Long-Term Future Fund

The Long-Term Future Fund (LTFF) is an expert-managed grantmaking fund that operates as part of Effective Altruism Funds (EA Funds). Originally launched in February 2017 as the "Far Future Fund" with Nick Beckstead of Open Philanthropy as its sole manager, the fund was later renamed and expanded its management team to include multiple volunteer fund managers with deep expertise in relevant cause areas. The LTFF focuses on mitigating global catastrophic risks that threaten the long-term future of humanity. The clear majority of its grants address potential risks from advanced artificial intelligence, though the fund also supports work on biosecurity, nuclear risk, long-term institutional reform, and other areas relevant to humanity's long-term flourishing. Typical grants include stipends for independent AI safety researchers, funding for technical alignment work such as mechanistic interpretability and scalable oversight, support for AI governance and policy analysis, training programs for researchers transitioning into existential risk work, communications and outreach projects, and infrastructure for the longtermist community. The fund is managed by a team of fund managers who evaluate applications and make grant recommendations. As of 2025, the team includes Caleb Parikh (Project Lead, EA Funds), Linchuan Zhang (Fund Manager, EA Funds), Lawrence Chan (Fund Manager, METR), Thomas Larsen (Fund Manager, AI Futures Project), Oliver Habryka (Fund Manager, Lightcone Infrastructure), Daniel Eth (Fund Manager, Independent), and Eli Lifland (Guest Fund Manager, Sage). They are supported by fund advisors including Nicole Ross, Jonas Vollmer, Catherine Low, and Asya Bergal. The LTFF has distributed over $20 million in grants since its founding. From May 2023 to March 2024, the fund paid out $5.36 million across 141 grants, with an acceptance rate of about 19%. In the previous year (2022-2023), it distributed approximately $12.6 million across 327 grants. The median LTFF grant is around $25,000, making it particularly suited for funding individuals and small groups for upskilling, career transitions, or early-stage research projects. The fund has historically received significant support from Open Philanthropy, which has offered donation matching programs such as 2:1 matching for donor contributions. The LTFF operates as a project of Effective Ventures Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) in the US and charity in the UK. One hundred percent of donations (minus payment processor fees) go directly to grantees, as operating costs are funded separately. The fund takes a hits-based approach to grantmaking, where projects with small chances of success but large potential impact may still receive funding.