Voiceless Grants Program inspires the next generation of changemakers for animals
In 2025, 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 2025.
Sam Yan Press Sentient A Just World ICARE Professor Clive Phillips Freedom Farm Owl and the Pussycat Modern Agriculture Foundation Magic Valley Vets for Compassion LA Wildfire Relief for Animals
Animal Rights in Thailand
We’re delighted to announce that, with the support of a Voiceless grant, independent Thai publisher Sam Yan Press is translating and publishing seminal works on animal rights, helping to bridge ethical philosophy and animal advocacy in a culturally relevant way.
By translating key texts, including Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility by renowned philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum and The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights, Sam Yan Press is creating new pathways for reflection and dialogue across faith, academia, and activism.
Exposing Animal Cruelty and Building a New Investigative Movement in India
We’re proud to highlight our newest Voiceless grant recipient, Sentient, whose work is transforming the animal-protection landscape across India. Through their Global Animal Activists Community (GAAC+) program, Sentient is creating a network of trained investigators dedicated to uncovering cruelty and driving systemic reform.
Since receiving Voiceless support, Sentient has expanded its impact through a series of powerful initiatives:
- Webinars & Training: In collaboration with India Animal Fund and FIAPO, Sentient co-hosted Using Investigations to Grow Your Activism — reaching participants across India and introducing how investigations can expose hidden cruelty, strengthen legal and media advocacy, and inspire evidence-based activism.
A second Introduction to Investigations webinar, run with Welfare Matters, welcomed advocates from five Asian countries, offering practical guidance and insights from experienced field investigators. - Asia Investigations Symposium: Co-organised with Reporters for Animals International, this landmark event brought together participants from over 10 countries, who are now connected and collaborating on projects and shared investigative tools. Read the event summary and key insights here.
- Investigations Masterclass 2025: Launching this month, this free 12-week online course covers equipment handling, cyber-security, legal frameworks, mental health, and campaigning. Speakers include experts from FIAPO, We Animals Media’s Jo-Anne McArthur, and veteran Asian investigators.
- India Investigative Report: Sentient recently presented findings from their groundbreaking India Investigation Report at the AVA India Summit, highlighting the urgent need for investigative networks to address the hidden realities of industrial farming and strengthen protections for animals across the Global South.
With mentorship, community building, and investigative capacity-building at its core, GAAC+ empowers advocates to document the realities of the fast-growing industrial farming industry and catalyse change through media exposure and policy influence.
A Just World – Systems thinking to transform the future for animals, people, and the planet
A Just World, a systems-focused Indian NGO dedicated to transforming food systems, sits at the intersection of animal protection, environmental sustainability, and social justice — advancing plant-based solutions for a healthier, more equitable world. With Voiceless’s grant support, A Just World expanded its youth-based educational program, Food and You 2.0. In the past six months, they have:
- Served 105,000+ plant-based meals across 15 schools and directly engaged 11,000+ students.
- Expanded grassroots leadership through their Network for Animals, People, and Planet (NAPP), now with 85+ partners working across animal protection, sustainable food systems, and climate action.
- Run plant-based digital campaigns, including one reaching 200,000 people on World Population Day.
This project demonstrates how systems thinking and cross-sectional collective action can reshape the future for animals, people, and the planet.
Voiceless Funds ICARE’s Pioneering Animal Rights Course
Voiceless is proud to support the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE) with new grant funding for its groundbreaking online course, Contemporary Issues in Animal Rights Law (CIARL).
This unique program blends academic theory with practical advocacy and litigation skills, equipping participants from diverse backgrounds with the skills required to transform legal systems and societal norms by advocating for the universal recognition and enforcement of legal rights for animals.
Born from a vision to fill the gap in legal education—where animal rights law is often overlooked—ICARE fosters a global community of ‘scholactivists’ who bridge academia and animal advocacy to drive systemic change.
Voiceless’s funding will directly support the delivery of the next scheduled course in 2025 as well as scholarships for Global South applicants. Together, we’re ensuring animal rights education is accessible, inclusive, and globally impactful.
Towards an Ethical Approach to Animals
We are delighted to share a new memoir by Professor Clive Phillips – Australia’s first professor of animal welfare and a long-time friend and advisor to Voiceless. In Towards an Ethical Approach to Animals, Clive shares his life’s work and research, building the case for a profound shift in how we view and treat animals. Drawing on ethics, science, and philosophy, his message is urgent: animal protection is not optional – it’s essential for a just and sustainable world. Clive’s book is open access and made freely available HERE.
“With over two-thirds of wildlife having been eradicated in the last fifty years, mostly replaced by intensively farmed animals, we are in danger of losing the Earth’s unique animal ecosystem. Unless we take rapid steps to care for the Earth’s animal heritage, it could disappear within just a few generations – a mere flicker compared to the 4 billion years it took to evolve.” – Professor Clive Phillips
School of Compassion
With support from Voiceless, Freedom Farm is expanding its school educational program. The School of Compassion will engage 2,000 students in 2025, bringing them face-to-face with rescued farmed animals. Incorporating social-emotional learning, they share stories of survival and encourage empathy, emotional development, and critical thinking.
The program does more than raise awareness – it transforms hearts and minds. Over 60% of past participating students report a stronger sense of compassion for animals, with at least 10% indicating a shift towards reducing animal product consumption.
Emergency Assistance for Animals After Cyclone Alfred
Cyclone Alfred was a frightening and challenging time in Northern New South Wales and South-East Queensland, and many farmed animals were particularly vulnerable.
An emergency grant was given to The Owl and the Pussycat, a 100% volunteer-driven nonprofit farmed animal rescue and sanctuary. We appreciate their dedication to caring for their animal residents and ensuring their health and safety during this natural disaster.
Empowering chefs to create plant-forward menus
Voiceless is excited to support a unique initiative that provides plant-based cooking training and education to chefs and culinary professionals. Reimagining menus with delicious plant-based foods is one of the most impactful ways we can create a kinder world for animals.
Developed and run by the Modern Agriculture Foundation, these workshops help chefs understand the benefits of offering plant-based menu options and teach them how to enhance the taste, presentation, and appearance of these dishes. For many people open to trying alternative proteins, it’s essential that their first tasting experience is positive, encouraging them to return for more.
In the first of many workshops, 15 emerging chefs explored how to incorporate local alternative protein products into their menus. Through hands-on learning and expert insights, participants discovered new ways to create delicious, sustainable dishes using cutting-edge food technologies.
Saving Lambs with Magic Valley
Voiceless is thrilled to announce its first “investment grant” with Magic Valley, a Melbourne-based cultivated meat company.
Magic Valley plans to launch the world’s first “cultivated lamb” mince in 2026, amongst other products. This will help save millions of lambs killed in Australia each year. Magic Valley utilises ethical, cell-based technology to replace intensively farmed animal-derived meats. They are foetal bovine serum-free and non-GMO. Our support will go towards their regulatory submission for the approval of commercialising these products.
Cell-based animal products are a win-win solution that provides a sustainable, secure food system and CAN POTENTIALLY save the lives of trillions of animals killed for consumption each year. It can end factory farming and animal agriculture while meeting the increasing global demand for animal products.
This grant is in line with our criteria, which state that we are “open to opportunities for ‘impact investing’ with small grassroots companies or start-ups with bright, innovative ideas in the vegan space.”
Any profits generated from this investment grant will be reinvested into Voiceless’s work to protect animals.
Grampian (Geriwerd) Bushfire Wildlife Rescues – Vets for Compassion
The Vets for Compassion team has provided lifesaving medical support and care for our precious and vulnerable wildlife during the recent Grampian (Geriwerd) bushfires. This devastating blaze affected one of Victoria’s most biologically important landscapes, scorching over 76,000 hectares of national park and farmland, and resulting in the loss of many animals.
Their work is both physically and emotionally demanding, involving long treks through burnt landscapes to search for survivors, administering tranquilizers to injured animals, and making the toughest decisions with compassion.
LA Wildfire Relief for Animals
Voiceless is deeply moved and saddened by the catastrophic wildfires in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas. The destruction of homes, the shattering of communities, and the upheaval of lives have left us all shaken. Our hearts go out to those facing the daunting task of rebuilding.
This tragedy has also taken a heavy toll on animals—both companion animals and wildlife. In response, our Voiceless emergency grant program has supported the incredible Los Angeles-based organization, Best Friends Animal Society, dedicated to aiding animals during this crisis.
Currently, the dedicated team at Best Friends Animal Society in Los Angeles is actively working on the ground, providing critical rescue and shelter efforts for displaced animals. They are ensuring that these animals are welcomed into temporary foster homes or forever homes. Additionally, they have established a comprehensive pet pantry, fully equipped with food and supplies for current or new pet owners. They also operate the largest animal sanctuary in the USA, based in Utah, to which they are transporting animals to ensure their safety and provide the urgent medical care many need.
We thank them for their relentless work and commitment to responding to urgent calls for help from residents and shelters in affected areas. The animals of LA are deeply in our thoughts, and we hope that by lending a helping hand in this way, we can contribute to rebuilding their lives as well.
