As the Director of Philanthropic Advising & Programs at Farmed Animal Funders, a community of major philanthropists powering a future free from factory farming, I lead our bespoke advising and build out member programs, such as pooled funds, funding circles, member calls, and in-person retreats.
Additionally, I serve as a Fund Manager with the Effective Altruism Animal Welfare Fund, where I investigate, recommend, and track promising grants to reduce or prevent the suffering of animals around the world.
Previously, as the Global Director of Corporate Engagement at Mercy For Animals, I led an international team in partnering with global food companies to develop strong animal welfare policies for the farmed animals in their supply chains. To support the wider animal protection movement, I have mentored and trained organizations around the world in corporate outreach techniques and strategy, and spoken at international animal protection and effective altruism conferences.
I hold a Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy degree with distinction from Vermont Law School. I received my bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Studies from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Zoë Sigle
Karma: 728
Hi John,
Anecdotally and from my perspective, infighting within the animal protection movement has decreased notably over the last decade, but this doesn’t mean it’s gone. Additionally, as you know (but sharing for those reading), infighting is not the only contributor to mental health challenges in our space.
The EA Animal Welfare Fund historically has not funded advocate mental health work directly. Given our limited funds and our niche within the wider funder communities for both the animal protection and effective altruism movements, the EA Animal Welfare Fund is not currently prioritizing funding direct mental health assistance for advocates. However, we are not fundamentally opposed to funding this kind of work if we were to review a strong application demonstrating (amongst other criteria) movement need, an excellent track record, cost-effectiveness (in terms of expected indirect animal impact), and inability to secure sufficient funding from other sources.
With that said, we have funded capacity-building organizations, like Scarlet Spark, where part of their services include improvements to team wellbeing.
Additionally, the EA Animal Welfare Fund considers interpersonal dynamics and organizational cultures when conducting grant evaluations, whether this means conflicts between individuals within an organization or conflicts between organizations. The community health team at the Centre for Effective Altruism has supported our fund managers in investigating conflict allegations regarding applicants and navigating funding recommendation options (including exit grants and full rejections). We have declined to fund several applications when we see organizations not engaging as respectful team players within the wider movement space. We have also phased out funding for at least one organization where we observed organizational cultural issues that were detrimental to employee well-being and mental health and, in our estimation, the long-term sustainability of the organization’s impact on animals.
Thank you for caring about the mental health of our animal advocate community. I know your organization, Overcome, coaches at least some animal advocates through mental health challenges, and I have heard (anecdotal) positive testimonials from advocates receiving coaching. To your point of “willingness to use existing services is low,” I encourage animal advocates reading this, who might be in need of mental health support, to reach out to Overcome to assess fit for support.