Animal Charity Evaluators
 | |
| Abbreviation | ACE |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2012 |
| Registration no. | EIN 364684978 |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) organization[1] |
| Purpose | Animal charity evaluation |
| Location |
|
Region | Global |
Executive Director | Stien van der Ploeg[2] |
| Website | animalcharityevaluators |
Formerly called | Effective Animal Activism |
Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE), formerly known as Effective Animal Activism (EAA), is a US-based charity evaluator and effective altruism-focused nonprofit founded in 2012. ACE evaluates animal charities and compares the effectiveness of their different campaigns and strategies. The organization makes charity recommendations to donors once a year. Its stated purpose is finding and promoting the most effective ways to help animals.[3]
History
Animal Charity Evaluators was formed in 2012 as Effective Animal Activism, a division of 80,000 Hours, by the Centre for Effective Altruism.[4] It rebranded as Animal Charity Evaluators in 2013.[3] Australian philosopher Peter Singer sits on the organization's advisory board.[2]
Recommendations
ACE publishes its recommended charities once a year in November, ahead of Giving Tuesday. In 2022, ACE's "top charities" recommended for impact and effectiveness were The Humane League (for the eleventh consecutive year), Wild Animal Initiative (for the third year), and Faunalytics (for the second year).[5]
They also re-listed the Good Food Institute (GFI) as a top charity, after a one-year hiatus due to reports of workplace toxicity. GFI employees had reported to ACE that they feared retaliation from openly disagreeing with GFI leaders. ACE stated that since the last review, leadership had ameliorated the situation by implementing various trainings, and that based on this information, ACE believed they were "working on addressing these situations."[6] GFI had previously been recommended as a top charity for five years, which was every year since its foundation.[7][8]
In addition to the top charities, the Evaluators also recommend a longer list of "standout charities" each year.[8]
Reception
Marc Gunther reviewed ACE in a 2015 article for Nonprofit Chronicles, stating: "[T]he work of Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) is relevant to nonprofits of all kinds. As its name suggests and, on a very modest budget, ACE evaluates animal charities. Its work could inspire those who want to evaluate charities in other sectors—education, the environment, that arts, whatever." He further noted: "The point is, Animal Charity Evaluators is asking the right questions–the kind all nonprofits should be asking themselves."[9]
Peter Singer mentions ACE's work in his 2015 book The Most Good You Can Do and in an online article for Salon. He describes their recommendations as a form of "altruistic arbitrage", picking the low-hanging fruits of animal activism, which he describes as worth supporting.[10]
In 2017, Harrison Nathan and the animal rights group SHARK criticised ACE, suggesting they were biased in favour of charities associated with one charity founder, Nick Cooney. Nathan and ACE engaged in an exchange of open letters and responses.[11][12]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Meet Our Team". Animal Charity Evaluators. Retrieved 2022-11-30.
- ^ a b "History". Animal Charity Evaluators.
- ^ "Conversation with Jon Bockman on July 12, 2013" (PDF). GiveWell. 2013-07-12. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ Ormandy, Elisabeth (2022-11-22). "Announcing Our 2022 Charity Recommendations". Animal Charity Evaluators. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ "The Good Food Institute Review". Animal Charity Evaluators. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ "Ace response - The Good Food Institute". gfi.org. 2021-11-23. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ a b Ormandy, Elisabeth (2022-11-22). "Announcing Our 2022 Charity Recommendations". Animal Charity Evaluators. Retrieved 2022-11-22.
- ^ Gunther, Marc (2015-04-12). "What if the "most good you can do" is to help animals?". Nonprofit Chronicles. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ Singer, Peter (2015-04-19). "Is it moral to save this puppy?". Salon.com. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
- ^ Nathan, Harrison (2017-08-11). "The Problems with Animal Charity Evaluators, in Brief". Medium. Retrieved 2022-03-19.
- ^ "Response to a Recent Critique of Our Research". Animal Charity Evaluators. 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2022-03-19.