So is the idea to prefer funding informal collaborations to formal associations? I remain confused about what exactly we are being advised to prefer and why. I don’t want to come across as being unconstructively negative, so let me elaborate a bit.
A proposal to fund individuals, not projects or organizations, is implying that there’s alpha to be found in this class of funding targets. So first, I am trying to understand the definition of “individual” as target for grant funding. An individual can work with others, in varying degrees of formality, and usually there will be one or more projects that they’re carrying out. So I am struggling to understand what it means to “fund an individual” in a way that’s distinct from funding organizations and projects. Does it mean “fund an individual, regardless of what they’re working on or who they’re working with?”
Second, I’d like to understand the mechanism by which we expect to get more bang for our buck by doing this. Do we think that individuals need the freedom to discard unpromising projects and collaborators, and guaranteeing them funding regardless helps them find the most promising team and project? Do we think that large collaborations weigh people down? Do we think that by the time a project is well defined and the team is large and formal, there will be other sources of funding, such that the main funding gaps are at an early, fluid, informal stage of organization-forming?
I’m open to all these ideas, I would just like the theory of change to be better pinned down.
So is the idea to prefer funding informal collaborations to formal associations? I remain confused about what exactly we are being advised to prefer and why.
It’s possible to establish a formal affiliation while preserving independent financing. This is similar to how researchers at educational institutions can secure grants or tenure, thereby maintaining their individual funding.
A proposal to fund individuals, not projects or organizations, is implying that there’s alpha to be found in this class of funding targets. So first, I am trying to understand the definition of “individual” as target for grant funding. An individual can work with others, in varying degrees of formality, and usually there will be one or more projects that they’re carrying out. So I am struggling to understand what it means to “fund an individual” in a way that’s distinct from funding organizations and projects. Does it mean “fund an individual, regardless of what they’re working on or who they’re working with?”
Funding individuals implies entrusting them with the discretion to use the funds how they see fit, potentially subject to certain limitations—the ultimate decision-making authority rests with the individual recipient, not an overarching organization. This approach emphasizes evaluating the individual’s attributes, skills, and accomplishments to assess the merit of funding rather than concentrating on the characteristics of the organizations or projects they are associated with (except as far as they serve as indicators of the individual’s suitability as a grantee). (What organizations and projects someone associates themselves with certainly can serve as evidence of the suitability)
Second, I’d like to understand the mechanism by which we expect to get more bang for our buck by doing this. Do we think that individuals need the freedom to discard unpromising projects and collaborators, and guaranteeing them funding regardless helps them find the most promising team and project? Do we think that large collaborations weigh people down? Do we think that by the time a project is well defined and the team is large and formal, there will be other sources of funding, such that the main funding gaps are at an early, fluid, informal stage of organization-forming?
Yes, providing autonomy to skilled and talented individuals is beneficial. Moreover, assessing individuals is often simpler than evaluating larger organizations, especially when one has robust connections within specific fields. Fewer resources are lost to operations and overhead, and it’s easier to observe exactly what the funding impacts. Also, I would suspect the top performers at an institution/organization are often responsible for most of the positive impact. For example, if you want more great musicians, you’d have more success giving money to the very top music school graduates in underprivileged cities or countries rather than just giving money to music education institutions. This also applies to research in technical subjects and even global development (giving money or resources directly to poorer people).
However, this is all a directional claim. Funding organizations is not always an ineffective option (as mentioned, it is particularly effective for legible quantifiable work such as AMF). Still, some of this infrastructure may benefit from private financing, e.g., tuition fees, or the government could establish it as public infrastructure.
So is the idea to prefer funding informal collaborations to formal associations? I remain confused about what exactly we are being advised to prefer and why. I don’t want to come across as being unconstructively negative, so let me elaborate a bit.
A proposal to fund individuals, not projects or organizations, is implying that there’s alpha to be found in this class of funding targets. So first, I am trying to understand the definition of “individual” as target for grant funding. An individual can work with others, in varying degrees of formality, and usually there will be one or more projects that they’re carrying out. So I am struggling to understand what it means to “fund an individual” in a way that’s distinct from funding organizations and projects. Does it mean “fund an individual, regardless of what they’re working on or who they’re working with?”
Second, I’d like to understand the mechanism by which we expect to get more bang for our buck by doing this. Do we think that individuals need the freedom to discard unpromising projects and collaborators, and guaranteeing them funding regardless helps them find the most promising team and project? Do we think that large collaborations weigh people down? Do we think that by the time a project is well defined and the team is large and formal, there will be other sources of funding, such that the main funding gaps are at an early, fluid, informal stage of organization-forming?
I’m open to all these ideas, I would just like the theory of change to be better pinned down.
It’s possible to establish a formal affiliation while preserving independent financing. This is similar to how researchers at educational institutions can secure grants or tenure, thereby maintaining their individual funding.
Funding individuals implies entrusting them with the discretion to use the funds how they see fit, potentially subject to certain limitations—the ultimate decision-making authority rests with the individual recipient, not an overarching organization. This approach emphasizes evaluating the individual’s attributes, skills, and accomplishments to assess the merit of funding rather than concentrating on the characteristics of the organizations or projects they are associated with (except as far as they serve as indicators of the individual’s suitability as a grantee). (What organizations and projects someone associates themselves with certainly can serve as evidence of the suitability)
Yes, providing autonomy to skilled and talented individuals is beneficial. Moreover, assessing individuals is often simpler than evaluating larger organizations, especially when one has robust connections within specific fields. Fewer resources are lost to operations and overhead, and it’s easier to observe exactly what the funding impacts. Also, I would suspect the top performers at an institution/organization are often responsible for most of the positive impact. For example, if you want more great musicians, you’d have more success giving money to the very top music school graduates in underprivileged cities or countries rather than just giving money to music education institutions. This also applies to research in technical subjects and even global development (giving money or resources directly to poorer people).
However, this is all a directional claim. Funding organizations is not always an ineffective option (as mentioned, it is particularly effective for legible quantifiable work such as AMF). Still, some of this infrastructure may benefit from private financing, e.g., tuition fees, or the government could establish it as public infrastructure.