventures Foundation

Location: Palo Alto, CA
EIN: 46-1008520
Website: https://www.goodventures.org
Email: Not publicly listed
Phone: Not publicly listed

Note: Good Ventures does not accept unsolicited requests for funding or inquiries. Organizations seeking funding should engage with Open Philanthropy (now Coefficient Giving) or GiveWell directly.

Overview

Founded in 2011 by Dustin Moskovitz (co-founder of Facebook) and Cari Tuna (former Wall Street Journal reporter), Good Ventures operates with the ambitious mission to "improve as many lives as possible, as much as possible." Since inception, the couple has distributed more than $4 billion to high-impact causes. The foundation uniquely operates without full-time staff, instead relying entirely on recommendations from two partner organizations: Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy) and GiveWell. Good Ventures adheres to effective altruism principles and evaluates causes based on three core criteria: importance, neglectedness, and tractability. The founders are signatories to the Giving Pledge and have committed to spending down most or all of their wealth during their lifetimes. In 2025, Cari Tuna and Dustin Moskovitz were named to TIME100 Philanthropy for their transformative approach to evidence-based giving.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Good Ventures distributes grants through two primary channels:

1. Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy) Recommendations - $593 million in 2024

Global health and development
AI safety and governance
Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness
Farm animal welfare
Scientific research (protein design, vaccine development, Alzheimer's research)
Criminal justice reform (U.S.)
Economic growth and housing policy

2. GiveWell Recommendations - $113 million in 2024

Top charities focused on global health interventions
Standout charities
Incubation grants for promising new organizations
Focus on interventions like malaria prevention, childhood vaccination, vitamin A supplementation

3. Additional Areas of Interest - approximately $3 million in 2024

Grants outside the primary partnership recommendations

Grants range from $5,000 to $60 million, with a median grant size of $450,000. The foundation distributes grants on a rolling basis as recommended by partner organizations, not according to fixed deadlines.

Priority Areas

Global Health & Development (Largest funding area)

Communicable disease prevention and treatment
Malaria prevention and treatment
Tuberculosis vaccine development
Next-generation vaccine research
Alzheimer's disease research
Maternal and child health interventions

Farm Animal Welfare (Open Philanthropy is described as "the world's biggest funder of farm animal welfare")

Corporate cage-free campaigns for egg-laying hens
Broiler chicken welfare improvements
Alternative protein development
Egg-Tech Prize for in-ovo sexing technology
Factory farming reform

AI Safety and Governance

Technical AI safety research
AI policy development (including right-of-center perspectives)
Red-teaming and model safety
Research on digital minds/AI moral patienthood

Biosecurity & Pandemic Preparedness

Mirror biology research
Pathogen research and prevention
Public health infrastructure

Economic Growth & Opportunity

Housing policy reform and YIMBY advocacy
Zoning reform
Economic development initiatives

Scientific Research

Protein design using AI
Breakthrough medical research
Novel therapeutic development

U.S. Criminal Justice Reform

Sentencing reform
Alternatives to incarceration
Reentry programs

What They Don't Fund

Based on recent strategic decisions, Good Ventures has explicitly exited or limited funding in:

Farmed invertebrates (shrimp welfare, farmed insect welfare) - area exited
Wild animal welfare - area exited
Unsolicited proposals - the foundation does not accept applications or inquiries from organizations not identified through partner research
Projects outside core criteria - organizations that don't demonstrate high importance, neglectedness, and tractability

Political and reputational considerations also appear to influence funding decisions, though specific exclusions beyond the above are not publicly documented.

Governance and Leadership

Founders and Primary Funders:

Cari Tuna - Co-founder and President. Former Wall Street Journal reporter. Youngest-ever Giving Pledge signatory at age 25. Named to TIME100 Philanthropy 2025. Tuna has stated: "Philanthropy, at its best, identifies society's blind spots."
Dustin Moskovitz - Co-founder. Facebook co-founder with Mark Zuckerberg. On their wealth, Moskovitz has said: "It's pooled up around us right now, but it belongs to the world. We intend not to have much when we die."

Operational Structure:

Good Ventures operates without any full-time staff. The foundation distributes grants exclusively through recommendations from:

Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy) - Primary philanthropic advisor. Led by senior researchers and program officers who conduct 1-3 month investigations requiring 2-10 hours from potential grantees. Cari Tuna serves as President of Coefficient Giving.
GiveWell - Provides recommendations for evidence-based global health and development interventions. Uses rigorous cost-effectiveness analysis to identify top-performing charities.

Decision-Making Criteria:

As articulated by Tuna, the foundation considers three key criteria:

Neglectedness - Does the cause receive adequate attention from other funders?
Importance - How many individuals are affected and how deeply?
Tractability - How hard might it be to make progress on solving the problem?

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Good Ventures does not have a public application process. The foundation does not accept unsolicited funding requests or inquiries. This policy allows the small partner research teams to focus on deliberate, proactive research and grantmaking.

Pathways to Potential Funding:

1. Through Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy):

Review their focus areas at www.openphilanthropy.org (now www.coefficientgiving.org)
Most giving opportunities are identified via proactive research by Coefficient staff
Some specific programs accept applications - check the "How to Apply for Funding" page
Organizations can contact Coefficient to inquire about funding, though they rarely fund proposals through this channel and may not respond to all inquiries
Coefficient uses three criteria for evaluation: importance, neglectedness, and tractability
Initial contact typically involves a one-hour phone call or meeting
Investigation process takes approximately 1-3 months
Requires about 2-10 hours of time investment from the potential grantee
When staff concludes the case for funding is strong, they seek "conditional approval" from senior leadership
Historically, over 98% of conditionally approved grants receive funding

2. Through GiveWell:

Review GiveWell's criteria at www.givewell.org
Organizations must demonstrate evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, room for more funding, and transparency
Must be open to intensive investigation and public discussion of track record
For Top Charity status, must have received and effectively used significant funding (single grant of $10 million or multiple grants totaling $20 million)
GiveWell makes annual recommendations to Good Ventures for top charities, standout charities, and incubation grants
Focus on global health and development interventions with strong evidence base

Getting on Their Radar

For Coefficient Giving Track: Good Ventures and Coefficient Giving identify most grantees through proactive research and networking within specific cause areas. While specific networking events aren't publicly documented, organizations can:

Build recognition within effective altruism community networks
Publish research or achieve results in priority cause areas (AI safety, biosecurity, farm animal welfare, global health, economic growth)
Engage with Coefficient Giving program officers working in your specific area
Participate in research collaborations or expert dialogues that Coefficient organizes (such as the Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund)
Demonstrate alignment with effective altruism principles and quantitative impact assessment

For GiveWell Track:

Achieve measurable impact in global health and development
Publish evidence of cost-effectiveness
Build track record with transparent monitoring and evaluation
Scale operations to demonstrate capacity for significant funding deployment
Engage with GiveWell's research team through their evaluation process

Note: The foundation's approach emphasizes data-driven decision-making over relationship building. Tuna has described her early approach: "I talked to hundreds of people across philanthropy, nonprofits, government, science, academia, trying to learn about the landscape." Organizations should focus on demonstrating impact that aligns with the foundation's criteria rather than traditional relationship cultivation.

Decision Timeline

Coefficient Giving recommendations:

Initial exploration: One-hour phone call or meeting
Investigation period: 1-3 months typically
Grantee time investment: 2-10 hours across the investigation
Conditional approval process: Internal review by senior leadership
Final approval: Historically, over 98% of conditionally approved grants are funded
Legal due diligence: Conducted by Good Ventures after conditional approval
Total timeline: Approximately 2-4 months from initial contact to funding

GiveWell recommendations:

Annual review cycle for top charities
Recommendations made to Good Ventures each year
Allocation decisions typically announced in November/December
Multi-year grants common for established top charities

Success Rates

Specific success rate data is not publicly available. However, key indicators include:

Coefficient Giving conditionally approves proposals after thorough investigation; historically over 98% of conditionally approved grants receive funding
The foundation funded 262 grants in 2024 totaling over $593 million
Most grants result from proactive identification rather than inbound applications
GiveWell's top charities represent a highly selective group of 8-12 organizations globally
The foundation rarely funds proposals that reach Coefficient through unsolicited contact

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable, as Good Ventures does not accept applications. Organizations work with Coefficient Giving or GiveWell on an ongoing basis. Multi-year grants are common, and successful grantees often receive renewed funding through their partner organization's recommendation process.

Application Success Factors

Since Good Ventures funds exclusively through Coefficient Giving and GiveWell recommendations, success factors relate to those partner organizations' evaluation criteria:

Alignment with Effective Altruism Principles:

The foundation's core philosophy, as stated by Tuna, is to "improve as many lives as possible, as much as possible." Organizations should demonstrate:

Quantifiable Impact: Coefficient uses "back-of-the-envelope calculations based on scientific evidence" to estimate expected impact. Organizations should present clear, evidence-based impact metrics.
Importance: How many individuals are affected by the problem, and how deeply? The foundation prioritizes causes with broad or profound impact.
Neglectedness: Does the cause receive adequate resources from others? Tuna emphasizes that "philanthropy, at its best, identifies society's blind spots." Organizations should articulate why their work addresses an underfunded need.
Tractability: What is the likelihood that philanthropic funding can contribute to significant progress? Organizations should demonstrate realistic pathways to impact.

Characteristics of Successful Grantees:

Evidence of Breakthrough Potential: The foundation pursues "high-risk, high-reward" opportunities. Recent successful grantees include:

David Baker, who won the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for using AI to design new proteins and developed an improved flu vaccine
Dr. Joe Arboleda-Velásquez's research on APOE3 genetic variants that could delay Alzheimer's onset
Open New York, which helped pass "City of Yes for Housing Opportunity," New York City's largest zoning overhaul in 60+ years, expected to create 80,000 new homes
California YIMBY, which advanced SB 79, a landmark housing reform signed into law

Transparency and Collaboration: Organizations must be "open to intensive investigation and public discussion of their track record and progress." Coefficient "tends to prioritize collaborative projects and organizations that are willing to share data and results broadly via publications and reports."

Scale and Capacity: For GiveWell top charities, organizations must demonstrate they have "received and effectively used a significant amount of money—either a single grant of at least $10 million or multiple grants totaling at least $20 million."

Strategic Advice from Leadership:

Tuna's approach when launching Good Ventures provides insight: "I talked to hundreds of people across philanthropy, nonprofits, government, science, academia, trying to learn about the landscape." Organizations should:

Engage deeply with their field's evidence base
Position work within broader landscape of solutions
Demonstrate understanding of how their approach compares to alternatives
Build credibility through peer-reviewed research, expert endorsement, or measurable outcomes

Focus Area Alignment: Current priority areas receiving significant funding include:

Global health interventions with strong cost-effectiveness (malaria, TB, vaccines)
Farm animal welfare corporate campaigns and alternative proteins
AI safety technical research and policy development
Biosecurity and pandemic preparedness
Housing policy reform and economic growth initiatives
Breakthrough scientific research with transformative potential

Common Characteristics of Funded Work:

Demonstrates cost-effectiveness through quantitative analysis
Addresses neglected problems within important cause areas
Shows realistic pathway to scale and impact
Maintains transparency with data and results
Aligns with evidence-based, rational approach to philanthropy
Often involves systemic change rather than service delivery alone

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

No direct application pathway: Good Ventures only funds through Coefficient Giving and GiveWell recommendations. Organizations must engage with these partner organizations, not Good Ventures directly.
Evidence and impact are paramount: The foundation uses quantitative analysis and effective altruism principles. Organizations must demonstrate measurable, cost-effective impact using rigorous evidence.
Align with importance, neglectedness, tractability: These three criteria drive all funding decisions. Organizations should explicitly address how their work meets each criterion.
Think breakthrough, not incremental: The foundation pursues "high-risk, high-reward" opportunities. Position your work as potentially transformative rather than incrementally helpful.
Transparency is non-negotiable: Be prepared for intensive investigation and public discussion of your track record. Organizations that cannot share data openly are unlikely to succeed.
Focus on systemic change: Recent successful grants target policy reform (housing, criminal justice), scientific breakthroughs (vaccines, protein design), and corporate campaigns (animal welfare) rather than direct service delivery.
Lifetime spending approach creates urgency: The founders aim to spend down their wealth during their lifetimes, approaching $593 million annually. The foundation seeks organizations ready to deploy significant capital effectively now.

References

Good Ventures Foundation - About Us. "Cari Tuna and Dustin Moskovitz." https://www.goodventures.org/about-us/ (Accessed December 2025)
Good Ventures Foundation - Grantmaking Approach. https://www.goodventures.org/our-portfolio/grantmaking-approach/ (Accessed December 2025)
Good Ventures Foundation - Our Progress in 2024 and Plans for 2025. https://www.goodventures.org/blog/our-plans-in-2024-and-plans-for-2025/ (Accessed December 2025)
Good Ventures Foundation - Our Story. https://www.goodventures.org/about-us/vision-and-values/ (Accessed December 2025)
Good Ventures Foundation - Press Archive. https://www.goodventures.org/about-us/press/ (Accessed December 2025)
Good Ventures Foundation - TIME100 Philanthropy 2025. https://www.goodventures.org/about-us/press/time100-philanthropy-2025-cari-tuna-and-dustin-moskovitz/ (Accessed December 2025)
Inside Philanthropy - Good Ventures. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant/grants-g/good-ventures (Accessed December 2025)
Inside Philanthropy - "What a Facebook Cofounder's Latest $1.9 Billion for His Foundation Says about Philanthropy's Future." https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2024-8-5-what-a-facebook-cofounders-latest-19-billion-for-his-foundation-says-about-philanthropys-future (Accessed December 2025)
TIME Magazine - "TIME100 Philanthropy: Cari Tuna and Dustin Moskovitz." https://time.com/collections/time100-philanthropy-2025/7286010/cari-tuna-dustin-moskovitz/ (Accessed December 2025)
Wikipedia - Good Ventures. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Ventures (Accessed December 2025)
Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy) - How to Apply for Funding. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/how-to-apply-for-funding/ (Accessed December 2025)
Coefficient Giving - Grantmaking Process. https://www.openphilanthropy.org/grantmaking-process/ (Accessed December 2025)
Coefficient Giving - Our Progress in 2024 and Plans for 2025. https://coefficientgiving.org/research/our-progress-in-2024-and-plans-for-2025/ (Accessed December 2025)
Coefficient Giving - Open Philanthropy Is Now Coefficient Giving. https://coefficientgiving.org/research/open-philanthropy-is-now-coefficient-giving/ (Accessed December 2025)
GiveWell - About. https://www.givewell.org/about (Accessed December 2025)
GiveWell - Our Criteria. https://www.givewell.org/how-we-work/criteria (Accessed December 2025)
GiveWell - Top Charities Fund. https://www.givewell.org/top-charities-fund (Accessed December 2025)
GrantExec - Good Ventures Foundation. https://grantexec.com/foundations/461008520 (Accessed December 2025)
Instrumentl - Good Ventures Foundation 990 Report. https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/good-ventures-foundation (Accessed December 2025)
Effective Altruism Forum - "[Linkpost] An update from Good Ventures." https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/foQPogaBeNKdocYvF/linkpost-an-update-from-good-ventures (Accessed December 2025)