About EGTF

Our Mission

The Existential Global Threat Foundation exists to anticipate, analyze, and help prevent the most severe risks facing humanity — those with the potential to cause irreversible, civilization-scale harm. We operate as an independent, non-partisan research and policy organization, unbeholden to any government, industry, or ideological interest.

We believe rigorous science, honest risk assessment, and sustained engagement with policy institutions are essential tools in safeguarding the future. Our work is defined by methodological rigor, intellectual honesty, and a commitment to communicating complex risk in terms decision-makers can act upon.

History

EGTF was founded in 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland, by a group of researchers, policy analysts, and former diplomats who recognized that the international community lacked a dedicated institution focused on the full spectrum of global catastrophic risks. Where existing institutions addressed individual threats in isolation — nuclear nonproliferation, pandemic preparedness, or climate change separately — EGTF was designed to study these threats holistically, examining their interactions and compounding effects.

In its early years, the Foundation built a reputation for rigorous, evidence-based analysis that was independent of political pressure. A landmark 2011 report on biosecurity vulnerabilities in the international health governance system anticipated many of the structural failures that became evident during subsequent disease outbreaks. The Foundation's climate-nuclear cascade risk framework, published in 2016, has since been cited by academic and policy institutions worldwide.

Over 18 years, EGTF has grown from a small founding team to a full research institution with programs spanning six major threat domains, and has established collaborative relationships with governmental bodies, intergovernmental organizations, and leading academic institutions across four continents.

Independence & Funding

EGTF does not accept funding from governments, defense contractors, or partisan political organizations. Our operating budget is drawn from philanthropic foundations, academic partnerships, and individual donors committed to independent research on long-term risk. We publish our annual financial disclosures to maintain full transparency with our stakeholders.

Our Approach

We combine three complementary methodologies: systematic horizon scanning to identify emerging threats before they become crises; deep technical and scientific analysis conducted by domain specialists; and structured policy translation that connects scientific findings to actionable governance recommendations.

Critically, EGTF takes an integrated approach to risk. Global catastrophic threats rarely operate in isolation. Climate disruption erodes institutional capacity; institutional fragility increases nuclear accident risk; biosecurity failures open pathways for engineered threats. Our cross-domain research program is designed specifically to model these interactions.

Governance

EGTF is governed by an independent Board of Directors drawn from academia, international law, science, and diplomacy. Day-to-day operations are led by the Director General, supported by research program directors and an operational staff based in Geneva. An External Scientific Advisory Board provides peer review and strategic guidance on research priorities.