Key People
5TT
Former Executive Director
2018 – present
Appointed Executive Director in 2018; has since left CFAR. Currently Program Manager, AI for Human Reasoning Fellowship at the Future of Life Foundation. Departure year not confirmed.
AC
Andrew CritchFounder
Former Curriculum Developer & Co-founder
2012 – present
Co-founder; departed CFAR (year unknown) to focus on AI safety research. CEO and co-founder of Encultured AI; previously research fellow at MIRI. Confirmed via personal site.
MS
Michael SmithFounder
Senior Instructor & Co-founder
2012 – present
Co-founder; also known as 'Valentine'. Senior Instructor. Confirmed on staff page as of 2026-04-02.
AS
Anna SalamonFounder
President & Chair of Board
2012 – present
Co-founder; served as President and Chair of Board. Former MIRI researcher. Confirmed on staff page as of 2026-04-02.
JG
Julia GalefFounder
President & Co-founder
2012 – 2016
Co-founder; served as President until 2016 when she left to focus on other projects. Confirmed via Wikipedia and multiple sources.
Funding History
5SFF General Support 2021-H1grant2021
$1.2MLed by Survival and Flourishing Fund
Largest single SFF grant to CFAR ($1.207M) in H1 2021. SFF replaced Open Philanthropy as primary funder after 2020, providing $2.15M+ total across 2019-2022.
survivalandflourishing.fundOpen Philanthropy Exit Grant 2020grant2020
$375KLed by Open Philanthropy
Final general support grant from Open Philanthropy, described as a partial exit grant. OP discontinued general support to CFAR after this grant.
openphilanthropy.orgOpen Philanthropy General Support 2018grant2018
$1MLed by Open Philanthropy
2-year renewal grant from Open Philanthropy for general support. OP provided ~$500K/year 2016-2019 then discontinued general support.
openphilanthropy.orgBERI General Support 2018grant2018
$1.1MLed by Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative
~$1.1M from BERI including ~$800K toward down payment on CFAR's permanent Bodega Bay retreat center. Reported in CFAR's 2019 financial overview.
rationality.orgOpen Philanthropy General Support 2016grant2016
$1MLed by Open Philanthropy
2-year grant from Open Philanthropy for general support, organizational competence, scholarships, and SPARC/EuroSPARC programs. Part of OP's ongoing support 2016-2020.
openphilanthropy.orgAll Facts
Financial
Annual Expenses$9.4M202312 pts▶
Net Assets$4.4M202311 pts▶
Organization
People
Background
General
Board Seats
2| Member | Role | Source | Notes | Source check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zvi Mowshowitz | Board Director | rationality.org | Board Director. Confirmed on staff page as of 2026-04-02. | Not checked |
| iaU7x4cgzS | Curriculum Developer & Instructor; Board Director | rationality.org | Active Curriculum Developer & Instructor and Board Director. Confirmed on staff page as of 2026-04-02. | Not checked |
▶Internal Metadata
| ID: | sid_l5K9ZdbXww |
| Stable ID: | sid_l5K9ZdbXww |
| Wiki ID: | E518 |
| Type: | organization |
| YAML Source: | packages/factbase/data/fb-entities/center-for-applied-rationality.yaml |
| Facts: | 42 structured (43 total) |
| Records: | 12 in 3 collections |