The global animal welfare movement is supported by hundreds of organisations ranging from local rescue centres to international advocacy bodies, each playing different roles in improving animal lives.
Choosing which animal welfare organisations to support requires understanding their focus areas, effectiveness and approaches. High-impact welfare organisations are increasingly measured against evidence-based criteria including cost per animal helped, tractability of their focus area and additionality of their work. Effective Altruism-aligned evaluators such as Animal Charity Evaluators publish annual charity assessments to help donors direct resources most effectively. The most impactful organisations often work on the most neglected and cost-effective cause areas — farm animal welfare and alternative protein development — rather than the most visible or emotionally salient issues.