Wild Animal Initiative

WAI was founded in 2019, as a merger of the organizations Utility Farm (founded in 2016 by Abraham Rowe) and Wild-Animal Suffering Research (founded in 2017 by Persis Eskander).{{Cite web |title=Transparency |url=https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/transparency |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Wild Animal Initiative |language=en-US}} Its stated mission is to "understand and improve the lives of wild animals," by studying natural causes of pain and death for animals, such as natural disasters, disease, and starvation.{{Cite web|title=About us|url=https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/about-us|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Wild Animal Initiative|language=en-US}}

Abraham Rowe was the Executive Director of WAI until 2019,{{Cite web|title=Wild Animal Initiative is hiring an Executive Director|url=https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/hiring-executive-director|access-date=2021-09-05|website=Wild Animal Initiative|language=en-US}} after which Mal Graham became the leader of the organization.{{Cite web|last=Matthews|first=Dylan|date=2021-04-12|title=The wild frontier of animal welfare|url=https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22325435/animal-welfare-wild-animals-movement|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Vox|language=en}} In 2022, Graham took the role of Strategy Director, and Cameron Meyer Shorb became the Executive Director.{{Cite web|title=Cameron Meyer Shorb now serving as Executive Director|url=https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/executive-director-cameron-meyer-shorb|access-date=2022-06-28|website=Wild Animal Initiative|language=en-US}}

In 2021, WAI received a grant of $3.5 million from Open Philanthropy to support research on wild animal welfare.{{Cite web|date=2021-06-15|title=Wild Animal Initiative — Animal Welfare Research|url=https://www.openphilanthropy.org/focus/us-policy/farm-animal-welfare/wild-animal-initiative-animal-welfare-research|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Open Philanthropy|language=en}} In the same year, WAI launched a research fund for high-impact wild animal welfare research, with the intent to "distribute over $3 million to academic research projects designed to understand and improve the lives of wild animals".{{Cite web|date=2021-07-02|title=We're launching a research fund|url=https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/research-fund|access-date=2021-10-18|website=Wild Animal Initiative|language=en-US}} WAI received a further $6 million grant from Open Philanthropy in 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-20 |title=Wild Animal Initiative receives $6 million grant |url=https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/2023-op-grant |access-date=2023-07-25 |website=Wild Animal Initiative |language=en-US}}

Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE), which rates the cost-effectiveness of projects that work on improving animal welfare, rated WAI as a "top charity" in 2020, meaning that in their view, donating to WAI was one of the most effective ways to help animals. WAI is the only group not working on farmed animal welfare to ever receive that rating.{{Cite web |last=Samuel |first=Sigal |date=2019-12-03 |title=Want to help animals? Here's where to donate your money. |url=https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2019/12/3/20992185/animal-welfare-best-charities-factory-farming |access-date=2021-06-28 |website=Vox |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-11-24 |title=Announcing our 2020 Charity Recommendations |url=https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/announcing-our-2020-charity-recommendations/ |access-date=2021-06-24 |website=Animal Charity Evaluators |language=en-US}} WAI retained its "top charity" status in 2021 and 2022.{{Cite web |last=Ormandy |first=Elisabeth |date=2022-11-22 |title=Announcing Our 2022 Charity Recommendations |url=https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/announcing-our-2022-charity-recommendations/ |access-date=2022-11-22 |website=Animal Charity Evaluators |language=en-US}} In 2023, after ACE moved away from categorizing its charities as "top" and "standout", it was categorized as a "recommended" charity by the organization.{{Cite web |last=Ormandy |first=Elisabeth |date=2023-11-08 |title=Announcing Our 2023 Charity Recommendations |url=https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/announcing-our-2023-charity-recommendations/ |access-date=2023-11-10 |website=Animal Charity Evaluators |language=en-US}}

WAI has been awarded a four-star rating with a score of 98% by Charity Navigator.{{Cite web |title=Rating for Wild Animal Initiative Inc. |url=https://www.charitynavigator.org/ein/822281466 |access-date=2024-08-07 |website=Charity Navigator |language=en}}

• Animal Ethics (organization)

{{reflist}}

• {{Cite interview|last=Shorb|first=Cameron Meyer|interviewer=Jon Hochschartner|title=The Plight of Wild Animals: Wild Animal Initiative is dedicated to improving the lives of non-humans in nature|url=https://www.splicetoday.com/writing/the-plight-of-wild-animals}}

• {{Official website|https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/}}
• {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|82-2281466}}
• [https://animalcharityevaluators.org/charity-review/wild-animal-initiative/ 2023 review] by Animal Charity Evaluators
• [https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/podcast Wild Animal Initiative's Wildness podcast]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20210627224951/https://was-research.org/ Wild-Animal Suffering Research]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20190921193244/https://www.utility.farm/ Utility Farm]

{{Animal welfare}}

{{Effective altruism}}

{{Wild animal suffering|state=uncollapsed}}

Category:2019 establishments in Minnesota

Category:501(c)(3) organizations

Category:Animal welfare organizations based in the United States

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Minnesota

Category:Organizations established in 2019

Category:Organizations associated with effective altruism

Category:Wild animal suffering

Category:Animal charities based in the United States