---
title: "The Optimal Restriction"
number: 8
statement: "When does restricting a gift help, and when does it harm?"
progress: "Evidence from natural experiments or trials on how restriction affects outcomes, including the conditions under which each kind of funding works better."
conditions: ["restriction-reflex"]
status: open
bounty: "Unfunded. The Question Bounties program will attach prizes once it is funded."
---

## Why it matters

The case for unrestricted funding is strong but mostly built on surveys of what charities prefer. A science of giving needs outcome evidence, including any cases where restriction does better.

## Where to start

Large shifts toward unrestricted giving, such as funders that relaxed restrictions in 2020, are natural experiments. Comparing grantee outcomes before and after is a feasible first study.