Welfare Science

Effective Altruism and Animal Welfare Funding

Effective altruism approaches to animal welfare funding attempt to maximise welfare impact per donation, identifying high-leverage interventions and underfunded areas.

Key Facts

Animal welfare receives a fraction of charitable giving compared to human-focused causes
Cost-effectiveness analysis identifies interventions that help many animals per pound spent
Corporate animal welfare campaigns are estimated to help millions of animals per advocacy dollar
Wild animal suffering receives very little funding relative to potential scale of impact
The Open Philanthropy Project is the largest funder of effective animal welfare work

Welfare Considerations

Animal welfare funding is severely limited relative to the scale of suffering involved. Effective giving approaches that prioritise evidence of impact and cost-effectiveness can dramatically increase the welfare benefit achieved per dollar donated.

What You Can Do

Research animal welfare charities using effectiveness criteria before donating
Consider supporting underfunded areas like wild animal welfare or alternative proteins research
Engage with the effective animal advocacy community to learn about high-impact opportunities