Published on January 3rd 2024
Letting go of linear goals has changed my life. So, to celebrate my birthday, I’m giving away $3400 to help 4 people become scientists of their own life.
Tell me about an experiment you want to run, where $850 would help make it happen. This could allow you to take time off work to conduct interviews for a video series or an independent research paper, to cover travel costs to visit a lab and document what you learn, to purchase supplies to create a piece of art, etc.
The format could be a collection of essays, a podcast miniseries, a research paper, a simple web app, a series of illustrations or video, an in-person conference… To maximize positive impact, there would ideally be some form of artifact people can consume at scale.
I’m particularly interested in anything that can help us make the most of the human mind, individually and as a species. Potential themes include: creativity, consciousness, mind-expanding technologies, collective intelligence, mental health, knowledge management.
However, I’m open to any theme that would make a positive impact on your career, your local community, or the world at large, so don’t let these suggestions limit your imagination.
You can be located anywhere I can send US dollars via a bank transfer (IBAN/SWIFT). I won’t use PayPal.
The proposal should be appropriately sized to a $850 grant and its impact. To apply, please fill this form by January 31, 2024 [note: applications are now closed and grant recipients will be announced on February 8th, 2024 in the newsletter].
— Anne-Laure.
P.S. This initiative is inspired by other microgrants such as Emergent Ventures, Then Do Better, and Helium Grants. In particular, I pulled some questions in the form from the Then Do Better grant application. This is my first time doing something like this so I’m probably missing some important points. I’ll update this page with any new information.