Sam Bankman-Fried's Charitable Empire Included Hundreds of Millions to EA Institutions — Inside Philanthropy (2023)

web

Inside Philanthropy·insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023/4/7/sam-bankman-frieds-c...

Credibility Rating

3/5

Good(3)

Good quality. Reputable source with community review or editorial standards, but less rigorous than peer-reviewed venues.

Rating inherited from publication venue: Inside Philanthropy

Relevant background for understanding how the FTX/SBF scandal affected AI safety funding and the Effective Altruism ecosystem; useful context for discussions of funding concentration and governance risks in AI safety philanthropy.

Metadata

Importance: 42/100news articlenews

Summary

This Inside Philanthropy article examines the scale and scope of Sam Bankman-Fried's philanthropic giving to Effective Altruism institutions before the FTX collapse, documenting hundreds of millions of dollars directed toward EA-aligned causes. It analyzes how FTX-linked funds flowed through organizations like the FTX Future Fund and EA-affiliated nonprofits, and reflects on the reputational and financial fallout for the broader EA and AI safety funding ecosystem.

Key Points

•SBF and FTX donated hundreds of millions to EA-aligned institutions, including AI safety organizations, before the exchange's collapse in late 2022.
•The FTX Future Fund was a major EA-affiliated grantmaking vehicle that rapidly distributed large sums to longtermist and AI safety causes.
•The collapse of FTX caused significant reputational damage to EA as a movement and disrupted funding pipelines for AI safety research.
•Many EA and AI safety organizations received FTX-linked funds and faced scrutiny about their due diligence and entanglement with a fraudulent enterprise.
•The episode raised broader questions about concentration of philanthropic funding in AI safety and the risks of over-reliance on single wealthy donors.

Cited by 1 page

Page	Type	Quality
EA and Longtermist Wins and Losses	--	53.0

Cached Content Preview

HTTP 200Fetched Mar 20, 20267 KB

[Login](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/account-page) [Find a Grant](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant) [Subscribe](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/membership) [Newsletter](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/newsletter)

- [Skip to main content](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023-4-7-sam-bankman-frieds-charitable-empire-included-hundreds-of-millions-to-ea-institutions#genesis-content)
- [Skip to secondary menu](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023-4-7-sam-bankman-frieds-charitable-empire-included-hundreds-of-millions-to-ea-institutions#genesis-mobile-nav-secondary)
- [Skip to footer](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2023-4-7-sam-bankman-frieds-charitable-empire-included-hundreds-of-millions-to-ea-institutions#genesis-footer-widgets)

Menu

You are here: [Home](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/)/ Not found:

|     |     |
| --- | --- |
| # Oops!<br>This is not the page you’re looking for (obviously).<br>Sorry about that. And as much as you might like<br>to lounge around here, let’s get you back to work.<br>- [**Home Page**](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/)<br>- [**GrantFinder – to research funders**](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant)<br>- [**Help**](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/help)<br>- [**Subscribe**](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/subscribe) | ![beach](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/beach-1641791_1280.jpg) |

## Recent Articles

- ![](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/shutterstock_1786145444-150x150.jpg)
[How to Stop the Antichrist on $4 Million a Year: What Peter Thiel Funds](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/how-to-stop-the-antichrist-on-4-million-a-year-what-peter-thiel-funds)

March 19, 2026



What nonprofit causes does Thiel, who wants to convince other billionaires to abandon the Giving Pledge, actually support?

- ![](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Michele-Jawando_Omidyar-e1773946218595-150x150.jpg)
[5 Things to Know About Michele L. Jawando, Omidyar Network’s New CEO](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/5-things-to-know-about-michele-l-jawando-omidyar-networks-new-ceo)

March 19, 2026



Jawando brings a strong background in tech, public policy, philanthropy and the law. She will focus on making AI more inclusive.

- ![](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/shutterstock_2489450877-150x150.jpg)
[New Gene Therapy Trial Moves Forward Thanks to Chan Zuckerberg Initiative](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/new-gene-therapy-trial-moves-forward-thanks-to-chan-zuckerberg-initiative)

March 19, 2026



Backing from CZI’s Rare As One and CZI Ventures led to a first in the push to treat FOXG1.

- ![](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/shutterstock_2541324995-150x150.jpg)
[Foundations Mobilize to Protect the 2026 Elections](https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/foundations-mobilize-to-protect-the-2026-elections)

M

... (truncated, 7 KB total)

Resource ID: e9a34a985bad84de | Stable ID: sid_LqH8qJncqz