Wild Animal Initiative

What Wild Animal Initiative does

Wild Animal Initiative (WAI) is a Minneapolis-based research nonprofit focused on the welfare of animals living in the wild, who face hardships such as disease, starvation and natural disasters. It was formed in 2019 from the merger of two earlier groups, Utility Farm and Wild-Animal Suffering Research. Rather than intervening in ecosystems directly, WAI is working to establish wild animal welfare as a recognized academic science, so that any future efforts to help wild animals rest on solid evidence.

It does this through three linked programs: its own research, grants to university scientists, and outreach that builds a community of researchers in the field. According to Animal Charity Evaluators, WAI has awarded $4.7 million to 72 research projects since 2023, produced 16 peer-reviewed publications in that period, and added 170 members to its Research Community in 2024. Core questions include how to measure welfare in wild populations and how to improve wild animals' lives without causing unintended harm.

ACE has recommended WAI every year since 2020, and Charity Navigator gives it four stars. This is long-horizon, field-building work: its results show up as research capacity and new knowledge rather than a count of animals helped today.

Key facts

• $4.7M in research funding awarded to 72 projects since 2023 (ACE review)
• 16 peer-reviewed publications since 2023 (ACE review)
• 170 new members recruited to its Research Community in 2024 (ACE review)
• FY2024: $2,487,849 revenue and $3,345,940 expenses (ProPublica)

Before you give

• Accepts stock and crypto via Every.org, donor-advised fund grants, IRA qualified charitable distributions, checks and direct deposit (donate page).
• Tax-advantaged giving routes are listed for Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and the UK (donate page).
• ACE also accepts US tax-deductible donations on WAI's behalf (ACE tax-deductibility page).