Animal Charity Evaluators
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Use it if you're an effective-altruism-minded donor who wants free, researched picks for animal charities and a pooled giving fund.
New check
Comparison
Animal Charity Evaluators vs GiveWell
Animal Charity Evaluators lands on Depends, and GiveWell lands on Worth it.
GiveWell
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Use it if you want free, evidence-backed routing of donations to rigorously vetted global health charities.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Worth it |
| Best for | Effective-altruism donors | Donors maximizing impact per dollar |
| Who it's not for | Donors expecting shelter, rescue, or local animal picks | Donors who want to choose their own charities |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.16 |
| Support quality | Hosts Reddit AMAs; engages critics publicly. | No support evidence found |
| Public sentiment | Sentiment is polarized: effective-altruism circles treat ACE as the default referral for animal giving, while public critiques on EA Forum, Medium, and Reddit question its methodology and affiliations.⁷ | Effective altruism communities largely praise GiveWell's rigor and impact focus while debating its model assumptions and narrow cause selection. |
| Biggest gotcha | Free to read, but ACE fundraises from the same donors it advises . conflict-of-interest critiques exist⁴ | Scammers impersonate GiveWell . verify the domain before donating16 |
Pick Animal Charity Evaluators when
- Effective-altruism donors
- Research-driven givers
- Small animal advocacy groups seeking grants
- Donors wanting a pooled charity fund
When Animal Charity Evaluators is not a fit
- Donors expecting shelter, rescue, or local animal picks
- Anyone wanting broad all-cause charity ratings
- Skeptics of effective-altruism cost-effectiveness methods
- Software buyers . this is a nonprofit research org, not a tool
Pick GiveWell when
- Donors maximizing impact per dollar
- Busy givers who trust third-party research
- Effective altruism community members
- Large donors wanting a grants portfolio
When GiveWell is not a fit
- Donors who want to choose their own charities
- People giving to local or community causes
- Buyers expecting an actual software product
- Anyone skeptical of cost-effectiveness methodology
Sources
- Charity Reviews . ACEanimalcharityevaluators.orgofficial
- How We Evaluate Charitiesanimalcharityevaluators.orgofficial
- Charity Navigator rating for ACEcharitynavigator.orgreview
- A Critique of Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) . EA Forumforum.effectivealtruism.orgreview
- Announcing ACE's 2024 Charity Recommendations . EA Forumforum.effectivealtruism.orgofficial
- Animal Charity Evaluators Review . Vetted Causesvettedcauses.comreview
review
- Movement Grants . ACEanimalcharityevaluators.orgofficial
- Cause Area Priorities . ACEanimalcharityevaluators.orgofficial
- GiveWell | Charity Reviews and Researchgivewell.orgofficial
- Our Top Charitiesgivewell.orgofficial
- All Grants Fundgivewell.orgofficial
- Our Mistakes - December 2024 versiongivewell.orgofficial
- External Reviews of GiveWell's Researchgivewell.orgofficial
- Scams Claiming to Be Associated with GiveWellgivewell.orgsecurity