Ashley Chang
Animal Charity Evaluators has named The Humane League a Top Charity for the eighth year in a row. Here’s why this honor matters.
If you want to end the abuse of animals, it can be hard to figure out how to have the greatest impact. What animals need the most help? Which organizations are the most effective at creating real change? Where’s the best place to volunteer your time or make a donation? Where will your advocacy go the farthest for the animals?
That’s where Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) comes in. Since 2012, ACE has helped people help animals by doing the work of finding, researching, and recommending the most effective animal advocacy groups across the country. Their advice on the best animal charities to donate to, or work at, or volunteer with, isn’t just based on sound evidence and rigorous reasoning. It’s also grounded in their commitment to improving the lives of animals at the broadest possible scale. They’re looking for impact, because the stakes are higher than ever: more than nine billion land animals are killed each year in the United States alone. Globally, close to 130 billion animals are killed for food each year.
That’s why we’re honored to share that Animal Charity Evaluators has selected The Humane League as a Top Charity for 2021. We are the only organization to earn this recognition every year it’s been awarded—since 2012 when ACE was founded—for our work amplifying the animal advocacy movement and, more specifically, for our success taking on corporate giants in the meat, dairy, and egg industries to end the worst abuses suffered by animals within our broken food system.
Of course, the progress we’ve made belongs entirely to our community of changemakers who believe in this work, who rise up against injustice, and who go the distance—with us—to end the abuse of animals raised for food. We’re humbled to receive this distinction from ACE, and we’re grateful to supporters like you whose dedication to our shared movement is changing the world for animals.
What is Animal Charity Evaluators?
ACE is a charity navigator that offers advice on the most effective ways to help animals and prevent the largest amount of suffering. As an “effective altruist” organization that seeks to make the world a better place using evidence and reasoning, ACE conducts extensive research to discover and evaluate the most impactful animal charities in the nation. To date, ACE has reviewed over 350 groups and influenced donors to give over $26 million in gifts to the charities ACE recommends most highly.
Each year, ACE identifies just several Top Charities, to recognize—and recommend—the effectiveness of their strategies and outcomes. ACE evaluates these advocacy groups through multiple rounds of review and ultimately chooses the Top Charities based on the efficiency of their programs, the cost-effectiveness of their victories, their track record of achievement, their healthy work culture, their long-term strategy, and their adaptability to keep doing what’s working and stop doing what’s not. In short, ACE recognizes the groups that make the greatest amount of change for the most animals in the most efficient way.
This is why The Humane League is a top rated animal welfare charity
The Humane League (THL) strives to do the most good for the most animals. Effectiveness is one of our core values, because we are committed to having the biggest impact we possibly can in the lives of animals raised for food.
This year, ACE celebrated our corporate campaigns, which improve animal welfare by convincing companies to adopt higher standards for chickens raised for meat, egg-laying hens, pigs, and cows. To date, we have achieved—in partnership with our allies across the movement—hundreds of corporate pledges to sign onto the Better Chicken Commitment or go cage-free. By calling for change directly within the meat, dairy, and egg industries, we’re helping millions of innocent animals and, little by little, fixing the institutions that make up our food system.
ACE also recognizes our work to build the animal welfare movement by recruiting, training, and engaging volunteers and other organizations, not just in the US but—through the Open Wing Alliance (OWA)—around the world as well. A global coalition of 78 animal advocacy organizations from 63 different countries, OWA has run 17 summits, organized 35 training events, and awarded $3.7 million in grants to member groups since its founding in 2016. Improving the lives of animals takes collaboration, partnership, and alliances that go beyond state lines and national borders. We know how important it is to share learnings, share strategies, and lift each other up—because when we work together, we create the greatest change for animals.
What you can do
Doing good for animals takes a village—we can’t do it alone. When we come together, we can disrupt “business as usual” in our profit-driven food system and change the lives of millions of innocent animals. Will you join us?
