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Animal Welfare Institute at a glanceMostly funded, not a grantmaker: see who funds it →

· Public charity

Animal Welfare Institute

Since 1951, the ANIMAL WELFARE INSTITUTE has been dedicated to alleviating animal suffering caused by people.

$1.4M
Granted FY2025still arriving
24
Grants FY2025still arriving
15
States reached
$104k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Animals$2.4MEducation$502kEnvironment$120kScience & Tech$53kRecreation & Sports$22kArts & Culture$10k
02FY2025 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

How this is measured
The 24 grants below total $424,924, the rows itemized in this filing. The $1,401,530 headline is the total grant expense on the return; the other $976,606 is giving the schedule does not break out (grants under the $5,000 itemization floor, grants to individuals, grants on other schedules). Every figure below describes the itemized rows only.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k6 grants · $41k
  • $10k–50k17 grants · $280k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $104k
$15,000
Median grant
15
States reached
$27M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION INITIATIVES INC (SII)$103,780
PEOPLE AND CARNIVORES$35,000
AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION$30,974
BUFFALO NATIONS GRASSLANDS ALLIANCE (BNGA)$16,500
AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY$15,020
PRINCIA$15,000
WOLF CONSERVATION CENTER$15,000
LINCOLN PARK ZOO$15,000
SPECIES SURVIVAL NETWORK$15,000
WHALES OF GUERRERO$15,000
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY$15,000
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY$15,000
GLOBAL FEDERATION OF ANIMAL SANCTUARIES (GFAS)$15,000
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON$14,881
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY CORPUS CHRISTI$14,870
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY18–25, $258k) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%THE BEAVER INSTITUTE: $34k → 12%SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION INITIATIVES INC (SII): $104k → 15%RAPE AND ABUSE CRISIS CENTER (RACC): $20k → 12%THE BEAVER INSTITUTE: $30k → 12%SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION INITIATIVES INC (SII): $36k → 15%THE BEAVER INSTITUTE: $15k → 12%THE BEAVER INSTITUTE: $10k → 12%THE BEAVER INSTITUTE: $10k → 12%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.

Which US states its grants reach

AK
ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
IL
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
NV
WY
SD
IA
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
CA
UT
CO
WV
VA
MD
AZ
NM
KS
TN
NC
SC
DC
HI
LA
MS
GA
TX
FL

Grants abroad, by region: $785k on the FY2025 return

Schedule F, as filed: 7 regions, $657k to organizations and $127k to individuals. The IRS asks for region and purpose, not the recipient, so no country or grantee can be named here.

Sub-Saharan Africa$278k · 35% · 10 grants

Stated purpose: ANIMAL PROTECTION

South America$220k · 28% · 2 grants · 9 people

Stated purpose: ANIMAL PROTECTION

North America (Canada and Mexico)$84k · 11% · 5 grants · 4 people

Stated purpose: ANIMAL PROTECTION

Europe (including Iceland and Greenland)$81k · 10% · 1 grant · 3 people

Stated purpose: ANIMAL PROTECTION

East Asia and the Pacific$63k · 8% · 3 grants · 2 people

Stated purpose: CHRISTINE STEVENS WILDLIFE AWARD · ANIMAL PROTECTION

Middle East and North Africa$46k · 6% · 2 grants

Stated purpose: ANIMAL PROTECTION

South Asia$12k · 2% · 1 grant

Stated purpose: ANIMAL PROTECTION

How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving. Grants abroad on Schedule F are filed by region, purpose and amount with no recipient name, so they are shown by region and cannot be placed on the country map or matched to a grantee.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

45%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.4M · 27 repeat orgs$1.7M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +33% since the first grant, against +17% for those funded once.

27 repeat relationships: 9 still active in FY2025, 18 since wound down; 14 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

27
89

Total granted

$1.4M
$1.5M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+33%
+17%

Still filing today

74%
83%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 53% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $199k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
AnimalsEducationEnvironmentScience & TechArts & CultureHealthOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • PA
    PEOPLE AND CARNIVORES INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $184k · revenue +10%
  • SI
    Sustainable Innovation Initiatives Inc
    2× · 2024–2025 · $139k · revenue +91% · 34% of their budget
  • BI
    Beaver Institute Inc
    5× · 2018–2024 · $99k · revenue ×27 · 77% of their budget

Funded once

  • TW
    THE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECT
    one grant, 2022 · $57k · revenue +18%
  • HS
    Humane Society of St Thomasgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $55k · revenue +47%
  • GI
    GARDEN ISLAND RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT INC
    one grant, 2023 · $54k · revenue +11%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Rainforest Trust

Rainforest trust saves endangered wildlife and protects our planet by creating rainforest reserves through partnerships, community engagement, and donor support.

International
2
Conservation Society of California

Through management of oakland zoo, the conservation society of california deepens connection with animals, saves wildlife, and inspires champions for the natural world.

Animals
3
Faunalytics

Empower animal advocates with research, insights, and strategies that maximize their effectiveness to end animal suffering.

—
4
Center for Natural Lands Management

The mission of the center for natural lands management is (a) to conserve native species, their habitat and functioning ecosystems in perpetuity, (b) to own and/or manage lands in an ecologically beneficial manner consistent with local,…

Environment
5
Alaska Whale Foundation

Alaska Whale Foundation is dedicated to marine mammal conservation through research monitoring and education.

Environment
6
Wildlife Conservation Network Inc

Connect conservationists and supporters, deploy resources to the field, provide conservationists with tools and support they need to succeed.

Animals
7
World Wildlife Fund Inc

Wwf's mission is to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on earth. (continued on schedule o)

Environment
8
The Wildlife Society

The wildlife society's mission is to inspire, empower, and enable wildlife professionals to sustain wildlife populations and habitats through science-based management and conservation.

Animals
9
Seward Association for the Advancement of Marine Science

The alaska sealife center generates and shares scientific knowledge to promote understanding and stewardship of alaska's marine ecosystems.

Animals
10
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
—
11
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation

To sustain, restore, and enhance the nation's fish, wildlife, plants, and habitats.

Animals
12
California Institute of Environmental Studies

The institute is dedicated to scientific research, the results of which are used to promote public awareness and education in the areas of conservation biology and ecology,including the wise use of natural resources.

Animals
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is New England Aquarium Corporation; the most unlike its peers is Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

104 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 104 of the 131 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

4
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
15
Early backer (in before they grew)
103/104
Grantees still filing
72/104
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

OPR COASTAL PRIMATE SANCTUARY: $169,751 · AnimalsOPR COASTAL PRIMATE SANCTUARYTHE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECT: $56,831 · AnimalsTHE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECTHumane Society of St Thomas: $55,000 · AnimalsHumane Society of St ThomasISLAND DOG INCORPORATED: $51,000 · AnimalsISLAND DOG INCORPORATEDANIMAL OUTLOOK INC: $50,000 · AnimalsTHE LEATHERBACK PROJECT INC: $50,000 · AnimalsAmerican Bird Conservancy: $41,020 · AnimalsWOLF CONSERVATION CENTER INC: $40,000 · Animals+28 more: $426,831 · Animals+28 moreMONITOR CARIBBEAN INC: $75,000 · OtherMONITOR CARIBBEAN INCUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FRANCISCO: $60,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN FR…SOUTH JERSEY JUNKYARD CATS: $50,000 · OtherSOUTH JERSEY JUNKYARD CATSUTAH STATE UNIVERSITY: $45,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS: $35,873 · OtherAgricultural Research Foundation: $30,974 · OtherPEARSONAFIED MARINE MAMMAL CONSULTANTS: $30,000 · OtherKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY: $30,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: $29,995 · OtherMOTE MARINE LABORATORY INC: $28,727 · OtherRAINCOAST CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $45,000 · Other+29 more: $384,174 · Other+29 moreTrustees of Tufts College: $30,000 · EducationTrustees of Tufts…NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 · EducationNORTH CAROLINA ST…LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE: $25,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF WYOMING FOUNDATION: $25,000 · EducationTHE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION: $16,994 · Education+28 more: $356,342 · Education+28 morePEOPLE AND CARNIVORES INC: $183,600 · EnvironmentPEOPLE AND CARN…GARDEN ISLAND RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT INC: $53,800 · EnvironmentGARDEN ISLAND R…SPECIES SURVIVAL NETWORK: $43,000 · EnvironmentSPECIES SURVIVA…YELLOWSTONE TO YUKON: $30,000 · EnvironmentYELLOWSTONE TO …BUFFALO NATIONS GRASSLANDS ALLIANCE: $16,500 · EnvironmentROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD: $15,000 · EnvironmentCENTER FOR COASTAL STUDIES INC: $15,000 · EnvironmentTORTOISE GROUP: $15,000 · EnvironmentTHE BEAVER COALITION INC: $14,760 · Environment+3 more: $20,000 · EnvironmentSustainable Innovation Initiatives Inc: $139,405 · Human ServicesSustainab…Beaver Institute Inc: $98,500 · Human ServicesBeaver In…Rape and Abuse Crisis Center of Fargo-Moorhead: $20,000 · Human ServicesRape and …Wild Earth Society Incorporated: $48,000 · Arts & CultureINTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureSEA TURTLE INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureCENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH: $24,270 · Science & TechOIKONOS - ECOSYSTEM KNOWLEDGE: $14,686 · Science & TechMARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY: $9,000 · Science & TechThe Salk Institute for Biological Studies: $8,000 · Science & Tech
Animals$940,433Other$844,743Education$483,336Environment$406,660Human Services$257,905Arts & Culture$68,000Science & Tech$55,956

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetPEOPLE AND CARNIVORES INC: $183,600 over 5y, 8.0% of budgetOPR COASTAL PRIMATE SANCTUARY: $169,751 over 3y, 55% of budgetSustainable Innovation Initiatives Inc: $139,405 over 2y, 34% of budgetBeaver Institute Inc: $98,500 over 5y, 77% of budgetTHE WHALE SANCTUARY PROJECT: $56,831 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetGARDEN ISLAND RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT INC: $53,800 over 1y, 6.1% of budgetISLAND DOG INCORPORATED: $51,000 over 3y, 34% of budgetANIMAL OUTLOOK INC: $50,000 over 1y, 2.5% of budgetTHE LEATHERBACK PROJECT INC: $50,000 over 1y, 8.8% of budgetWild Earth Society Incorporated: $48,000 over 2y, 0.7% of budgetSPECIES SURVIVAL NETWORK: $43,000 over 4y, 6.1% of budgetAmerican Bird Conservancy: $41,020 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWOLF CONSERVATION CENTER INC: $40,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetAgricultural Research Foundation: $30,974 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTrustees of Tufts College: $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $30,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetYELLOWSTONE TO YUKON: $30,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetLINCOLN PARK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $29,992 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMOTE MARINE LABORATORY INC: $28,727 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBEAVERS NORTHWEST: $27,000 over 2y, 4.0% of budgetHOMEWARD TRAILS ANIMAL RESCUE INC: $26,411 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetTEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $26,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSky Mountain Wild Horse Sanctuary: $25,000 over 2y, 9.2% of budgetLEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDefenders of Wildlife: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WYOMING FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetPRIMATES INCORPORATED: $25,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetNEW LIFE ANIMAL SANCTUARY: $25,000 over 1y, 19% of budgetCENTER FOR WHALE RESEARCH: $24,270 over 1y, 2.2% of budgetTUPELO LEE HUMANE SOCIETY: $22,600 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetPeaceable Primate Sanctuary: $20,000 over 1y, 2.7% of budgetRape and Abuse Crisis Center of Fargo-Moorhead: $20,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA FOUNDATION: $16,994 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBUFFALO NATIONS GRASSLANDS ALLIANCE: $16,500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetPAN AFRICAN SANCTUARY ALLIANCE INC: $15,600 over 1y, 1.6% of budgetYale University: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN WILD HORSE PRESERVATION CAMPAIGN: $15,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetWEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH CORPORATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHUMANE SOCIETY OF LOUISIANA INC: $15,000 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWHALES OF GUERRERO: $15,000 over 1y, 8.5% of budgetROCKY MOUNTAIN WILD: $15,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetCENTER FOR WILDLIFE STUDIES: $15,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN FOUNDATION: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCENTER FOR COASTAL STUDIES INC: $15,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetNorth Dakota State University Foundation: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

PatagoniaorgThe Summerlee Foundat…Humane World for Anim…National Fish and Wil…National Anti-Vivisec…The Pew Charitable Tr…The American Anti-Viv…Winley FoundationDefenders of WildlifeWildlife Conservation…Wilburforce FoundationWeeden Foundation
PatagoniaorgCA22.8× affinity11 shared granteesties to 8 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Patagoniaorg · The Summerlee Foundation · Humane World for Animals Inc · National Fish and Wildlife Foundation · National Anti-Vivisection Society · The Pew Charitable Trusts · The American Anti-Vivisection Society · Winley Foundation · Defenders of Wildlife · Wildlife Conservation Society · Wilburforce Foundation · Weeden Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Animal Welfare Institute funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Animal Welfare Institute. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 100%4%15%34%60%funder's share of their income ↑0%25%50%75%100%share of the org’s income from government →median 13%
  • Sustainable Innovation Initiatives Inc: 100% of income from government
  • Pan African Sanctuary Alliance Inc: 68% of income from government
  • Center for Coastal Studies Inc: 26% of income from government
  • Marine Biological Laboratory: 20% of income from government
  • The Beaver Coalition Inc: 16% of income from government
  • Trustees of Tufts College: 13% of income from government
  • New England Aquarium Corporation: 12% of income from government
  • Yale University: 12% of income from government
  • Mote Marine Laboratory Inc: 4% of income from government
  • University of Maryland Baltimore Foundation Inc: 3% of income from government
  • Whale and Dolphin Conservationinc: 3% of income from government
  • Lewis & Clark College: 2% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
10get no government money at all
18report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
2rely on government for over half their income
typical government reliance, FY20–25
How this is measured
Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
05Through Plinth

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Animal Welfare Institute?

Find your warmest path to Animal Welfare Institute through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 131 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

How this is measured
Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

Generated from the IRS Form 990 e-file return for fiscal year 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Animal Welfare Institute’s filings →

More from the funding graph

The unnamed billions
grants reported with no recipient in the public record
The regranting layer
51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
The DAF merry-go-round
$9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
The endowment market
who holds foundation money, and what just moved
The camps
funders cluster by geography, not ideology
By state
where grant money is based, and what stays home