Much e-ink was spilled on the challenge of making progress on the technical AI alignment problem without accelerating capability progress as a by-product. To navigate this tension in our work in CORAL, I came up with some ideas that required additional funding. However, all 3 grant applications (to 3 different funds) I submitted for these ideas were rejected. (Cannot disclose further details.) I also received zero feedback from the grantmakers. While it is entirely possible that this is a problem specific to my grant applications, I can't help but wonder about the apparent disconnect between the perceived importance of the dual-use problem in the community, and the grantmakers' disinterest in ameliorating it.