Comments on: Hewlett Foundation Makes Grant to GiveWell http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/hewlett-foundation-makes-grant-to-givewell Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:57:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: ani hurwitz http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/hewlett-foundation-makes-grant-to-givewell/comment-page-1#comment-5657 ani hurwitz Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:35:29 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/?p=1146#comment-5657 I just looked at givewell's instructions for its advanc donor program. the "relationship" with vanguard looks pretty cumbersome. I just looked at givewell’s instructions for its advanc donor program. the “relationship” with vanguard looks pretty cumbersome.

]]> By: Jim Fruchterman http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/hewlett-foundation-makes-grant-to-givewell/comment-page-1#comment-5654 Jim Fruchterman Mon, 22 Dec 2008 17:36:04 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/?p=1146#comment-5654 Oops. Didn't see the clarification in the feed I read, so I failed to spot it when I commented. Sorry! Oops. Didn’t see the clarification in the feed I read, so I failed to spot it when I commented. Sorry!

]]> By: Sean Stannard-Stockton http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/hewlett-foundation-makes-grant-to-givewell/comment-page-1#comment-5652 Sean Stannard-Stockton Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:48:53 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/?p=1146#comment-5652 Jim and Suzy, I posted a follow up on the Hewlett grant to explain my thinking more. You can find it <a href="http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/sloppy-writing" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Jim and Suzy, I posted a follow up on the Hewlett grant to explain my thinking more.

You can find it here.

]]> By: Jim Fruchterman http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/hewlett-foundation-makes-grant-to-givewell/comment-page-1#comment-5639 Jim Fruchterman Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:16:09 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/?p=1146#comment-5639 I have the same reaction. What does getting a $100,000 grant have to do with addressing research validity? That caught my eye: I still don't know what the critiques were or are: all I know is that grants don't have anything to do with research validity... And of course, the only thing I knew about GiveWell was that it had a scandal like the WholeFoods CEO scandal: anonymous internet pumping of an organization by its CEO. I have the same reaction. What does getting a $100,000 grant have to do with addressing research validity? That caught my eye: I still don’t know what the critiques were or are: all I know is that grants don’t have anything to do with research validity…

And of course, the only thing I knew about GiveWell was that it had a scandal like the WholeFoods CEO scandal: anonymous internet pumping of an organization by its CEO.

]]> By: Suzy http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/2008/12/hewlett-foundation-makes-grant-to-givewell/comment-page-1#comment-5636 Suzy Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:04:51 +0000 http://tacticalphilanthropy.com/?p=1146#comment-5636 "This pretty much shuts down completely any argument around the validity of GiveWell’s research." Really? This from the man who advocates for foundations talking about their failures? Are you really so sure this isn't one of those grants Hewlett will look back on and wonder... As I read Givewell, there is still a lot of caveats, and best guesses going on. I’ll let others argue the merits of the approach (as you have here) but I question letting such inexperienced folks carry the banner for empirical evaluation of nonprofit organizations. “This pretty much shuts down completely any argument around the validity of GiveWell’s research.” Really? This from the man who advocates for foundations talking about their failures? Are you really so sure this isn’t one of those grants Hewlett will look back on and wonder…

As I read Givewell, there is still a lot of caveats, and best guesses going on. I’ll let others argue the merits of the approach (as you have here) but I question letting such inexperienced folks carry the banner for empirical evaluation of nonprofit organizations.

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