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The Humane League

EIN 04-3817491 · Rockville, MD

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthStrong90 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceIndependently evaluatedHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

WE EXIST TO END THE ABUSE OF ANIMALS RAISED FOR FOOD. THIS MISSION IS EXECUTED BY PERSUADING COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS TO ADOPT ANIMAL WELFARE POLICIES THROUGH NEGOTIATION AND PRESSURE CAMPAIGNS, AND THEN HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE TO THEIR COMMITMENTS. WE MOBILIZE VOLUNTEERS AND SUPPORT AND TRAIN A GLOBAL NETWORK OF ORGANIZATIONS TO END ANIMAL ABUSE WORLDWIDE.

Income
$22.1 million
Spending
$21.7 million
Spent on programs
67%
Reserves
13.4 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 94%
Employees
112
Volunteers
232
Highest pay
$218,032, interim executive vp

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

Strong: 90 out of 100. Higher than 65% of charities in its peer group (animals, $10m to $100m).

  • Reserves

    35 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 13.4 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 6% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    15 of 15

    Income exceeded spending by 2% of income.

  • Income trend

    5 of 15

    Income fell 21% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    67% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 13 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: 100 out of 100. Higher than 19% of charities in its peer group (animals, $10m to $100m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    6 of 7 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports 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

Independently evaluated. An independent evaluator has assessed its work and recommends it.

  • Animal Charity Evaluators: Named a Recommended Charity. See the evaluation Checked September 29, 2026.

Results it reports

  • New corporate commitments to end cage use will spare 1.6 million hens from extreme confinement.Change achieved
  • 46.4% of egg-laying hens in the US lived outside a cage.Change achieved
  • The global coalition secured 234 new corporate commitments for chickens, more than 60 in Africa.Change achieved
  • Over 321,000 messages were sent to Ahold Delhaize decision-makers.Work delivered
  • An investigation led to the permanent shutdown of a 45,000-hen cage farm in Bulgaria.Change achieved
  • Pressured 131 companies to make progress on promises, impacting more than 160 million hens.Work delivered
  • 92% fulfillment rate for corporate cage-free commitments with deadlines of 2024 or earlier.Change achieved
  • Secured opposition letters from 228 members of Congress against the EATS Act and related act.Change achieved
  • Supported 10 major legislative victories.Change achieved
  • The Animal Policy Alliance expanded to 31 members across 21 states and Washington, DC.Work delivered
  • The Open Wing Alliance grew to 82 organizations across 72 countries.Work delivered

Read from the return by an AI model and shown only where the wording was found in the return. These are the charity's own figures.

Programs described in its return (1)
  1. $14.6 million spent. IN 2025, THE HUMANE LEAGUE CONTINUED ITS COMMITMENT TO FIXING OUR BROKEN FOOD SYSTEM, FREEING FARMED ANIMALS FROM CAGES, AND ENDING THE CRUELEST PRACTICES ON FACTORY FARMS.SECURING CORPORATE COMMITMENTS AND DRIVING INDUSTRY-WIDE CHANGE THL'S STRATEGIC CAMPAIGNS AND CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES FOR ANIMALS THIS YEAR. WE SECURED BRAND NEW CORPORATE COMMITMENTS TO END THE USE OF CAGES IN THEIR SUPPLY CHAINS THAT WILL SPARE 1.6 MILLION HENS AROUND THE WORLD FROM THE CRUELTY OF EXTREME CONFINEMENT. AND THANKS TO DECADES OF CONTINUOUS EFFORT, 46.4% OF EGG-LAYING HENS IN THE US LIVED OUTSIDE A CAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME, A HISTORIC HIGH.THROUGH OUR GLOBAL COALITION, WE SECURED 234 NEW CORPORATE COMMITMENTS FOR CHICKENS AROUND THE WORLD, WITH MORE THAN 60 OF THOSE COMMITMENTS ESTABLISHED IN AFRICA. HOLDING CORPORATIONS ACCOUNTABLE RELENTLESS CAMPAIGNING PUSHED MAJOR BRANDS TO ACT. OUR TARGETED EFFORTS AGAINST SUBWAY RESULTED IN THE COMPANY COMMITTING TO FULLY TRANSITION TO 100% CAGE-FREE EGGS IN THE US AHEAD OF ITS ORIGINAL DEADLINE, SPARING NEARLY 340,000 HENS ANNUALLY. WE ALSO LAUNCHED A MASSIVE PRESSURE CAMPAIGN AGAINST GROCERY GIANT AHOLD DELHAIZE, SENDING OVER 321,000 MESSAGES TO DECISION-MAKERS DEMANDING THAT THEY FOLLOW THROUGH ON THEIR PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO GO CAGE-FREE. WHEN HOSPITALITY GIANT BEST WESTERN HOTELS WENT SILENT ON THEIR CAGE-FREE COMMITMENT, INTERNATIONAL ADVOCATES FROM PERU TO POLAND JOINED FORCES TO PROTEST AND PETITION UNTIL THE COMPANY FINALLY REPORTED MEANINGFUL PROGRESS TOWARD SPARING HENS.WE PARTNERED TO RELEASE THE WORLD'S LARGEST INVESTIGATION INTO INDUSTRIALIZED EGG FARMS, FEATURING FOOTAGE FROM 37 COUNTRIES. THIS INVESTIGATION LED TO PROACTIVE PROGRESS REPORTING FROM COMPASS GROUP, THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY, AND WALMART, AS WELL AS THE PERMANENT SHUTDOWN OF A 45,000-HEN CAGE FARM IN BULGARIA. OVERALL, WE PRESSURED 131 COMPANIES TO MAKE PROGRESS TOWARD THEIR PROMISES, IMPACTING MORE THAN 160 MILLION HENS, AND SAW A 92% FULFILLMENT RATE FOR CORPORATE CAGE-FREE COMMITMENTS WITH DEADLINES OF 2024 OR EARLIER.DEFENDING AND EXPANDING ANIMAL PROTECTIONSIN 2025, THE ANIMAL POLICY ALLIANCE (APA) AND THL FOUGHT TO DEFEND HARD-WON ANIMAL PROTECTIONS, AND THE APA EXPANDED ITS REACH TO 31 MEMBERS ACROSS 21 STATES AND WASHINGTON, DC. WE DEFENDED CALIFORNIA'S PROPOSITION 12 AND MASSACHUSETTS' QUESTION 3 IN THE COURTS, AND FOUGHT OFF ATTACKS ON CAGE-FREE LAWS IN ARIZONA, COLORADO, OREGON, AND MICHIGAN. AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WE PUSHED BACK ON THE EATS ACT AND "SAVE OUR BACON" ACT, SECURING OPPOSITION LETTERS FROM 228 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. THROUGH $300K IN GRANTS TO 12 APA MEMBER GROUPS, WE ALSO SUPPORTED 10 MAJOR LEGISLATIVE VICTORIES, INCLUDING A FOIE GRAS SALES BAN IN BROOKLINE, MA, AND A 'PLANT-BASED BY DEFAULT' POLICY FOR GOVERNMENT MEETINGS IN HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN.BUILDING OUR MOVEMENT OUR ANIMAL PROTECTION MOVEMENT CONTINUED TO EXPAND GLOBALLY THROUGH THE OPEN WING ALLIANCE (OWA), WHICH GREW TO 82 TRANSFORMATIVE ORGANIZATIONS ACROSS 72 COUNTRIES. TO SUPPORT THIS GROWING NETWORK, OWA AWARDED OVER $2M IN FUNDING TO 36 GROUPS ACROSS 30 COUNTRIES AND 6 CONTINENTS, INCLUDING FIRST-TIME GRANTEES IN AUSTRALIA, CHILE, COLOMBIA, HUNGARY, INDONESIA, AND ITALY. OUR GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM DEMONSTRATED IMPRESSIVE REACH AND IMPACT, WITH OVER 6,180 ACTIONS TAKEN BY NEARLY 1,300 CHANGEMAKERS AND OVER 1.48 MILLION MESSAGES SENT TO DECISION-MAKERS DEMANDING CHANGE. THE MOVEMENT'S STRENGTH WAS FURTHER DEMONSTRATED BY OVER 56,000 DONATIONS FROM 15,400 GENEROUS SUPPORTERS. THIS EXPANDING COALITION OF ACTIVISTS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND SUPPORTERS CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN OUR GLOBAL MOVEMENT FOR ANIMAL PROTECTION, CREATING LASTING CHANGE FOR ANIMALS WORLDWIDE.

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 2006.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.

  6. 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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