Movement Grants: Call for Applications and Introducing Our New Grants Manager
Movement Grants is open for applications
Applications for our 12th round of Movement Grants are open now until October 18, 2026 (5 pm, PT). We are being much more specific about what we will and will not fund this round, so please read the updates below carefully before applying.
If you have already sent us an expression of interest or full application that is still sitting with us, you do not need to do anything. We are reviewing these now, and everyone who submitted one will hear from us either way. If your work has significantly changed in scope since you submitted your expression of interest, you may reach out to us to clarify.
Why we are being more specific
The money available for effective animal advocacy is growing and concentrating at the same time. Some grantmakers are raising their minimum grant sizes, and some are narrowing their mandates to particular species, regions, or intervention types. That is a rational response to scale and it works well for the organizations that fit those specializations. But it leaves a set of things under-funded: the layer below the new grant minimums, the regions where the dominant intervention model does not yet work, the animals who suffer at enormous scale but sit outside most mandates, and the capacity building that determines whether large grants turn into amplified impact or into inefficiencies.
We are restructuring our grantmaking around these margins. This work is ongoing and we will have more to say about it in January 2027. However, it already shapes what kinds of applications we are seeking this round.
What we are looking to fund
- Animals who suffer at scale but almost nobody funds (e.g. aquatic animals, insects and other invertebrates, and wild animals whose suffering intersects with that of humans).
- Africa, which is our emerging-markets focus this round, and Asia.
- Work that makes the movement stronger (including talent development, operational scaling, collaborations with named outputs, strategic gatherings, litigations, and exit or pivot grants for people and organizations changing direction).
- Research and evaluation that changes a decision, where applicants can name who will use the results and what they will do differently because of it.
If your project does not fall into one of these areas (and is not one of the areas in our ‘We will not fund’ list below), we will still be excited to consider it.
What we are not funding this round
- Diet change and meat reduction programs, or standalone corporate campaigns, in any region.
- Alternative protein work, except government and policy work.
- Direct care (e.g. sanctuaries, rescues, veterinary care, and similar).
- Podcasts, documentaries, and public awareness work without a defined audience who will act on it.
- Animal protection focused on biodiversity, conservation, or ecosystem health. We do fund wild animal work justified by the welfare of the animals themselves.
The types of work we will not fund remain important, and this is not a judgment on their value. It reflects where we think ACE can add the most value right now, based on our expertise and on the margin, and where other funders are better placed than we are.
Please apply only if your proposal fits this round’s scope. We recognize the time involved in preparing an application and hope this guidance helps you decide whether to apply. Applications that fall within our “will not fund” list will be declined, and we are unable to provide individual feedback on those decisions.
The full call for applications and a detailed list of what we are seeking to fund this round is on our apply for funding webpage. On that page you’ll also find details about how to apply, and our general timeline for grant decisions.
Introducing Cash Callaghan, our new Grants Manager!
Cash joined us earlier this month as our new Grants Manager, and he will lead this round. If the name is familiar, that is because he has been here before. Cash was an ACE Researcher before spending the past few years with Coefficient Giving’s Farm Animal Welfare team and, more recently, The Humane League’s Open Wing Alliance. He has seen grantmaking from the funder’s side and campaigning from the implementer’s, which is a valuable combination for someone deciding where to disburse funds for maximal impact. We are very grateful to have Cash on our team! Here are a few notes directly from him:
Coming back to ACE after a few years working elsewhere in the movement feels like a homecoming. I’m humbled to be leading this next round of Movement Grants.
I want to thank Elisabeth Ormandy, Eleanor McAree, Jamie Spurgeon, and Marianne van der Werf, along with everyone else who has contributed to Movement Grants over the years, including our committee members. Movement Grants would not be where it is today without them, and I’m inspired by how far it has come with their support.
As ACE’s new Grants Manager, I’m excited to support new and promising organizations and individuals to do their best work for animals. It’s a privilege to meet advocates all over the world and learn how they’re each working to help animals, and to see how their efforts complement one another and fit into the broader movement. Seeing a group win its first victory, the one that proves the approach works and they can do this, evokes a certain feeling of satisfaction and elation. That builds as the next victory comes faster, and the one after that is bigger. What I’m most looking forward to is supporting advocates through challenges, cheering and celebrating their successes, and building collaborative relationships with them over the years that follow.
If you have any questions for our grants team please reach out: grants@animalcharityevaluators.org
Warmly,
Elisabeth
Programs Director
ACE is dedicated to creating a world where all animals can thrive, regardless of their species. We take the guesswork out of supporting animal advocacy by directing funds toward the most impactful charities and programs, based on evidence and research.
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