Application Guidelines

In 2022, we disbursed $910,000 to 35 applicants, with a median grant size of $25,000. Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the breakdown of funding by outcome, species, and region, respectively.

Fig. 1: 2022 Movement Grants funding divided by outcome. More information on these outcomes can be found on our Menu of Outcomes page.

Fig. 2: 2022 Movement Grants funding divided by species targeted. “General” refers to work that doe not target a specific animal group. “Farmed (All Species)” refers to work that targets farmed animals without focusing on a particular species.

Fig. 3: 2022 Movement Grants divided by region. Organizations are categorized by the regions in which they carry out their work, as opposed to the regions in which they are registered.

This round, we are especially interested in funding organizations or projects focused on:

• regions where animals are farmed in large numbers, but that currently receive a very small amount of funding relative to the rest of the movement (such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America)
• animal groups that are farmed in large numbers, but that currently receive a very small amount of funding relative to the rest of the movement (such as fishes and invertebrates)
• advancing wild animal welfare (for our views on wild animal welfare, see our page “Why Wild Animals”)

We are also more likely to fund organizations or projects focused on:

• farmed animals
• novel approaches to animal advocacy
• capacity building in the movement (e.g., building connections with other movements or developing the skills of animal advocates)
• institutional change rather than individual change (e.g., institutional, legal, or corporate outreach)
• newer and smaller groups
• groups or projects similar to those funded during our more recent rounds (2022 and 2021)

Note: These examples are a rough guide to what we are most likely to fund. Many factors are interrelated, and as a result, our thinking can vary depending on the situation.

We are less likely to fund organizations or projects focused on:

• regions that receive the largest amounts of funding relative to the number of animals farmed there (such as North America and Europe)

We consider the following cause areas to be out-of-scope for Movement Grants. We will not fund projects focused on:

• companion animals, animals used in labs, or animals in entertainment
• rescuing and rehabilitating wild animals
• species conservation or projects prioritizing ecosystems over the wellbeing of individual animals (for our views on effectively helping wild animals, see our page on cause area priorities)
• direct care for animals (for our views on the value of sanctuaries, see our blog post on the topic)

We are able to fund:

• individuals working in the United States¹
• groups/organizations/companies located anywhere in the world

We are not able to fund groups or projects:

• that encourage any form of animal exploitation
• in countries that the U.S. has nationwide sanctions against
• whose actions conflict with our commitment to representation, equity, and inclusion²
• whose leadership has financially supported ACE in the past three years³
• that are currently Top or Standout Charities (these organizations receive funding via our Recommended Charity Fund)
• that directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for elective public office

Our budget for each round is determined by the amount of funding we have raised for the program over the last year, thanks to our donors. We aim to disburse all available funds each year. As such, there is some fluctuation in how much we can award per round.

This round, we are introducing two limits on funding. First, we are capping the maximum grant size that an organization can request at $50,000 per round. If we receive any applications requesting more than $50,000, we will process them as usual, but we will only consider funding them up to that limit. We hope this cap reduces the number of applications we receive that request more funding than we can provide.

Second, we are introducing a cap on the total amount of funding that an organization can receive from us through Movement Grants. This cap will be set at $150,000. This means that if you receive funding in multiple rounds, you will not be eligible for additional funding from Movement Grants once the total reaches $150,000. This cap only applies from 2023 onward: Funding granted before 2023 will not count toward the limit.

Movement Grants provides one-off funding, and our priorities evolve as research develops and we receive larger numbers of applications. As such, when our priorities do change, we want to limit the harm we may cause to organizations that we have funded across multiple years. We hope this cap will encourage organizations to secure funding from a variety of different sources, while still giving them adequate time to do so, therefore increasing their organizational stability in the long term.

We provide funding for both general operational support and specific projects, including the cost of salaries. In general, we try to provide funding that is as unrestricted as possible to give grant recipients more freedom in executing their projects. However, we may restrict funding if an organization also works in other cause areas that fall outside the scope of Movement Grants.

In addition to the specific areas of interest described above, we look for several more generic factors when reviewing applications. These include:

• Strategy. We seek to understand the strategy/theory of change that guides your work. We want to see the connection between the work you plan to carry out and the resulting outcomes that improve the lives of animals, as well as whether there is evidence or reasoning to support your approach. We like to know whether you have considered other strategies that may achieve the same outcomes and why you think this particular approach is the best option.
• Impact. We try to assess the impact your work might have. We look at whether your plans are realistic and achievable in the specified time frame and requested budget. We try to assess how scalable your plans might be over the longer term.
• Region. We look at the country/community in which your project is being carried out and consider relevant information about its context. This includes things like statistics about the size of animal farming in the region, as well as cultural indicators. We consider whether you are local to the country you operate in, or otherwise have the relevant knowledge to carry out work there.
• Online presence. Particularly for projects that rely on a strong online presence, we look at the quality of your website and your level of social media engagement.
• Finances. We look at your organization’s financial situation, if it is growing, and how sustainable that growth seems. We want to support the growth of organizations that are doing impactful work, but we also want to make sure that they do not grow too quickly, especially because we cannot guarantee that we will be able to provide repeat funding.
• Risks. We try to assess whether your project carries risks, such as unintended negative consequences for the animal advocacy movement or other social justice movements.

We offer the option to submit applications in languages other than English. Non-English applications will be translated using an internet translation service (e.g., Google Translate). Applicants should be aware that internet translation services do not always produce accurate translations. Organizations that make it to the third stage of the review process will be asked to provide backup documentation in English. We can provide reimbursement for professional translation services for groups that reach this stage.

We receive many Movement Grants applications from organizations outside of the United States, and we recognize that English is a second language for many of them. If any part of the Movement Grants process is unclear, please contact our Movement Grants Program Manager, Eleanor McAree.

Please see our Timeline and Process page for more information.