Project Tailwind: Coefficient Giving funding for AI safety founders
Coefficient Giving funds founders who start AI safety organisations, from $200k at pre seed up to $200m at scale. Expressions of interest are taken at any time.
Project Tailwind is a call from Coefficient Giving for people who want to found new AI safety organisations. The funder argues that AI needs the kind of safety ecosystem that aviation and medicine already have, and that founders are the missing piece.
Funding comes in three sizes. Pre seed is $200k to $2m, usually as a research or planning grant to develop the idea, build a team and test the approach over 9 to 18 months. Seed is $2m to $20m to launch and grow the organisation over 18 to 36 months. Scale sits in the $20m to $200m+ range, either for a new organisation with a strong founding team or for an existing one that wants to grow or start a new programme.
Anyone with a strong track record and a plan can express interest. A legal entity is not needed for pre seed funding. For seed funding an applicant should have a legal entity or be ready to set one up, directly or through a fiscal sponsor. Teams outside the United States and public benefit for profit companies may apply. Grantees do not have to wait out their funding window before asking for more.
The route in is the expression of interest form on the Get Involved page. Promising candidates are then invited to send a proposal covering their track record, their capabilities and their vision. Strong candidates may skip straight to a short pitch meeting, after which the team aims to decide quickly and pay out soon after.
Coefficient Giving says this is its first call for founders and that it does not expect to answer every submission. Alongside the public call it runs a talent scouts programme with a referral bounty, direct outreach, and pitch days and workshops with other organisations.