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 ideal examples of effective advocacy.
The Albert Schweitzer Foundation
The Albert Schweitzer Foundation (ASF) works to improve animal welfare standards through their corporate outreach, corporate campaigns, and legal work. They have a team in Poland but operate primarily in Germany, where they have a solid track record of corporate outreach aimed at improving farmed animal welfare standards. We believe that ASF’s corporate outreach on behalf of farmed fishes and chickens is particularly promising, given the large number of animals killed and the neglectedness of advocacy on their behalf.
Click “Donate” button below to make a donation to Albert Schweitzer Foundation. Be sure to select “Albert Schweitzer Foundation” 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 run strong programs, especially their corporate campaigns to increase welfare standards and their work to strengthen the animal advocacy movement. THL often takes the lead in collaborating with other groups to facilitate knowledge-sharing about their strategic approach. We think they have played an important role in strengthening the movement outside the U.S. by producing research; engaging in community outreach; organizing conferences; and training, recruiting, and supporting advocates and organizations through the Open Wing Alliance (OWA).
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.
The Good Food Institute
The Good Food Institute (GFI) is working to transform the animal agriculture industry by developing and promoting alternative proteins. They currently operate in the U.S., Brazil, India, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Europe, and Israel, where they run effective programs to increase the availability of animal-free products and strengthen the movement. GFI is one of few charities focusing on cell-cultured alternatives to animal products.
Click “Donate” button below to make a donation to The Good Food Institute. Be sure to select “The Good Food Institute” after you enter your payment information.
Wild Animal Initiative
Wild Animal Initiative (WAI) is a U.S.-based organization working in an important and relatively neglected area: conducting and promoting research to help wild animals. We believe that WAI’s goal of building an academic field for wild animal welfare is an ambitious but promising avenue for creating long-term change. There are few charities working in this area, and WAI seems to have a responsible and thorough approach to building a collaborative community of researchers and advocates, as well as a strong strategy and healthy organizational culture.
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. Standout Charities retain their status for two years, after which they are re-evaluated by ACE.
Anima International 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 in World Farming USA (Compassion USA) is the U.S. branch of an international organization working to advance farmed animal welfare. They work to improve farmed animal welfare primarily by changing corporate practices and policies through corporate campaigns and their Food Business program. Read Review.
Essere Animali 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.
Faunalytics is a U.S.-based organization working to connect animal advocates with information. This mostly involves conducting independent research, working directly with client organizations on various research projects, and promoting existing research and data for individual advocates through the content library they host on their website, all of which are forms of capacity building. Read Review.
Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) positions itself as a key driver of movement building in India. FIAPO engages in several different types of programs to reduce animal suffering, including media and online outreach, veg pledges, individual grassroots outreach, grassroots political campaigning, and legislative advocacy. They also provide strategic assistance and training for other organizations and activists, organize conferences, increase access to and availability of vegan food options, and build cross-movement alliances with other organizations. Read Review.
Good Food Fund (GFF) 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.
Sinergia Animal 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) 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 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 programs 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.
Considered Organizations
Since we began our charity evaluations in 2014, we have considered over 500 charities in total. For more details, see our complete list of charities.
