World Animal Protection
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
What it says it does
SEE SCHEDULE O FOR MISSION.
- Income
- $6.0 million
- Spending
- $7.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 72%
- Reserves
- 10.8 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- donations and private grants, 91%
- Employees
- 26
- Volunteers
- 3
- Highest pay
- $189,303, co-interim e.d. (incoming march 2025)
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Fair: 64 out of 100. Higher than 24% of charities in its peer group (animals, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
28 of 35Spendable reserves would cover 10.8 months of spending.
Debt
16 of 20It owes 15% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 32% of income.
Income trend
5 of 15Income fell 18% on the year before.
Spending floor
15 of 1572% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 31 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Strong: 93 out of 100. Higher than 64% of charities in its peer group (animals, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
18 of 253 of 3 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
15 of 15Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (1)
- $5.7 million spent. ANIMALS IN THE WILD: SHUTTING DOWN MIAMI SEAQUARIUM FOLLOWING SEVERAL YEARS OF CAMPAIGN ACTIONS, THE DOLPHIN COMPANY WAS OFFICIALLY REMOVED AS THE OWNER OF THE MIAMI SEAQUARIUM VENUE IN 2025. LOCAL OFFICIALS SOLICITED BIDS FOR PROPOSED RENOVATIONS OF THE VENUE AND THE SELECTED PROPOSAL, WHILE CONTINUING TO USE THE VENUE AS AN AQUARIUM, SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT NO MARINE MAMMALS WILL BE KEPT AT THE FUTURE FACILITY, REPRESENTING A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE INDUSTRY. WE CONTINUED TO PRESSURE OFFICIALS AND THE NEW OWNERS TO REJECT ANY EXHIBITION OF LIVE ANIMALS AT THE FUTURE VENUE AND HAVE CONTINUED ENGAGING WITH LOCAL SUPPORTERS AND VOLUNTEERS IN MIAMI TO BUILD SUPPORT FOR NO ANIMAL EXHIBITION AT THE NEW VENUE. ENDING THE SALE OF ANIMALS IN PET STORES OUR SUPPORT, TESTIMONY, AND RESOURCES HELPED TO PASS TWO OF THE MOST EXPANSIVE PET SALES BANS IN THE COUNTRY TO DATE IN EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA AND WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. THE WEST HOLLYWOOD BAN IS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND AS IT ALSO INCLUDES HERMIT CRABS, AND OFTEN OVERLOOKED SPECIES CAPTURES AND TRAFFICKED FOR THE PET TRADE. IN ADDITION, WITH SUPPORT OF A GRANTOR, WE SUCCESSFULLY INTRODUCED BILLS IN THE NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE AND THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL THAT WOULD BAN THE SALE OF BIRDS IN PET STORES IN THOSE JURISDICTIONS. FOR THE NEW YORK CITY INITIATIVE, WE WERE ABLE TO SECURE OVER A DOZEN SPONSORS OF THE BILL AND HAD TWENTY VOLUNTEERS PARTICIPATE IN A VIRTUAL LOBBY DAY WITH 11 CITY COUNCIL OFFICES. CALLING FOR JOYCE THE ELEPHANT TO LIVE IN SANCTUARY ON WORLD ELEPHANT DAY, AUGUST 12, WE MARKED THE ONE-YEAR POINT OF OUR CAMPAIGN PUSHING SIX FLAGS GREAT ADVENTURE TO RELEASE JOYCE AND THE OTHER ELEPHANTS IN THEIR WILD SAFARI EXHIBIT TO REPUTABLE WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES. WE DELIVERED OVER 60,000 PETITION SIGNATURES TO THE PARK, PUT UP TWO BILLBOARDS ON THE NEARBY HIGHWAY PROMOTING OUR CAMPAIGN, AND WORKED WITH LOCAL SAND SCULPTURE ARTISTS TO CREATE A GIANT JOYCE SCULPTURE AT A NEARBY BEACH. THESE ACTIVITIES GARNERED SIGNIFICANT LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE, FORCING SIX FLAGS TO RESPOND TO OUR CAMPAIGN IN THE NEWS. WE FOLLOWED UP WITH ANOTHER LETTER AND A BLOG POST COUNTERING THE FALSE OR MISLEADING NARRATIVES IN THEIR RESPONSE. DEMANDING FREEDOM FOR BALOO THE BEAR OUR US SUPPORTERS HAVE TAKEN ACTION FOR OUR GLOBAL CAMPAIGN TO FREE BALOO, A BEAR TRAPPED AT A SKI RESORT IN ROMANIA AS AN ATTRACTION FOR RESORT VISITORS. BALOO HAS GAINED GLOBAL ATTENTION FOR THE POOR LIVING CONDITIONS AND HARASSMENT BY VISITORS, INCLUDING THROWING GARBAGE AND BEER INTO HIS CAGE. INCLUDING US-BASED SIGNERS, WE DELIVERED 180,000 PETITION SIGNATURES TO THE ROMANIAN GOVERNMENT ASKING THEM TO TAKE ACTION AND SECURE BALOO'S RELEASE TO OUR PARTNER SANCTUARY, LIBEARTY. MOVING HIGH FASHION TO REMOVE ANIMAL PRODUCTS OUR CRUELTY IS OUT OF FASHION CAMPAIGN, SPEARHEADED BY WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION AUSTRALIA WITH PAST ACTIONS IN THE US TARGETING BRANDS AND FASHION WEEKS, SAW SEVERAL MAJOR MILESTONES ACHIEVED IN 2025. NEW YORK FASHION WEEK, AN ENTITY WE TARGETED VIA ON THE GROUND AND DIGITAL PRESSURE IN 2022 AND 2023 AND ONGOING DIRECT ENGAGEMENT AFTERWARD, ANNOUNCED IT WOULD BAN FUR FROM ITS RUNWAYS. ALSO IN 2025, AUSTRALIAN FASHION WEEK BANNED ALL WILD ANIMAL PRODUCTS, INCLUSIVE OF SKINS, FURS, AND FEATHERS, FROM ITS EVENTS. ANIMALS IN FARMING: STOPPING THE EXPANSION OF MEGA MEAT COMPANY JBS WE RELEASED A HARD-HITTING RESEARCH REPORT IN Q2 2025 OUTLINING THE STRUCTURES JBS HAS ESTABLISHED VIA SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES IN TAX HAVENS TO AVOID HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN TAXES IT WOULD HAVE OTHERWISE OWED TO GOVERNMENTS IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE IT HAS ITS OPERATIONS: US, UK, AUSTRALIA, MEXICO, AND BRAZIL. WE PROMOTED THE RESEARCH REPORT AND FINDINGS VIA TWO FRONT PAGE ADS IN THE US FINANCIAL TIMES. IN THE LEAD UP TO COP30 IN BRAZIL, WE PUBLISHED AN OP-ED IN PLANT BASED MAGAZINE CALLING OUT JBS'S GREENWASHING AND CHALLENGING JBS'S NARRATIVE THAT IT IS A LEADER IN SUSTAINABILITY AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY. ALSO TIMED WITH COP30 IN BRAZIL WE SUPPORTED THE PUBLICATION OF WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION BRAZIL'S FIRST CRIME FILE EXPOS, PRESENTING EVIDENCE WE GATHERED OF JBS'S CONNECTIONS TO SUPPLIERS IMPLICATED IN CATTLE LAUNDERING AND ILLEGAL DEFORESTATION IN SENSITIVE BIOMES IN BRAZIL. THROUGHOUT 2025, WORLD ANIMAL PROTECTION AFRICA FACILITATED THE DEVELOPMENT OF A GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT IN NIGERIA OPPOSING JBS'S PLANS TO EXPAND SIGNIFICANTLY IN THE COUNTRY. PARTNERING WITH SEVERAL LOCAL ADVOCACY GROUPS, WE GARNERED SIGNIFICANT LOCAL MEDIA ATTENTION CALLING OUT JBS AND THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT FOR ABANDONING SMALL FARMERS AND LOCAL ECONOMIES WITH A FALSE NARRATIVE THAT FACTORY FARMING IS NECESSARY TO FEED THE WORLD. MAKING PLANT-BASED FOODS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO THE MASSES OUR ENGAGEMENT WITH RESTAURANT CHAINS AND ONGOING UTILIZATION OF THE MOVING THE MENU SCORECARD, WHICH RANKS 25 OF THE TOP US CHAINS ON THE INCLUSION OF, PROMOTION OF, AND COMMITMENTS TO PLANT-BASED MENU ITEMS, CONTRIBUTED TO MAJOR CHANGES AT STARBUCKS, INCLUDING THE REMOVAL OF THE SURCHARGE FOR PLANT-BASED MILK OPTIONS AND THE FIRST FULLY PLANT-BASED FOOD ITEM ON ITS MENUS. OTHER COFFEE CHAINS CONTINUE TO DROP THE PLANT-BASED UPCHARGE, MAKING NON-DAIRY DRINKS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO CUSTOMERS. IN JUNE WE ORGANIZED THE FIRST EVER DINE VEGAN INITIATIVE FOCUSED IN NASHVILLE, PARTNERING WITH SIX LOCAL RESTAURANTS TO PROMOTE A FULLY PLANT-BASED DISH FOR THE WEEK-LONG INITIATIVE AND OFFER IT AT A DISCOUNT. OVER 400 PEOPLE TOOK PART IN OUR KICKOFF EVENT FOR THE INITIATIVE, AND RESTAURANTS REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN PURCHASES OF THEIR PROMOTED DISH DURING THE WEEK. IN NOVEMBER WE PARTNERED WITH FOUR FOOD INFLUENCERS REPRESENTING A VARIETY OF CURRENT DIETARY PATTERNS TO TAKE PART IN OUR "NO MEAT NOVEMBER" CAMPAIGN BY CREATING AND PROMOTING A PLANT-BASED RECIPE TO THEIR AUDIENCES. THE PARTNER CONTENT HAD OVER 650,000 VIEWS COMBINED WITH OVER 45,000 INTERACTIONS. THIS IS JUST A SELECTION OF THE AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENTS WE ACHIEVED FOR ANIMALS IN 2025 THAN
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2025.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since July 1981.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 21, 2026.
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