The Effective Altruism (EA) community often relies on centralized funding decisions, which may not fully leverage the collective wisdom of its diverse members. Quadratic funding (QF) could offer a more democratic way to allocate resources while still prioritizing high-impact causes. This approach would allow individuals to contribute funds or credits to projects they support, with a central subsidy pool distributed algorithmically to reward projects with broad, grassroots backing.

How Quadratic Funding Could Work for EA

One way to implement this would be to create themed funding pools aligned with EA cause areas, such as global health or animal welfare. Participants could allocate personal funds or credits to projects within these pools. The QF mechanism would then calculate subsidies based on the square of the sum of square roots of individual contributions, amplifying the influence of widespread support. For example:

• A project with 100 supporters donating $1 each would receive more subsidy than a project with one donor giving $100.
• Credits could be used initially to test participation before introducing real money.

To address EA's focus on impact, the system could incorporate expert reviews or impact-weighted voting, ensuring less popular but high-value projects aren't overlooked.

Advantages Over Existing Approaches

Unlike centralized EA Funds managed by a small group, this approach would democratize decision-making while retaining a focus on impact. It differs from platforms like Gitcoin Grants—which uses QF for open-source software—by tailoring the mechanism to EA's unique context, where beneficiaries often aren't the contributors. A hybrid model could combine community participation with expert oversight, offering the best of both worlds.

Starting Small and Scaling Up

An MVP might involve a simple web app or spreadsheet to simulate QF for a small EA group, using credits instead of real money. If successful, a pilot could launch with a single cause area and a modest subsidy pool. Key challenges like Sybil attacks could be mitigated through identity verification or stake-based mechanisms, while gamification might boost engagement. Over time, the system could expand to multiple pools and integrate with existing EA platforms.

This approach could empower the EA community to participate more actively in funding decisions, potentially uncovering overlooked high-impact opportunities through collective intelligence.