The Free Press · October 2026 · By Tyler Cowen
Coefficient Giving Set to Spend Over $2 Billion This Year
- The term "effective altruism" was first given its name in 2011.
- Cowen writes that Coefficient Giving, an EA-aligned philanthropy, is set to spend more than $2 billion of its $40 billion fund this year — which he says would exceed the Ford, Rockefeller, and Walton foundations combined.
- The Economist recently called effective altruism "this century's biggest idea," per the author.
Figures and the Economist line as stated by the author in the original report. Original headline: "In Defense of Effective Altruism".
Removed: the author's judgments about the movement's importance and influence, his characterization of press coverage, and his philosophical defense of utilitarianism.