Voiceless Grants Program inspires the next generation of changemakers for animals

In 2024, the Voiceless Grants Program continues to inspire and empower a new wave of changemakers dedicated to the protection of animals. Building on the impact of our annual grants giving program in recent years, we are committed to creating a just and equitable world where animals can flourish by supporting and investing in changemakers, visionary organisations and initiatives that reform our social, cultural and political systems. Below are the next generation of changemakers for animals who successfully applied to the Voiceless Grants Program and whom we will partner with in 2024.

Indigenous delegation advocates for kangaroos in Europe

Voiceless is delighted to partner with Back to Country on a world-first initiative. A delegation of Indigenous Australians will travel to meet key European Parliament members and voice their cultural concerns over the continued commercial kangaroo trade in the EU. The trip will highlight the deep connection the kangaroo / buru has to Indigenous people and to Country.

Progress is already being made in Italy to introduce a national bill banning the import and trade of products derived from the commercial hunting of kangaroos. Watch the First Nations delegation address members of the Italian Parliament in Rome, and stay tuned for further updates on this project.

The Kangaroo Coexistence Project

Voiceless is delighted to support The Kangaroo Coexistence Project led by Kangaroos Alive. The project will develop an innovative platform educating, inspiring, and empowering Australian farmers and landholders with proven and effective kangaroo management practices. The project will draw upon Australian farmers’ experiences and independent scientific research to help them transition from decades of ineffective and lethal management strategies to a successful future of coexistence with kangaroos. It’s a win-win for both kangaroos and farmers.

Blue the Grey

Australia has the largest greyhound racing industry in the world, and of the 103 greyhound racing tracks left in the world, just over half are found here. In the 2022 financial year, $10.65 billion was wagered on this gambling industry, which perpetuates a cycle of cruelty towards these gentle dogs. Voiceless is delighted to announce its support of a new nationally representative Australian greyhound charity, Blue the Grey. To honour Blue, a beloved ex-racing greyhound, Blue the Grey will work strategically to end dog racing by rallying communities and driving legislative change.

Thrive Philanthropy

Voiceless is delighted to partner with the Thrive Africa Vegan Women’s Initiative. A project of Thrive Philanthropy, the initiative provides leadership skills, campaign skills, and a safe network of like-minded women-identified vegan advocates across African countries. The animal protection movement across Africa is just beginning, and to date, women have been underrepresented in animal advocacy. The initiative will unite these inspiring activists and build a stronger vegan network to speak up for animals and transform food systems within their communities.

 Hear what members are saying about Thrive Africa’s Vegan Women’s Initiative

Gladys Mumbi AMREF University Student Africa Vegan Women’s Initiative (AVWI)

As a young Kenyan advocate, I’ve faced many challenges in promoting plant-based diets. Many people see plant-based food as boring or only for those with less money, and many in my generation, Gen Z, prefer foreign diets that don’t fit with plant-based living. These challenges often lead to stress and make it hard to stay motivated. Attending the AVWI’s first workshop helped me a lot. We learned how self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness can make us better leaders. I realised the importance of knowing myself, managing my emotions, and staying calm, which is especially helpful when people don’t understand or reject what I’m advocating for. We also learned ways to prevent burnout and take care of our well-being. Now, I feel more prepared to face the challenges in my advocacy work without losing my energy and passion. This workshop gave me the tools to continue sharing the benefits of a plant-based diet with my community, and I am thankful for the support that made it possible.

Capacity building in India to improve the lives of farmed animals

Animal Photojournalism captures the lived experiences of animals, those who live amongst us, but we fail to see. Voiceless is delighted to support the world’s leading animal photojournalism organisation, We Animals to undertake an inaugural mentoring and capacity building project in India where factory farming is currently on the rise.

We Animals has partnered with the umbrella animal advocacy organisation Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation (FIAPO) to support mentoring their affiliates with photojournalism skills. NGOs need strong visuals and investigative tools, and this training program will help FIAPO’s 80+ member animal protection organisations tell animals’ stories and improve millions of animals’ lives across India.

Voiceless and Envoy Foundation challenge outdated shark management plan

In Australia, the Queensland and New South Wales Governments shark control programs use tactics and methods first established in the 1930s. Lethal and indiscriminate baited drum lines and shark nets attempt to protect swimmers and surfers; however, their effectiveness has been scientifically disproven. They not only pose a threat to sharks, a species under great threat but also to a multitude of other “protected” marine life.

Voiceless recently joined forces with the Envoy Foundation to legally challenge the New South Wales Government’s shark-culling program, which has seen the routine culling of tens of thousands of sharks and other marine animals in the name of beachgoer safety since the program began.

The Envoy Foundation was instrumental in creating the Nets Out Now coalition of over 50 organisations (Voiceless included) to end the lethal and destructive shark mitigation methods the NSW and QLD state governments have had in place for decades.

Sign the petition asking decision-makers to stop killing sharks and other marine life, and to modernise shark bite mitigation in Australia.

Alt Proteins and the Modern Agriculture Foundation

Did you know that Alt Proteins is the fastest growing food technology and innovation trend, with a recent annual growth rate of 26%? Consumers are increasingly shifting towards alternative protein sources, driven by ethical, health and environmental considerations.

Voiceless is proud to support outstanding female leadership within the Alt Proteins field through the Modern Agriculture Foundation (MAF). MAF are on a mission to accelerate the growth of the alternative protein ecosystem, foster high-impact innovation, spark entrepreneurship and nurture a collaborative community in Israel and beyond. Active locally and globally, MAF supports food tech start-ups and leads the Middle East’s only alternative proteins accelerator.

With 30% of the food tech sector led by women, it is unfortunate to see only 4% of these visionaries funded by venture capitalists. Through female-led networking and training events, MAF is advancing the Alt Proteins ecosystem for females and creating the future of food.

National survey highlights a future for Aussie dairy farmers beyond milk

The immense suffering of dairy cows and their calves is a sad reality of the dairy industry, as well as the struggle and uncertainty facing dairy farmers.

Voiceless supported Farm Transitions Australia’s commission of a National Dairy Farmer Survey which spotlighted the challenges farmers are up against and their willingness to consider animal-free and more compassionate futures.

	36.1% of dairy farmers expressed a willingness to transition away from dairy farming altogether.		85% express the urgent need for additional resources to make informed decisions about the future of their farms.
	37.4% expressed scepticism or uncertainty about the future sustainability of the dairy industry.		19% are open to transitioning into horticultural or other business ventures.

The overwhelming plea for support from farmers highlights the vital role that education, guidance, and resources play in shaping more compassionate and empathetic futures for dairy cows and dairy farmers. Voiceless is delighted to bolster Farm Transitions Australia’s role in offering farmers this support and a resilient and pragmatic roadmap away from animal farming.

Click here to learn more and read the full research report.

Gentle giants need protection from greyhound racing

On Australian tracks, approximately five greyhounds die every week and over 10,000 are injured each year while racing. Eleven thousand greyhounds are bred for racing each year and of them, approximately 25% become “wastage”. Only six countries worldwide allow greyhound racing and 64 of these existing tracks are in Australia (more than the rest of the world combined). Racing greyhounds are not protected by the same laws afforded to companion dogs and need our protection from the inherently cruel and poorly regulated industry that they have been bred into.

Voiceless is proud to support a coalition of greyhound protection organisations to progress strategies to ban greyhound racing. Some of this information is still under embargo, but we can share that these campaigns are committed to ending the suffering of racing greyhounds, influencing public opinion and targeting state governments to commit to a ban on this cruel industry.

Defend the Wild explores the dual identity of Australia’s iconic dingo

Voiceless is thrilled to support Defend the Wild’s new documentary, Native Pest, which tells the story of one of the most controversial animals in Australia, the dingo. Dingoes are considered both a “pest”, subjected to systems of indiscriminate and cruel lethal control, and “ecologically significant”, for keeping Australia’s delicate ecosystems in balance. This doco explores the cultural significance of our only Indigenous canine and the fractured relationship between the natural world and Australia’s agricultural industry.

In 2023, the Defend the Wild team began filming Native Pest in collaboration with actor Ellen Burbidge, widely known for her work with the Juice Media. They filmed interviews with individuals who lost their beloved dogs to 1080 poison, and Dr. Louise Boronyak on her expertise around non-lethal alternatives for landholders. Two further interviews have taken place in January 2024, one being with Yaraan Couzens-Bundle regarding the deep significance of the Dingo has to many First Nations people.

Due to government policies and inherited ways of thinking, 1080 poison baits and painful foothold traps are utilised to kill Dingoes, despite evidence suggesting this could leave livestock more likely to be attacked. Defend the Wild’s remaining interviews will uncover these topics more deeply, as well as offer non-lethal predator mitigation strategies that benefit both landholders and Dingoes. Presenting the Dingo as a trespasser on their homeland, Native Pest looks to a future where Australia’s Indigenous animals are respected on the land where they belong, calling on citizens to take a stance, and governments to act.

Mounting pressure for Live Sheep Export Ban

Yet another live export disaster unfolded with 16,000 animals stranded on board the MV Bahijah in the heat of summer, amidst a global conflict. The live export trade is inherently cruel and indefensible and the situation highlights again how the governance system in Australia is unable to regulate and manage animal welfare.

Voiceless has joined our friends at the Australian Alliance for Animals (and the broader End Live Sheep Exports working group) to continue lobbying for a national phase-out of the live sheep export industry and an Independent National Animal Welfare Commission.