Top Charities
ACE’s Top Charities work in ways that are most likely to produce the greatest gains for animals, actively evaluate and improve their programs, and have a demonstrated need for more funding. We promote them as our top giving opportunities and as excellent examples of effective advocacy.
Faunalytics
Faunalytics is a U.S.-based organization working to connect animal advocates with information relevant to advocacy. This mostly involves cоnducting and publishing independent research, working directly with partner organizations on various research projects, and promoting existing research and data for individual advocates through their website’s content library. Faunalytics was one of our Standout Charities from December 2015 to November 2021.
Click “Donate” button below to make a donation to Faunalytics. Be sure to select “Faunalytics” after you enter your payment information.
The Humane League
The Humane League (THL) currently operates in the U.S., Mexico, the U.K., and Japan, where they work to improve animal welfare standards through grassroots campaigns, movement building, veg*n advocacy, research, and advocacy training, as well as through corporate, media, and community outreach. They work to build the animal advocacy movement internationally through the Open Wing Alliance (OWA), a coalition founded by THL whose mission is to end the use of battery cages globally. THL has been an ACE Top Charity since August 2012.
Click “Donate” button below to make a donation to The Humane League. Be sure to select “The Humane League” after you enter your payment information.
Wild Animal Initiative
Wild Animal Initiative (WAI) currently operates in the U.S., where they work to strengthen the animal advocacy movement through creating an academic field dedicated to wild animal welfare. They compile literature reviews, write theoretical and opinion articles, and publish research results on their website and/or in peer-reviewed journals. WAI focuses on identifying and sharing possible research avenues and connecting with more established fields. They also work with researchers from various academic and non-academic institutions to identify potential collaborators, and they recently launched a grant assistance program. Wild Animal Initiative has been one of ACE’s Top Charities since November 2020.
Click “Donate” button below to make a donation to Wild Animal Initiative. Be sure to select “Wild Animal Initiative” after you enter your payment information.
Standout Charities
ACE’s Standout Charities conduct strong work on behalf of animals in ways that could potentially affect large numbers of animals. We feel confident in the quality of their work, but for one reason or another we did not select them for a Top Charity recommendation.
Anima International, last reviewed in 2020, works to improve welfare standards for farmed animals through corporate outreach, investigations, legislative work, and media outreach, primarily in Eastern Europe. They also work to increase the availability of animal-free products by conducting research, hosting events, and supporting the alternative protein industry. In addition, Anima International works to strengthen the animal advocacy movement through organizing community outreach, training advocates, supporting other organizations, and advancing the field of animal law. Read Review.
Compassion USA is a branch of the international organization Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), which works to improve farmed animal welfare and end all factory farming practices. Compassion USA engages in corporate outreach to encourage food companies to implement improved animal welfare policies, especially for farmed chickens. They run a public engagement program to encourage greater consumer awareness of animal welfare issues, and they also offer resources to encourage individuals to reduce their consumption of animal products. Compassion USA has been one of our Standout Charities since November 2017. Read Review.
Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) is the only international Buddhist animal rights organization in the world. The majority of their work takes place in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and the U.S., but they also work in Germany, Brazil, Finland, Myanmar, and Australia. DVA’s programs align with specific contexts and priorities in the countries where they work. Many of their programs focus on diet change, however, they also lobby for animal welfare legislation, provide veterinary care, and work with restaurant owners to encourage them to transition their businesses to veganism. Read Review.
Essere Animali, last reviewed in 2020, works in Italy to improve animal welfare standards through undercover investigations, corporate campaigns, legal actions, and media outreach. They work to influence individuals to decrease their consumption of animal products through pledge programs, leafleting, social media, online ads, and by running an institutional campaign to reduce animal product consumption. They also work to strengthen the animal advocacy movement by using undercover investigations of animal farms to develop legal actions and corporate campaigns, and by organizing veg fests. Read Review.
Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) is an Indian organization primarily dedicated to reducing the suffering of farmed animals. To a lesser extent, they also work to help companion animals and animals used for entertainment. Their work focuses on improving animal welfare standards, strengthening the animal advocacy movement, increasing the availability of animal-free products, influencing legislation change, and providing direct help and veterinary care to animals. They also run a veg*n pledge program to encourage individuals to decrease their consumption of animal products. FIAPO has been one of our Standout Charities since November 2019. Read Review.
Good Food Fund (GFF), last reviewed in 2020, operates in China, where they host an annual summit (The Good Food Summit) and other events about dietary transformation. GFF also works to increase the availability of animal-free products through hosting events to promote plant-based products and diets among chefs, institutional food services, and the public. Read Review.
Material Innovation Initiative (MII) works to reduce the suffering of farmed animals by increasing the availability of animal-free products and strengthening the animal advocacy movement. They produce research on animal-free alternatives to existing materials used in the fashion, automotive, and homegoods industries, and they work with investors, corporations, and entrepreneurs to support the development of new products and production processes. They also host events, such as conferences, to create opportunities for the development of new networks. Read Review.
Mercy For Animals (MFA) develops their programs in the U.S., Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, India, and Mexico. Their headquarters are in the U.S. MFA’s work focuses on strengthening the animal advocacy movement and improving animal welfare standards, as well as decreasing the consumption of animal products and increasing the availability of animal-free products. They engage in a variety of farmed animal advocacy programs, often involving the distribution of footage from their undercover investigations of factory farms, which they primarily promote via media and online campaigns. MFA also engages in corporate and institutional outreach, research, lobbying, and policy work. They recruit and train volunteers in several countries, and also support farmers to transition away from animal agriculture. Read Review.
New Harvest funds research in cellular agriculture, i.e., the development of animal products using cells instead of animals. Through grant programs, they fund graduate and postdoctoral research projects in the field of cellular agriculture, as well as undergraduate and master-level projects for researchers-in-training. They also carry out public engagement and community-building activities via their podcast, blog, research publications, and research summaries. Read Review.
Sinergia Animal, last reviewed in 2020, is a Brazilian organization that operates in Latin America and Southeast Asia. They engage in corporate outreach with the goal of reducing animal suffering and decreasing the consumption of animal products. They focus especially on countries where major international animal advocacy organizations are not currently working, strengthening the movement and improving welfare standards in relatively neglected regions. Read Review.
Sociedade Vegetariana Brasileira (SVB), last reviewed in 2020, is a Brazilian organization that works to increase the availability of animal-free products through their vegan product certification program and by working with restaurants and catering service providers to offer plant-based meals. They also work to influence individuals to decrease their consumption of animal products by running institutional campaigns, engaging in media outreach, and training health professionals. Read Review.
Vegetarianos Hoy, last reviewed in 2020, operates in Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, where they work to improve animal welfare standards by influencing corporations to adopt cage-free egg commitments. They also work to influence individuals to decrease their consumption of animal products through veg*n pledge program and by working with institutions to introduce more plant-based meal options. In select countries, Vegetarianos Hoy runs a vegan product labeling program. Additionally, they engage in legislative campaigns and disseminate animal advocacy research and resources. Read Review.
xiaobuVEGAN is a Chinese organization working to reduce the suffering of farmed animals. Their work aims to increase the availability of animal-free products, strengthen the animal advocacy movement, and decrease the consumption of animal products. xiaobuVEGAN engages in institutional outreach, runs an app that provides resources about vegan options in China, and supports dietary change via their vegan challenge program. Read Review.
Considered Organizations
Since we began our charity evaluations in 2014, we have considered over 3000 charities in total. For more details, see our list of reviewed charities.
