Centre for Enabling EA Learning & Research
People
Updated 05/18/26Funding Details
Updated 05/18/26- Annual Budget
- $355,000
- Current Runway
- 4 months
- Funding Goal
- $430,000
- Funding Raised to Date
- -
Org Details
Updated 05/18/26CEEALAR (Centre for Enabling EA Learning & Research), formerly known as the EA Hotel, is a residential fellowship program based in Blackpool, UK. Founded in 2018 by Greg Colbourn, a former 3D-printing entrepreneur and early effective altruism supporter, it provides a unique model of support for people working on reducing global catastrophic risks. Colbourn purchased a former 17-room hotel (the Athena Hotel) in central Blackpool for GBP 130,000, funded from personal profits from cryptocurrency investments. The original concept, announced on the EA Forum in June 2018, was to offer free accommodation and board to effective altruists so they could focus on high-impact work. The project was rebranded from EA Hotel to CEEALAR and registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in England and Wales (charity number 1189768) in June 2020. CEEALAR supports approximately 20 residents at a time, providing free or subsidized accommodation, vegan catered meals, stipends, coworking spaces, and a supportive community. It has expanded capacity by 70% since founding and now includes an adjoining building. The organization has accumulated over 20,900 person-days of support and hosted 66 grantees in 2025 alone, a 36% year-over-year increase. It has incubated or supported 6+ organizations and over 100 long-term projects, with notable alumni organizations including Convergence Analysis, AI Standards Lab, and Orxl. In late 2024, Attila Ujvari was appointed as the first paid full-time Executive Director, with founder Greg Colbourn transitioning to Chair of the Trustees. The board of trustees also includes Dusan Nesic and Kyle Smith. Under new leadership, the organization is professionalizing its core systems and working to evolve from a pure residency model into a dynamic impact incubator, with plans for structured programs like a 3-month AI safety fellowship. CEEALAR has faced recurring funding challenges. It lost its largest donor (Survival and Flourishing Fund) in 2023, dropping to just 4 months of runway. It subsequently received emergency funding from AISTOF and a full year of funding from the EA Infrastructure Fund (approximately USD 184,000 in 2024). As of November 2025, the organization again reported approximately 4 months of runway remaining, with a 2026 budget of GBP 270,000 and a funding gap of approximately GBP 330,000. The organization operates at roughly half the cost of similar support in major cities.
Theory of Change
Updated 05/18/26CEEALAR's theory of change centers on the premise that talented people are blocked from working on reducing global catastrophic risks because they lack the resources and opportunities to do so. By providing a residential fellowship with financial support (accommodation, meals, stipends), productive workspace, and community connections (averaging 12 new meaningful connections per grantee), CEEALAR removes practical barriers such as funding gaps, isolation, and lack of track records. This enables high-potential individuals, especially those earlier in their impact journeys, to rapidly upskill, conduct research, and launch projects in AI safety and other EA cause areas. Residents report an average 106% productivity increase versus the counterfactual, and 80% of surveyed alumni were working in EA after their stays, with the majority focused on AI safety work.
Grants Received
Updated 05/18/26Projects– no linked projects
Updated 05/18/26Discussion
Key risk: By broadening into a general EA UK community infrastructure with a small team mid-pivot, selection and targeting may remain weak, making the counterfactual impact on existential risk—relative to more competitive, focused AI safety programs—too low to justify scarce safety dollars.
Case for funding: CEEALAR provides a uniquely cost-effective residential incubator (roughly half the cost of major cities) that has already supported 66 grantees in 2025 and helped launch AI safety orgs like Convergence Analysis and AI Standards Lab, and under new leadership is formalizing a 3-month AI safety fellowship—converting marginal funding into more AI safety talent and projects.