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← BERKELEY EXISTENTIAL RISK INITIATIVE

Form 990 for tax year 2024

Filed by BERKELEY EXISTENTIAL RISK INITIATIVE.

Totals

Total revenue
$5,758,271
Total expenses
$7,565,461
Contributions and grants received
$4,943,622
Grants paid
$2,541,655
Program service revenue
$673,250
Investment income
$132,996
Other revenue
$8,403
Total assets, end of year
$4,546,512
Total liabilities, end of year
$237,080
Net assets or fund balances, end of year
$4,309,432
Program services expenses (Part IX)
$7,148,128
Management and general expenses
$413,157
Fundraising expenses
$4,176
Program service expenses (Part III)
$7,148,128

Program services were 94.5% of total expenses calculated — Part IX's program-services column over total expenses, both as filed.

Line items

Every line the filer filed in Parts VIII, IX and X, as filed and in filed order. Blank columns are left out, and the lines are not forced to add up to the totals above.

Revenue

Part VIII, the statement of revenue.

  • 1f · All other contributions, gifts and grants

    $4,943,622

  • 2a · Program service revenue: PROGRAM SERVICES

    total $673,250 · related or exempt $673,250

  • 3 · Investment income

    total $132,996 · excluded $132,996

  • 11a · Other revenue: MISCELLANEOUS INCOME

    total $8,403 · related or exempt $8,403

  • 11e · Other revenue, total

    $8,403

Functional expenses

Part IX, the statement of functional expenses.

  • 1 · Grants to domestic organizations and governments

    total $2,062,055 · program services $2,062,055

  • 2 · Grants to domestic individuals

    total $193,600 · program services $193,600

  • 3 · Grants to foreign organizations and individuals

    total $286,000 · program services $286,000

  • 4 · Benefits paid to or for members

    total $0

  • 5 · Compensation of officers, directors and key employees

    total $691,839 · program services $546,448 · management and general $143,317 · fundraising $2,074

  • 6 · Compensation of disqualified persons

    total $0

  • 7 · Other salaries and wages

    total $654,899 · program services $515,896 · management and general $136,901 · fundraising $2,102

  • 8 · Pension plan contributions

    total $919 · program services $753 · management and general $166

  • 9 · Other employee benefits

    total $66,895 · program services $54,826 · management and general $12,069

  • 10 · Payroll taxes

    total $98,965 · program services $78,384 · management and general $20,581

  • 11a · Fees: management

    total $0

  • 11b · Fees: legal

    total $38,639 · program services $37,430 · management and general $1,209

  • 11c · Fees: accounting

    total $32,320 · program services $31,309 · management and general $1,011

  • 11d · Fees: lobbying

    total $0

  • 11f · Fees: investment management

    total $0

  • 11g · Fees: other

    total $1,253,006 · program services $1,213,800 · management and general $39,206

  • 12 · Advertising and promotion

    total $19,638 · program services $19,638

  • 13 · Office expenses

    total $63,544 · program services $60,866 · management and general $2,678

  • 14 · Information technology

    total $287,196 · program services $281,387 · management and general $5,809

  • 15 · Royalties

    total $0

  • 16 · Occupancy

    total $264,532 · program services $260,862 · management and general $3,670

  • 17 · Travel

    total $1,195,984 · program services $1,183,119 · management and general $12,865

  • 18 · Travel or entertainment for public officials

    total $0

  • 19 · Conferences, conventions and meetings

    total $147,484 · program services $144,277 · management and general $3,207

  • 20 · Interest

    total $0

  • 21 · Payments to affiliates

    total $0

  • 22 · Depreciation, depletion and amortization

    total $174,545 · program services $174,545

  • 23 · Insurance

    total $13,959 · management and general $13,959

  • 24a · Other expenses: HONORARIA

    total $2,933 · program services $2,933

  • 24b · Other expenses: RETURN OF GRANT

    total $16,509 · management and general $16,509

  • 24e · All other expenses

    total $0

Balance sheet

Part X, book values.

  • 1 · Cash, non-interest-bearing

    beginning of year $1,163,772 · end of year $1,467,103

  • 2 · Savings and temporary cash investments

    beginning of year $4,794,710 · end of year $2,239,381

  • 4 · Accounts receivable

    beginning of year $53,197 · end of year $391,591

  • 9 · Prepaid expenses and deferred charges

    beginning of year $421,888 · end of year $62,534

  • 10a · Land, buildings and equipment: cost or other basis

    $708,508

  • 10b · Land, buildings and equipment: accumulated depreciation

    $322,605

  • 10c · Land, buildings and equipment, net

    beginning of year $558,739 · end of year $385,903

  • 17 · Accounts payable and accrued expenses

    beginning of year $875,684 · end of year $237,080

  • 27 · Net assets without donor restrictions

    beginning of year $697,155 · end of year $891,498

  • 28 · Net assets with donor restrictions

    beginning of year $5,419,467 · end of year $3,417,934

Mission and programs · 2024

Mission

TO IMPROVE HUMAN CIVILIZATIONS LONG-TERM PROSPECTS FOR SURVIVAL AND FLOURISHING. CURRENTLY, OUR MAIN STRATEGY IS COLLABORATING WITH UNIVERSITY RESEARCH GROUPS WORKING TO REDUCE EXISTENTIAL RISK, BY PROVIDING THEM WITH FREE SERVICES AND SUPPORT.

Activities or mission (Part I)

TO IMPROVE HUMAN CIVILIZATIONS LONG-TERM PROSPECTS FOR SURVIVAL AND FLOURISHING.

  • THE ML ALIGNMENT THEORY SCHOLARS MATS IS AN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL SEMINAR PROGRAM THAT CONNECTS TALENTED SCHOLARS WITH TOP MENTORS IN THE FIELDS OF AI ALIGNMENT, INTERPRETABILITY, AND GOVERNANCE. FOR 10 WEEKS, MATS SCHOLARS CONDUCT RESEARCH WHILE ALSO ATTENDING TALKS, WORKSHOPS, AND NETWORKING EVENTS WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BERKELEY ALIGNMENT RESEARCH COMMUNITY.

    Expenses $3,219,325 · Grants $1,633,000

  • UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONS MAIN WE COLLABORATED WITH RESEARCH GROUPS AT UC BERKELEY, MIT, THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE, UMASS AMHERST, STANFORD, AND PRINCETON, PROVIDING SERVICES FREE-OF-CHARGE TO SUPPORT THE FIELD OF EXISTENTIAL RISK REDUCTION.

    Expenses $3,732,201 · Grants $854,055

  • UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONS TRIAL SIMILAR TO OUR MAIN COLLABORATIONS PROGRAM, BUT SMALLER, MORE EXPLORATORY, AND WITH A WIDER VARIETY OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH GROUPS.

    Expenses $196,602 · Grants $54,600

As filed on the 2024 return.

Listed in Part VII

  • ANTHONY BARRETT

    SENIOR POLICY ANALYST

    Total calculated
    $231,046
    From this org
    $212,734
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $18,312
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $212,733
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    not reported
    Nontaxable benefits
    $18,312
    Filer's total
    $231,045

  • IAN BAKER

    MACHINE LEARNING ENGINEER

    Total calculated
    $170,830
    From this org
    $155,625
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $15,205
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $155,625
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    not reported
    Nontaxable benefits
    $15,205
    Filer's total
    $170,830

  • SAWYER BERNATH

    SECRETARY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $160,308
    From this org
    $150,352
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $9,956
    Hours/week
    40

    Schedule J breakdown matched by us

    Base
    $150,352
    Bonus
    not reported
    Other
    not reported
    Deferred
    not reported
    Nontaxable benefits
    $9,956
    Filer's total
    $160,308

  • ELIZABETH COOPER

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

    Total calculated
    $129,655
    From this org
    $127,500
    From related orgs
    $0
    Other
    $2,155
    Hours/week
    40

  • ANDREW CRITCH

    BOARD CHAIR, PRESIDENT

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

  • CHARLES JESS RIEDEL

    BOARD MEMBER, TREASURER

    Total calculated
    $0
    Hours/week
    1

Compensation is as filed in Part VII: reportable pay from this organization and from related organizations, other compensation, and hours per week. The total, marked calculated, is our sum of the three dollar columns, with a blank column counted as $0; the form itself has no total. On a Form 990-EZ the columns are Part IV's instead, and on a Form 990-PF Part VIII's — compensation, contributions to benefit plans, and expense account — and the total sums those. A Schedule J breakdown is as filed: base pay, bonus, other, deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits from this organization, with any from related organizations beside each, and the filer's own total. It is shown with the Part VII listing of the same name on the same return. The form gives no key between the two, so that pairing is ours, and is marked matched by us.

Schedule J

Answered yes

  • 3 · Approval by the board or compensation committee

Answered no

  • 4a · Severance or change-of-control payment
  • 4b · Supplemental nonqualified retirement plan
  • 4c · Equity-based compensation arrangement
  • 5a · Pay contingent on this organization's revenues
  • 5b · Pay contingent on a related organization's revenues
  • 6a · Pay contingent on this organization's net earnings
  • 6b · Pay contingent on a related organization's net earnings
  • 7 · Other non-fixed payments
  • 8 · Paid under the initial-contract exception

Part I's answers as filed. A line not listed was left unanswered; on lines 1a and 3 that means the box was not checked.

Grants on this return

Provenance

Return type
form_990
Tax year
2024
Filed
27 January 2026
IRS schema version
2024v5.2
Source object
202630279349301778

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