Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative

The Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI) is an independent 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2017 by Andrew Critch. Its mission is to improve human civilization's long-term prospects for survival and flourishing by supporting the broader existential risk research ecosystem. BERI's primary work is collaborating with university research groups focused on mitigating existential risk. The organization provides these groups with free services and operational support, making their operations faster and more flexible by unblocking tasks and projects that are difficult or impossible through existing university administration channels. Typical services include hiring research assistants, software engineers, and other support staff; purchasing conference tickets, travel expenses, software subscriptions, and office equipment; and coordinating events and logistics. BERI's main collaborations span major research institutions worldwide, including the Center for Human-Compatible AI (CHAI) at UC Berkeley, the Algorithmic Alignment Group at MIT, the Stanford Existential Risks Initiative, the Oxford Martin AI Governance Initiative, the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at Cambridge, the Existential Risk Laboratory at the University of Chicago, the Krueger AI Safety Lab at Cambridge, the Safe Robotics Laboratory at Princeton, and the InterACT Laboratory and Center for Long-Term Cybersecurity at UC Berkeley. BERI also provides fiscal sponsorship for projects including the ML Alignment & Theory Scholars (MATS) Program, the Oxford China Policy Lab, and the International Association for Safe & Ethical AI. BERI has been led by several key figures. Founder Andrew Critch established the organization in 2017. Sawyer Bernath served as Executive Director from approximately 2019 to 2024, running the organization largely solo for several years. Elizabeth Cooper joined as Deputy Director in February 2023 and became Executive Director in November 2024. She also serves as a visiting researcher at the University of Cambridge's Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. The organization is funded primarily through large private donors. As of mid-2022, BERI had received over $7 million from Jaan Tallinn, over $3.3 million from Open Philanthropy, over $1.6 million from the Survival and Flourishing Fund, and approximately $5 million from other sources. In 2023, BERI reported total revenue of approximately $7.3 million and total expenses of approximately $7 million, with total assets of approximately $7 million. BERI funds its core operations through approximately 10% of grants received for specific collaborations. The organization has earned a four-star rating (96%) from Charity Navigator, with a program expense ratio of 92.6%.