Donate

Your donation supports a better world for wild animals.

You make it possible for us to continue developing an academic field for wild animal welfare science through research, grants, and professional services. Last year, 40% of our total operating budget came from individual supporters like you.

We believe people should do what they can to reduce wild animal suffering responsibly with data-backed interventions. While conservation biology is concerned with questions of how humans can minimize their negative impacts on species and ecosystems, our field is largely driven by the question of how humans can improve the total well-being of wild animals. There’s not enough data available yet to conclusively answer that question, which is why it’s so important for us to produce and enable as much research in this area as possible.

We envision a robust and diverse community of researchers around the world who are working on this problem, and your support makes it possible for us to keep that vision alive.

Primates: An Evolutionary Board Game

The makers of the board game Primates are offering 50% off your purchase of the deluxe version of the game if you donate $50 to a charity like Wild Animal Initiative, or a free copy of the game if you donate at least $500 to Wild Animal Initiative specifically. Donations must be made during November 2025.

After completing your donation to Wild Animal Initiative on this page, you can follow the steps outlined on their website to take advantage of their offer.

Please note that currently they can ship the game only to the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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Wild Animal Initiative is one of the most impactful giving opportunities assessed by Animal Charity Evaluators.

 
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Contact us

Contact our Development team with your questions and requests, such as updating an established recurring donation or giving from a country not listed below.

Email us
 

More ways to give

  • You can make a fee-free donation to Wild Animal Initiative via Every.org.

  • Write out the check to Wild Animal Initiative, then mail it to:

    Wild Animal Initiative
    Attn: Development
    5123 W 98th St, #1204
    Minneapolis, MN 55437

  • For information on transferring funds electronically to Wild Animal Initiative, please contact our Development team.

  • Donate stock of any amount to WAI via Every.org.

  • You can donate Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dai, Ethereum, Litecoin, or USD Coin through Every.org.

  • For information on donating via your donor advised fund, please contact our Development team.

  • Donors in the US who have an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and are over 70½ years of age may be able to make a tax-deductible donation to WAI from their IRA. The IRS provides more information about this qualified charitable distribution (QCD) option in Publication 590-B, Distributions from Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs).

    If you are interested in giving via your IRA, please contact our Development team.

  • Leave a legacy for wild animals

    Your legacy can be one of compassion and care for wild animals and their habitats. 

    Making a planned gift to Wild Animal Initiative is a powerful way to extend your impact far into the future. It's as simple as naming WAI as a beneficiary in your will, retirement plan, IRA, or life insurance policy.

    How to include Wild Animal Initiative in your will

    To designate a specific dollar amount, asset, or percentage of your estate to support Wild Animal Initiative's work, speak with your lawyer or planned giving advisor about adding language like this to your will:

    "I give, devise, and bequeath to Wild Animal Initiative (EIN: 82-2281466) the sum of $________ (or a description of the specific asset) for the benefit of Wild Animal Initiative and its general purposes."

    Your planned gift will help us continue our vital research and advocacy to improve the lives of wild animals.

    To discuss additional planned giving options, please contact our Development team.

  • Don’t see your country listed here?

    Please contact our Development team if you have questions about making an international gift to Wild Animal Initiative.

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Donor Privacy Policy

Wild Animal Initiative adheres to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP’s) Donor Bill of Rights and Code of Ethical Principles and Standards for Fundraisers. (These documents are available for free by download on the AFP’s website.) This means that we do not and will never sell, rent, trade, or share the names, email or mail addresses, or telephone numbers of our supporters with any outside business or organization.

Wild Animal Initiative is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit incorporated in the State of Minnesota. Gifts are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations. EIN 82-2281466.

See state fundraising notices.