Project summary

EA Global London is a critical gathering point for the AI governance and safety community and a key opportunity to build relationships that directly inform Hokmah's work on democratic AI oversight. I applied for travel funding through BlueDot Rapid Grant and EA Global directly both were unable to support my travel expenses.

What are this project's goals? How will you achieve them?

EA Global London is where the AI governance and safety field convenes. My goal is to show up as a practitioner with a developed theory of change.

Specifically I will:

• Meet with researchers, funders, and practitioners working on democratic AI oversight and governance capacity. This is the field that my TOC Hokmah is working.

• Gather intelligence on where constituency-building work is most needed and least resourced

• Identify potential collaborators and aligned funders for Hokmah

• Bring back concrete insights to my weekly AI governance research study group

How will this funding be used?

I applied for travel support through both BlueDot Rapid Grants and EA Global and both were unable to fund my attendance. Registration for the conference is already paid out of pocket.

Due to current global conflict and resulting airfare volatility, transatlantic ticket prices have risen significantly. The current DC to London round trip is $1,327.

• Airfare (DC → London, round trip): $1,327

• Hotel (3 nights x ~$200 + tax): ~$690

• Incidentals/local transport: ~$183

• Total: $2,200

Every dollar goes directly to attending EA Global London.
Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?

This is a solo travel request. I am Karen Maria Alston, a DC-based strategist and founder with 20+ years building strategic narratives, high-trust communities across sectors and ideologies.

I came to AI governance through a deliberate path, AI2027, BlueDot Impact AI Safety Fundamentals cohort, Centre for Effective Altruism Career Bootcamp (priority tier), Successif Career Fellowship, and 80,000 Hours career advising. I attend and actively participate in the weekly Blue Dot AI governance research study group. I am the founder of Hokmah, an AI governance organization focused on closing the gap between where AI policy is made and the communities most affected by it. wearehokmah.org

I have been accepted to EA Global and I am at the stage where being in the room matters.

What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?

If this travel request is not funded, I will be unable to attend EA Global London due to cost. The most likely outcome is a significant delay in building the field relationships that Hokmah's early-stage development needs.

EA Global London is the primary gathering of aligned researchers, funders, and practitioners in the AI governance and safety space this spring. The next comparable opportunity would be EA Global New York, pushing critical relationship-building and potential funding conversations back by several months which is a meaningful gap given the pace of AI deployment and policy development. The work will continue however the timing matters.

How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?

None.