707. How to Break Philanthropy Out of Hypothesis Mode - Casey Lardner
Listen to this episode
About This Episode
Is philanthropy stuck in hypothesis mode?
In science, there are two kinds of research: hypothesis-driven, where you predict the outcome before you run the experiment, and exploratory, where you map the landscape and stay open to what you find. The biggest breakthroughs almost always come from the second.
Meet Casey Lardner 👋 She is a neuroscientist and the Executive Director of Genspace, the world's first community biology lab in Brooklyn, New York. Part biology lab, part design studio, part classroom, part community space, Genspace has been opening the doors of science to artists, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, and curious humans since 2009.
In this episode, you'll hear:
Why philanthropy is stuck in hypothesis mode and what the sector is missing because of it
Why uncertainty isn't a problem to solve. It's the work.
How to lead your organization with the curiosity and rigor of a scientist
Episode highlights:
Meet Casey Lardner (0:37)
What Genspace is: lab, classroom, studio, community (8:16)
Hypothesis-driven vs. exploratory science: the difference (10:00)
What hypothesis-driven philanthropy is costing the sector (11:09)
Who carries the risk of uncertainty? (15:00)
How Genspace secures exploratory investment from funders (17:52)
How to start thinking like a scientist as a nonprofit leader (20:59)
Casey’s One Good Thing: Curiosity as a habit of mind (26:32)
Meet Casey: The Neuroscientist Running the World's First Community Biology Lab
Casey Lardner has a PhD in molecular neuroscience and has spent her career at the intersection of science, education, and community. She first found Genspace as a participant in 2020, began volunteering, launched mentoring programs, became the lab manager in 2023, and was named Executive Director two years ago. Casey believes deeply that science is for everyone, that curiosity is a civic responsibility, and that the way we fund discovery in philanthropy has something important to learn from the way science funds discovery in the lab.
Genspace is the world's first community biology lab. Founded in 2009 in a living room as part of the broader DIY biology movement, it has been located in Sunset Park, South Brooklyn since 2017. It is part biology lab, part design studio, part classroom, and part community space, and it has been opening the doors of science to artists, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, and curious humans of all kinds for 16 years.
Powerful Quotes
"It's a discomfort with uncertainty. But if we are going to continue to lean into doing hard work, the uncertainty is there. Who is responsible for carrying it? Are we sharing the risk of something going wrong together?" -Casey
"If you are working on an important problem, you should not know the answer. And that is not a fun feeling, but it means you are doing something right." -Casey
"If we're already building towards what we think is going to happen, and we're beholden to those outcomes with 100% certainty, then we're not looking at the landscape as a whole." -Casey
"Are you really aiming for a specific outcome, or are you trying to create conditions that can lead to a range of outcomes? I think those might actually be different things." -Casey
"You have to move away from perfection. You have to move away from the right thing to do." -Casey
"Community biology is civic infrastructure." -Casey
"Curiosity is the connective tissue that not only brings us together, but it brings big ideas together. It brings solutions, it brings opportunity." -Becky
Connect with Casey + Genspace
Connect with Jon McCoy
Connect with Becky Endicott
Come join us in the We Are For Good Community!
Join fellow changemakers, share takeaways from this episode, and keep collaborating in a space built for connection, inspiration, and real impact: www.weareforgoodcommunity.com
Say hi👇
LinkedIn / Instagram / Facebook / YouTube
