Announcing the Charities Under Evaluation in 2026

Vince Mak

June 17, 2026

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6 minute read

Each year, Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) invites animal charities from around the world to apply for an in-depth evaluation with the goal of identifying the most impactful giving opportunities for donors seeking to contribute to meaningful, large-scale improvements for animals. We are thrilled to announce that six charities have been selected for this year’s charity evaluations, based on their excellent applications and the highly promising nature of their work.

Among the six, four are current Recommended Charities being re-evaluated before their two-year recommendation status expires¹ : Aquatic Life Institute, Çiftlik Hayvanlarını Koruma Derneği, Dansk Vegetarisk Forening, and Sinergia Animal. On November 10, 2026, we will share which of these charities has earned ACE’s two-year recommendation status.

Each of these charities has undergone a thorough selection process and has demonstrated significant potential in running cost-effective programs and engaging in impactful work. Even those that are not ultimately recommended are likely among the most effective in their respective areas. Below, we give an overview of our selection process and introduce the six charities that have successfully reached the evaluation stage this year.

Our Selection Process

We began with an initial assessment of applicants’ programs, with a focus on their theory of change and the scale of their impact for animals. This ensures that we dedicate our resources to organizations with high potential to be among the most impactful giving opportunities.

Our selection process began with an initial eligibility screening, which 28 charities passed. These charities then underwent a detailed assessment in which our team members evaluated their theory of change and created rough “back-of-the-envelope calculation” (BOTEC) cost-effectiveness estimates of their main programs.

See below for a more detailed look at the key selection stages.

Invitations

We began with a broad reach, publishing an open call for applications that all animal charities can respond to. At the same time, we proactively invite charities that we have reason to believe are promising and/or were recommended by experts.

Eligibility screening

Charities that start the process are screened based on our eligibility criteria. This includes ensuring the charity targets the most numerous animal groups (i.e., farmed or wild animals) and meets a minimum revenue threshold as a proxy for their ability to effectively absorb and use the funding that an ACE recommendation helps generate. Most charities are eliminated at this stage, where we narrow our focus to organizations that are both aligned with our mission and operationally ready for a potential influx of funding. This year, 28 charities met the eligibility requirements and proceeded past the initial screening.

In-depth questions

Charities are then asked to provide more detailed information about their main programs, top goals for the future, and their approach to monitoring their own impact. This includes understanding what data they collect and how they use it, which is vital both to have enough information for our assessment and because we believe robust monitoring is key to effective programs.

Researcher assessment

Next, our team thoroughly assesses each charity’s responses, including conducting detailed background research. We focus on the organization’s theory of change, evaluating the logic, reasoning, and evidence underpinning their approach. We also begin to estimate the potential scale of the charity’s impact. Discussion follows, particularly focusing on organizations where there are significant disagreements or where scores suggest they are borderline candidates.

Follow-up questions and clarification

We often have follow-up questions for charities. These are crucial for clarifying specific points in their application or addressing any significant “cruxes” (i.e., pivotal questions or uncertainties) that our team needs input on before deciding whether to proceed with a full evaluation.

Final decision

We make the final decision using a STAR vote approach, where each team member assigns 0-5 stars to each charity, which is then transformed into an overall ranking. Through this process and subsequent final discussion, we agree on the final list via consensus.

Selected Charities

We are proud to announce the six charities that have successfully passed this rigorous process and have advanced to the evaluation stage for 2026.

Aquatic Life Institute

Aquatic Life Institute (ALI), a U.S.-based organization with international reach, strives to alleviate the suffering of trillions of farmed and wild aquatic animals caught in the global seafood system. ALI achieves this by advocating for improved certification standards, influencing corporate practices, and shaping government policies. ALI’s efforts, amplified by the collective power of its coalition of over 190 dedicated member organizations from 75 countries, aim to create a more humane world for aquatic life.

Çiftlik Hayvanlarını Koruma Derneği

Çiftlik Hayvanlarını Koruma Derneği (CHKD), also known as Kafessiz Türkiye, is a Turkish organization that is primarily dedicated to improving farmed animal welfare standards—in particular, farmed chickens and fishes. They achieve this through corporate outreach, individual outreach, and media outreach. They also engage in research, education, and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen the animal advocacy movement.

Crustacean Compassion

Crustacean Compassion is a U.K. organization working to improve the welfare of decapod crustaceans through policy advocacy, corporate engagement, public education, and industry accountability. They advocate for stronger legal protections while also transitioning retailers, restaurants, and seafood suppliers to adopt improved welfare practices. In addition, the charity publishes benchmarking and awareness materials designed to increase transparency within seafood supply chains, and expand public concern for aquatic invertebrates. This institutional and systems-focused approach aims to create large-scale and durable welfare improvements for a group of highly neglected animals.

Dansk Vegetarisk Forening

Dansk Vegetarisk Forening (DVF) is a Danish organization dedicated to increasing the availability of animal-free products, strengthening the animal advocacy movement, and reducing animal product consumption. DVF specifically engages in policy work to advance plant-based foods and make government funding available for the plant-based sector, as well as corporate and institutional outreach to food companies to normalize plant-based foods. Internationally, they engage in capacity-building in plant-based policy work and work with Danish farmers, politicians, embassy officials, and other stakeholders to inspire their peers in other countries. They aim to normalize plant-based political action and mobilize plant-based funding across the EU and globally.

Greener by Default

Greener by Default accelerates large-scale shifts from animal to plant-based protein by partnering with major foodservice operators to make plant-forward dining the norm in the United States. By blending behavioral science with hands-on culinary expertise, they empower institutions to implement subtle, evidence-based nudges that make plant-based options the easy and delicious choice for diners.

Sinergia Animal

Sinergia Animal operates in Indonesia, Thailand, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. They work to improve farmed animal welfare standards, increase the availability of animal-free products, decrease the consumption of animal products, and strengthen the animal advocacy movement. Sinergia Animal engages in corporate outreach to secure animal welfare commitments from major food companies. They also engage in investor and media outreach, policy work, investigations, individual and producer outreach, institutional outreach, and research.

We will be spending the coming months working closely with these six charities on evaluation. Full recommendations will be published on November 10, 2026. Huge thanks to all applicants whose participation makes this possible!

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A donation to support ACE’s work, charity evaluations, and grantmaking is a great way to increase your impact and influence more people to help animals effectively.

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Good Food Fund is another charity whose recommendation status expires in 2026. We elected not to evaluate them this year, partially because of a change in our data and evidence requirements toward more measurable shifts in outcomes for charities that work in unpredictable environments. They will still receive one more Recommended Charity Fund distribution in August 2026.

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About Vince Mak

Vince primarily focuses on planning, executing, and improving ACE charity evaluations and recommendations. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and enjoys optimizing processes, analytical decision making, and building relationships in support of ACE’s mission.

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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Announcing the Charities Under Evaluation in 2026

Our Selection Process