Hi there,
Welcome to the monthly EA Chicago newsletter 👋
Check this space for upcoming events and a debrief of the best EA Chicago content from across the web.
Be sure to stay in touch during the month via our Eventbrite page and Slack workspace.
EACHI August Event Schedule
August Speaker Event: Drew McCartor from Pure Earth—an international non-profit organization dedicated to reducing lead and mercury poisoning in low- and middle-income countries, a GiveWell-recommended charity, and a grant recipient of Open Philanthropy—will be speaking on Thursday, August 9th from 6-8pm (register for the event HERE)
August Social Event: Beach Day at Oak Street Beach—dogs welcome!—on Sunday, August 27th from 2-5pm (event details can be found HERE)
Attend An Event
Applications are currently open for:
EA Global: Boston | (October 27–29) | Application deadline: October 13
For an automatic 25% ticket discount to EAG Boston, register by the early bird deadline of August 4
EAGxBerlin | (September 8–10) | Application deadline: August 18
EAGxAustralia | (September 22–24) | Application deadline: September 8
You can learn more about who these events are for here and on the web pages for each conference.
News & Updates
Fellowships & Jobs
· Applications are now open for a free matchmaking service with a tightly integrated cohort of 9 coaches eager to serve effective altruist, rationalist and other nearby communities. Direct link to the application: https://bit.ly/3yUHoIt August 1 (TODAY) is the deadline, though we will accept applications on a rolling basis, we just might have limited bandwidth after that. >50 people have applied but we have room for more! This Forum post also outlines new updates on where the matchmaking program could be headed, how it could affect the wellness support landscape in EA, rationalist and nearby communities, and other juicy stuff. Link to the Forum post: https://bit.ly/3pUVMzS
· Charity Entrepreneurship has launched our application round for TWO Incubation Programs, open from July 10 to Sep 30. More information about our programs and offerings can be found in our announcement post.
o 1. Feb/March 2024 program, will focus on (1) Human Well-being Mass Media Interventions, and (2) Preventive Animal Advocacy
o 2. July/August 2024 program will focus on ideas in two areas: (1) the Top most cost-effective Sustainable Development Goals (as identified by Copenhagen Consensus) and (2) Organophosphate pesticides and other neurotoxicants (as identified by a CE Incubation Program graduate)
· Manifund, the charitable arm of Manifold Markets, is launching a new regranting program. They will allocate ~$2 million over the next six months based on the recommendations of their longtermist regrantors. Grantees can apply for funding through their site; they’re also looking for additional regrantors and donors to join.
· Open Philanthropy is hiring a Recruiter. This person will help hiring managers at Open Phil hire top talent as seamlessly as possible and maintain/improve internal hiring systems. If you know anyone that would be a good fit for this, please encourage them to apply! You can email Evan McVail (evan@openphilanthropy.org) with any questions or referrals.
· GovAI has THREE open positions:
o 1. Applications to GovAI's Research Scholar General Track positions are open. Research Scholar | General Track is a one-year visiting position intended to support the career development of researchers who hope to positively influence the long-run impact of artificial intelligence. As a Research Scholar, you will deepen your understanding of AI governance, connect and collaborate with a network of experts, and produce work within an institutional home that offers both freedom and support for your research. The salary for this role is usually between £50,000 and £60,000 per year if in Oxford, but depends on location and experience. The preferred location for this role is in Oxford at our offices. Benefits include health insurance, a wellbeing allowance, and a commuting allowance. The deadline for applications is 9th August 2023 at midnight, UK (BST) time.
o 2. Applications to GovAI's Research Scholar Policy Track positions are open. Research Scholar | Policy Track is a one-year visiting position for policy-focused researchers and policymakers who hope to positively influence the long-run impact of artificial intelligence. As a Research Scholar, you will conduct research into the actions that influential decision-makers - both in government and industry - might take to prepare for a world with advanced AI. You will deepen your understanding of the field and connect and collaborate with a network of experts within an institutional home that offers both flexibility and support for your research. You may also have the opportunity to advise external stake-holders and communicate publicly. The salary for this role is usually between £50,000 and £60,000 per year if in Oxford, but depends on location and experience. The preferred locations for this role are either Oxford, or San Francisco (where our Head of Policy is based). Benefits include health insurance, a wellbeing allowance, and a commuting allowance. The deadline for applications is 9th August 2023 at midnight, UK (BST) time.
o 3. Applications for GovAI's Research Fellow positions are open. Research Fellows conduct research into open and important questions that bear on AI governance, and are drawn from a range of disciplines. Research Fellows will have a demonstrated ability to produce excellent research and care deeply about the long-run impacts of AI. The role offers significant research freedom, access to a broad network of experts, and opportunities for collaboration. Research Fellows are expected to set their own research agendas, with guidance from other members of the team. Salaries for this role typically range from £60,000 - £80,000 per year. Our salary principles are influenced by location and experience though. Benefits include health insurance, a wellbeing allowance, and a commuting allowance. The deadline for applications is 9th August 2023 at midnight, UK (BST) time.
Community
A summary of a working paper from one of EA’s co-founders, William MacAskill, provides some considerations for when an effective altruist should donate.
GiveWell has published several new pages on grants it has recently recommended, including $6 million for Helen Keller International's support of vitamin A supplementation in Madagascar, $5.8 million to Sightsavers for its deworming program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and $1.4 million for core operating support to the Yale Research Initiative on Innovation and Scale (Y-RISE), which researches successful scaling of global health and well-being programs. If you'd like to sign up for email updates when new research materials from GiveWell are published, you can do so here.
Animal Charity Evaluators announced their 2023 Movement Grants, which aim to "build and strengthen the global animal advocacy movement."
SoGive is conducting a survey of individuals giving £10,000+ per year or who might have the capacity to face uncertainties. They are seeking to understand this group's uncertainties around giving, what services would help these individuals donate more and better, and how they are making giving decisions. If you're in this category, they'd like to encourage you to book a 60-minute call with them. Your insights will be instrumental in helping them develop a program that A) will be of value to major donors and B) isn't already covered by other advisors in the space.
Cause areas
Animal welfare
The Humane League UK has chosen to appeal the decision of the High Court in an ongoing case against the Government in which they are challenging the legality of fast-growing breeds of chickens. The High Court ruled in May that Defra hadn't behaved unlawfully.
96% of Co-op (a UK supermarket) members (over 32,000 people) voted for the supermarket to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC) following a shareholder resolution led by The Humane League UK. Whilst the board agreed to give chickens more space, they refused to stop selling fast-growing breeds of chickens. The Humane League UK plans to maintain pressure on the Co-op until they fully commit to the BCC.
Tälist has created a new Impact Calculator that calculates the potential impact of working in the Alternative Protein industry. You can check it out now. They are also looking for pioneer users for their platform, which matches candidates with jobs in the Alt—protein industry. You can support their work by signing up and giving valuable feedback from a user perspective. Learn more here.
Cultivated meat has continued to gain traction in the US and appeared in a CBS news segment this month.
The Good Food Institute released its report: The State of Global Policy on Alternative Proteins for 2023.
Global health and development
The Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) is hiring a Chief Operating Officer. The COO will be critical in helping LEEP dramatically widen its impact as it scales to 50 high-priority countries over the next few years. Read more about and apply for the position here.
Helen Keller International shares how women are at the heart of their work.
Long-term future
The Nuclear Threat Initiative highlights Oppenheimer and the risks of nuclear today.
The impactmarkets.io platform is a crowdsourced charity evaluator for early-stage AI safety projects. It lets you play regrantor or harness the insight of expert regrantors. If you're interested in learning more, you can indicate your interest in using the platform to donate to these projects.
(Please contact EACHI’s organizer, Samantha Kassirer, if you have something you’d like featured here next month!)
We look forward to seeing you in person or online!
