ACE\u2019s new Greatest Need Fund launched on December 1, 2025. Your generosity powered our first distribution of <\/i>$357,254<\/i><\/b> this month! We look forward to sharing the impact.<\/i><\/p>\n $243,681 to the Recommended Charity Fund<\/b><\/p>\n $110,000 to Movement Grants<\/b><\/p>\n $3,573 to ACE\u2019s operations<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Greatest Need Fund<\/a> is a multi-purpose fund that serves the dynamic needs of animals in a shifting philanthropic landscape. It disburses funds across the Recommended Charity Fund, Movement Grants, and our own operating costs (up to a maximum of 10% of each distribution).<\/p>\n As opportunities and challenges evolve across the animal advocacy movement, this fund lets ACE pivot quickly, ensuring your support always flows where it does the most good.<\/p>\n We built this fund on transparency. Transparency helps donors give with confidence by making clear. exactly how our decisions are made, the reasoning behind them, and how our methodology evolves with each distribution.<\/p>\n Read on to learn how we made this decision and where your donations are making the most impact for animals.<\/p>\n Our decision committee \u2014 the Movement Grants Manager, Charity Evaluations Manager, Development Director, and Executive Director \u2014 held its first meeting in May 2026. <\/p>\n We first determined ACE\u2019s allocation (up to 10% of the fund balance), then split the remaining balance between the Recommended Charity Fund and our Movement Grants program.<\/p>\n We weighed five criteria when deciding how to disburse the fund:<\/p>\n Marginal cost-effectiveness was the primary criterion. We asked: Based on the best available information, would funds do more good through the Recommended Charity Fund or Movement Grants?<\/p>\n Pipeline considerations for the latest Movement Grants Round were particularly important for this first distribution decision. This is because this Round\u2019s timing overlapped with our Greatest Need Fund decision, so we had unusually current information about who would or would not normally be awarded a grant. In comparison, our last distribution from the Recommended Charity Fund was several months ago, in February, so our information about the plans and room for more funding of our Recommended Charities was less current. In future distribution decisions, this relative information asymmetry might be reversed.<\/p>\n For ACE\u2019s operational allocation, we chose a specific purpose rather than general, unrestricted funds, as this shows donors exactly where their money goes. In future distributions, ACE may take 0%, or up to 10% when it genuinely supports our capacity to deliver better programming for animals.<\/p>\n Eleanor McAree, Movement Grants Manager<\/b>, \u201cThis round, the amount raised for Movement Grants would not have been enough to support four strong applicants on our list. An additional $110,000 from the Greatest Need Fund made those grants possible, supporting organizations we think can do excellent work for animals.<\/i>\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Donate to the Greatest Need Fund<\/a><\/p>\n We have a number of uncertainties about our decision methodology, particularly as this was the first distribution from the Greatest Need Fund, which may be updated by the evolution of the fund over time.<\/p>\n Alongside differences in how current our funding information was across programs during this distribution cycle, we think it will always be difficult to decide a specific allocation to ACE, since we currently lack good estimates about our own <\/i>room for more funding. Both for the Greatest Need Fund and more broadly, we are continuing to better understand how much more money our growing team can absorb without leading to diminishing returns for animals. <\/p>\n We lack data on how these Movement Grant recipients will perform relative to their stated goals, or how they compare to grantees funded without Greatest Need Fund support. We are also moderately uncertain whether the Recommended Charity Fund vs. Movement Grants split is the right framework. Regular quarterly disbursements and ongoing monitoring will help sharpen our understanding. <\/p>\n We plan to make distribution decisions quarterly, beginning with the quarter running from April through June 2026, updating our methodology as the fund evolves. <\/p>\n Next steps:<\/p>\n Donate to the Greatest Need Fund<\/a><\/p>\n Thank you to everyone who donated to the Greatest Need Fund since its December launch. Your gift is going where it does the most good for animals. If you haven\u2019t yet donated, we hope this inspires you! Your action today can help reduce animal suffering tomorrow.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n Emma joined ACE in September 2025. She is a lifelong supporter of animals with a focus on effective advocacy since moving to Wisconsin in 2015. Emma loves walks with her rescue dog, Sophie, and getting outside in every season. In her free time, she directs a trail running business. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n ACE is dedicated to creating a world where all animals can thrive, regardless of their species. We take the guesswork out of supporting animal advocacy by directing funds toward the most impactful charities and programs, based on evidence and research. <\/p>\n \n \n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n $58,000,000+<\/span>
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\n <\/span><\/p>\nMay 2026 Distribution<\/h2>\n
About the Greatest Need Fund<\/h2>\n
Why share this information? <\/h2>\n
The decision<\/h2>\n
ACE (Operations)<\/h3>\n
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Movement Grants<\/h3>\n
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Recommended Charity Fund<\/h3>\n
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Our reasoning<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/animalcharityevaluators.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/eleanor-mcaree-new.png.webp\"\/)
\n<\/picture>\nUncertainties<\/h2>\n
Future distributions<\/h2>\n
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/animalcharityevaluators.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/emma-cameron.jpeg.webp\"\/)
\n<\/picture>\n <\/div>\nAbout Emma Gonzalez<\/h3>\n
![\"ace](\"https:\/\/animalcharityevaluators.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ACE_Logo_Horizontal_FullColorDark.svg\"){kind=logo}
\n <\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/animalcharityevaluators.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ace-people-icon-stats.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
\n 167 <\/span>
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\n Recipients working on promising projects. <\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/animalcharityevaluators.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ace-globe-icon-stats.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
\n 42 <\/span>
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\n Countries across six continents. <\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/animalcharityevaluators.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/ace-money-icon-stats.svg\"){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n
\n $68M <\/span>
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\n Donations within the animal advocacy movement. <\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n in donations already made to our recommended charities between January 2019 and March 2025<\/span>\n <\/p>\nLooking to make your first donation? We\u2019re happy to help<\/h2>\n
\n Learn more <\/a>
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\n Donate now <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n