The Voiceless Grant Program supports impactful initiatives in line with our vision to create a just, equitable world where animals can flourish.
Billions of animals worldwide experience lives of abject suffering and deprivation in the animal-industrial complex, condoned by law, policy, and social institutions.
The Voiceless Grants Program focuses exclusively on the root causes of animal exploitation and works to shift the anti-animal values, beliefs and assumptions that shape our political, social, legal and economic systems. Rather than working under existing attitudes, we support transformative, disruptive stances, visionary projects, partners and ideas, that will challenge the status-quo, ensure animals have fair and effective legal rights and realise our vision for a just and equitable where animals can flourish.
We invest in people and projects to foster pro-animal values and create lasting systemic change by disrupting the status quo and reforming our social, political, legal and institutional systems.
If you are a changemaker dedicated to protecting animals, we would love to hear from you. Please be sure to read our eligibility criteria and guide on how to apply before you start an application
WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES IN PROJECTS:
- Addressing root causes of exploitative animal-based systems
- Transformative and disruptive ideas
- Vegan philosophy
- Promotion of animals’ flourishing
- Out of the box, blue sky, innovative and creative thinking
- Solutions based ideas
- Raising human consciousness beyond speciesism and anthropocentrism.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES IN PEOPLE:
- Aligned with Voiceless’s mission and values
- Passionate about animal protection
- Committed to the animal protection movement
- Tenacious in their approach
- Creative and out-of-box thinking
- Youthful, in age or spirit.
WE ARE LOOKING TO INVEST IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
- Education: humane and animal protection education
- Law and Policy: legislative reforms and progressive policy/lobbying work
- Social values: Increasing animal-rights values and reducing speciesism, qualitative and quantitative (academic or grassroots) research that contributes to understanding in these fields
- Science and Technology: positive solutions-based alternatives to animal use and cruelty
- Network and coalition building: conferences, symposia, cohort programs, grassroots organizing, organisational alliances, First Nation or faith-based community organising
- Creativity: blue sky thinking, innovative and visionary initiatives, research, organisations, and efforts that go beyond longstanding and traditional animal advocacy work, expanding the thinking.
VOICELESS IS NOT LOOKING TO INVEST IN THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES AND / OR AREAS:
- Animal protection issues that are small or localised – in order to see maximum impact for animals, we want to focus on large institutionalised, industrialised, national or international issues.
- Animal welfare: minimising suffering for animals in captivity, minimising suffering for animals that will be used by humans in some way
- Projects that use animal products (animal-based food, leather, etc.)
- Projects or organisations that benefit, support, or are impartial to animal agriculture or other exploitation of animals
- Anything where the ultimate focus is human well-being versus animal flourishing.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION OF APPLICANTS:
While Voiceless is an Australian-based organisation, we are open to expanding our support for people and organisations internationally / wherever they may be located. We are focusing on the outcome for animals and less on the geography of a grant application.
We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with The Pollination Project for all Voiceless grant-giving in the areas of Africa, the Middle East, South America and Asia. We encourage applicants in these regions to apply via The Pollination Project’s website.
ORGANISATIONAL STATUS:
Preference will be given to not-for-profit organisations and/or animal advocates. However, Voiceless may be open to opportunities for ‘impact investing’ with small grassroots companies or start-ups with bright, innovative ideas in the vegan space. Note: All profits will be returned to the Voiceless Grants Program.
SELECTION CRITERIA & PROCESS:
All grant expressions of interest are subject to a standard due diligence process and will be assessed based on a pre-determined selection criteria. Our team of Voiceless Grant Advisors will be involved in the selection process and are comprised of some of Australia’s most prominent animal lawyers, scientists and advocates. Click here to view our 2023 Voiceless Grant Advisory team.
EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST (EOI) TIMINGS AND PROCESSES FOR 2023:
- EOI will be open from Wednesday, 1st February 2023 at 9am AEST
- Voiceless will run two grant rounds per calendar year
- EOI deadlines are:
- Round 1: 30 June 2023
- Round 2: 30 November 2023.
You can apply here
