What You Can Do

Elephants - Photo by Nick Carson

Make a Donation

Our work to protect animals would not be possible without the generous donations we receive each year. The Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) is committed to using our donors’ contributions for the direct benefit of animals, with more than 90 percent of funds going toward program expenses.

Support AWI

Thanks to the support and donations from our dedicated members across the globe:

  • We won a preliminary injunction to block the Bureau of Land Management from proceeding with outdated and inhumane sterilization surgeries on wild horses.
  • We persuaded a federal court that the US Fish and Wildlife Service is violating the Endangered Species Act and National Environmental Policy Act by failing to protect the only wild population of red wolves.
  • We released a first-of-its-kind report that quantifies farm animal deaths from barn fires across the country and continue our work to prevent such horrific incidents in the future.
  • We provided crucial evidence that enabled the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Standing Committee to determine that Japan’s marketing of products from sei whales hunted on the high seas violates the treaty.
  • We succeeded in getting the Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act passed by Congress and signed into law. The PAWS Act expands resources to help domestic violence victims find shelter for themselves and their companion animals while providing law enforcement agencies with additional tools to protect people and pets from abuse.
  • A bill we introduced into the Illinois legislature to ban the sale of animal-tested cosmetics in the state passed and was signed into law.
  • In addition to our efforts in the United States, we worked with legislators in Canada and Ecuador to pass groundbreaking laws prohibiting the public display of and trade in whales, dolphins, and porpoises.
  • We partnered with HarperCollins publishers and acclaimed children’s book author Katherine Applegate to rally young people to join the fight to protect endangered species.
  • We launched the Animal Welfare Institute Scholarship—a scholarship program for exemplary students who intend to pursue a career that will seek to reduce animal suffering and safeguard vulnerable species.

Take Action to Help Animals

Take action to help protect animals by visiting AWI’s Action Center and signing up for action alerts. Please spread awareness about these issues with your friends and family and encourage them to take action, too!

Get Involved

  • Spread the word about AWI to your friends, family, and social media audiences.
  • Visit our Job Openings and Internships pages to learn about available opportunities.
  • AWI welcomes pro bono assistance from attorneys interested in working on animal protection cases. If interested in finding out more about opportunities to use your legal background and skills to help animals, please contact AWI’s Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Susan Milward, at [email protected].

Animal Programs

Please click on a topic below to learn more about AWI’s programs and find out what you can do to help animals: