Amanda Hungerford on Open Philanthropy's funding for farmed animal welfare
Aug 10, 2023
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Amanda Hungerford, Farm Animal Welfare Program Officer at Open Philanthropy, discusses common misconceptions about Open Philanthropy's grantmaking, challenges with corporate campaigns, strategies that Amanda is excited about, and their funding for global animal welfare advocacy. They also explore the stability of farm animal welfare funding and express gratitude for the podcast.
Corporate campaigns have proven effective in bringing tangible progress and change for animals by targeting corporations for improved welfare standards and alternative products.
Open Philanthropy emphasizes the need to take risks and make uncertain investments to maximize impact, focusing on interventions with potential for significant results.
Open Philanthropy is excited about supporting European policy work and building the global animal advocacy movement for lasting change and improvement in animal welfare.
Deep dives
Importance of Corporate Campaigns in Animal Advocacy
Corporate campaigns have proven to be effective in bringing tangible progress and enacting change for animals. Advocates focus on targeting corporations to push for improved welfare standards and alternatives to animal products. These campaigns have seen success in areas such as cage-free eggs in Europe. However, challenges include maintaining momentum, avoiding stagnation, and managing the perception that corporate campaigns are endless sources of funding.
The Need for Bold and Uncertain Bets in Funding
Open Philanthropy acknowledges the importance of taking risks and making uncertain investments in order to maximize impact. They emphasize the need to move away from playing it safe and instead focus on interventions that could potentially yield significant results, even if the chances of success are low. The organization recognizes the challenge of balancing measurable impact with funding interventions that may be harder to measure but hold tremendous potential.
Focus on Sustainable European Policy Change and Global Movement Building
Open Philanthropy is particularly excited about supporting European policy work that can bring lasting change and improvements in animal welfare. They also emphasize the importance of building and developing the animal advocacy movement globally, funding projects that help groups and elevate the profile of animal welfare in regions beyond those traditionally covered. Open Philanthropy aims to identify projects with the potential for high impact and connect advocates globally for maximum effectiveness.
Importance of Broadening the Movement
One key insight from the podcast is the importance of broadening the animal advocacy movement by supporting up-and-coming local organizations rather than relying solely on the expansion of international NGOs. This approach allows for a more contextualized and effective approach to advocacy work. Supporting local groups provides opportunities for sharing ideas, strategies, and best practices among advocates in different countries. While starting new organizations can be challenging and may not always succeed, fostering a network of support and collaboration can significantly increase the impact of animal welfare efforts.
Long-Term Approach and Adaptability
The podcast highlights the importance of taking a long-term perspective and being adaptable in funding animal advocacy efforts. Granting multi-year funding allows new initiatives and organizations ample time to develop and achieve impact. It is crucial to strike a balance between providing sufficient support for projects to succeed while avoiding persistently funding ineffective initiatives. Flexibility in funding different approaches, particularly in areas with less advocacy infrastructure, helps in igniting and sustaining animal welfare movements. The podcast also acknowledges the challenge of measuring success and the ongoing discussion about appropriate timelines for assessing impact.
We interviewed Amanda Hungerford, Farm Animal Welfare Program Officer at Open Philanthropy. Open Philanthropy is one of the largest funders of farmed animal welfare, giving tens of millions of dollars each year.
We spoke to Amanda about common misconceptions about Open Philanthropy's grantmaking, challenges with corporate campaigns, strategies that Amanda is excited about, and much more.
This was a really exciting episode for us to record so we hope you enjoy it too!
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