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 Giving What We Can
Animal Charity Evaluators and Giving What We Can both land on Depends.
Giving What We Can
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Take it if you're financially stable and want a curated path to effective giving plus an accountable community.
| Compare | ||
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Effective-altruism donors | Committed effective-giving donors |
| Who it's not for | Donors expecting shelter, rescue, or local animal picks | Anyone who can't comfortably spare 10% of pre-tax income |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.¹ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.15 |
| Support quality | Hosts Reddit AMAs; engages critics publicly. | No evidence in sources reviewed |
| 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 | Pledgers describe the 10% commitment as sustainable and meaningful, including on modest incomes. |
| Biggest gotcha | Free to read, but ACE fundraises from the same donors it advises . conflict-of-interest critiques exist⁴ | Pledge terms debated publicly; conflicting funding-bar interpretations caused friction with dedicated donors. |
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 Giving What We Can when
- Committed effective-giving donors
- High earners wanting vetted charities
- People wanting a giving community
When Giving What We Can is not a fit
- Anyone who can't comfortably spare 10% of pre-tax income
- People allergic to public, lifelong commitments
- Companies or teams . this is for individuals
- Casual donors wanting one-off, no-commitment giving
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
- Giving What We Cangivingwhatwecan.orgofficial
- Our impactgivingwhatwecan.orgofficial
- Donation Platformgivingwhatwecan.orgofficial
- Fundraisersgivingwhatwecan.orgofficial
- Product security pagegivingwhatwecan.orgsecurity
- GWWC's 2020-2022 Impact evaluation (executive summary)forum.effectivealtruism.orgreview