On this page you can make a donation to Rethink Charity Foundation (RC Forward) to support a high-impact charitable project. Please see the list in the donation form below for the projects RC Forward is currently soliciting contributions for.
Currently RC Forward supports a small cohort of projects. If you are interested in supporting a project that’s not in this cohort, please consider supporting it directly even though you will not receive a Canadian donation receipt. We advise donors to give tax-effectively if possible, while prioritizing impact over tax benefits.
The following projects are currently supported, and more information about each can be found below the Donation Form:
Global health and wellbeing projects:
- Antimalarial bednet distribution (Against Malaria Foundation)
- Cash transfers to people in extreme poverty (CAF Canada, implemented by GiveDirectly)
- Mass deworming programs (CAF Canada, implemented by Unlimit Health)
- Reducing iodine deficiency (Iodine Global Network)
- Ongoing research into the most effective charities and interventions (implemented by GiveWell)
Animal welfare projects:
- Evaluations to identify highly effective animal charities (CAF Canada, implemented by Animal Charity Evaluators)
- Reduce suffering for hens with cage-free accountability reports (CAF Canada, implemented by The Humane League)
- Improving farming practices on fish farms (CAF Canada, implemented by Fish Welfare Initiative)
- Improving aquatic animal welfare through global seafood standards (CAF Canada, implemented by Aquatic Life Institute)
- Improve understanding of wild animal welfare through innovative field research (CAF Canada, implemented by Wild Animal Initiative)
- Support undercover investigations within farms and slaughterhouses (CAF Canada, implemented by Animal Equality International)
- Reducing animal suffering in food industries of the Global South (CAF Canada, implemented by Sinergia Animal)
- Building the animal advocacy library (CAF Canada, implemented by Faunalytics)
Fighting climate change:
- Accelerate plant-based and cultivated meat innovation (CAF Canada, implemented by the Good Food Institute)
- Support thought leadership to repower coal plans with clean energy (CAF Canada, implemented by TerraPraxis)
- Increasing the flow of funding for clean energy in emerging economies (CAF Canada, implemented by Clean Air Task Force)
Cause area funds:
- RC Forward Global Health Fund
- RC Forward Animal Welfare Fund
Donation Form
Learn more about supported projects and funds
High-impact charitable projects
Please note that all supported projects currently operate on a quarterly gift direction schedule. Gifts raised before October 1, 2023, have supported the project or will do so in December 2023. Gifts raised October-December 2023 will support the project in early 2024, likely February. We add new projects periodically, so be sure to check this page or contact us! Thank you for your support of the below projects and Funds!
Improving global health and wellbeing
Project description
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to protect people in African countries from malaria by funding long-lasting insecticidal bednets. Malaria kills around 400,000 people every year and causes illness in over 200 million. Malaria is preventable, and nets are a proven intervention–each net costs under $3 CAD, lasts for 3 to 4 years, and protects on average 2 people. This work is implemented by the Against Malaria Foundation, named a Top Charity by GiveWell.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Antimalarial bednet distribution” to get started.
Project description
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to relieve poverty by sending money directly to the people who need it most. Using mobile money technology, cash will be sent directly to recipients in Rwanda who are experiencing extreme poverty. With your support, the first stage of this project alone will reach an estimated ~1,770 recipients with a ~$700 CAD one-time cash transfer. Based on past research, these transfers will have a measurable positive impact not only for the recipients, but also for many of their families and communities. Recipients are empowered to spend the transfer however they see best. Immediate improvements are expected in nutrition, housing, health, sanitation, business outcomes, and educational enrolment. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by GiveDirectly, named a Best Charity by The Life You Can Save.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Cash transfers sent directly to people in extreme poverty” to get started.
Project description
RC Forward is soliciting contributions for a project to support drug distribution efforts to protect communities in Malawi from parasitic worm infections. These infections affect over 1 billion people in marginalized communities, and can lead to child development issues, reduced school attendance, productivity, and increased HIV risk in women. Treating school-age children and at-risk adults early and regularly is safe and effective. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Unlimit Health, named a Best Charity by The Life You Can Save.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Mass deworming programs” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to reduce iodine deficiency globally in children and adults. This work is implemented by Iodine Global Network, named a Best Charity by The Life You Can Save. It aims to reduce iodine deficiency globally by advocating for national salt iodization programs, tracking progress on iodization, and providing global and country-specific guidance on related programmatic and scientific issues.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Reduce iodine deficiency” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions for the operations of an ongoing research investigating the most effective charities and interventions that aim to reduce poverty and improve health outcomes in low-income countries. This research is crucial for directing philanthropic resources to where they can do the most good. Research findings are freely available to the public, allowing donors to make informed decisions about their charitable giving. By supporting this fund, contributors can help improve the allocation of resources in global health and development, potentially saving or improving millions of lives. This research is done by GiveWell.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the research. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Ongoing research into the most effective charities and interventions” to get started.
Improving animal welfare
RC Forward is soliciting contributions for an animal charity evaluations program to identify outstanding opportunities for donors and advocates to effectively help animals. This project supports the creation of high-quality, in-depth public research and charity recommendations. The outputs of this work help donors to maximize their charitable impact for animals, and help animal advocates around the world use highly impactful programs and methods to maximize positive impact for animals. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Animal Charity Evaluators.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Support evaluations to identify highly effective animal charities ” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to support the research and publication of public reports to promote the welfare of animals raised for food and hold global companies accountable to their cage-free commitments to billions of egg-laying hens. An inconceivable 83 billion land animals are slaughtered every year for food, and roughly 4 billion of those animals are hens suffering in battery cages. When major companies commit to global animal welfare policies that ban cages from their supply chains–and follow through on those commitments–the result is strategic, cost-effective, large-scale impact for animals. These corporate accountability reports will be distributed globally to strengthen the farm animal protection movement’s work to end the use of cruel battery cages in every country where they exist. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by The Humane League, named a Recommended Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
To make a gift in support of corporate accountability reports to free hens from battery cages globally, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “Reduce suffering for hens with cage-free corporate accountability reports” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions for a project to advance animal welfare on fish farms in India by improving farming practices. An estimated 73-180 billion fish are farmed each year around the world, often in very poor conditions. By improving welfare practices, this project will help fish live better lives, and help farmers have less volatile farming practices. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Fish Welfare Initiative, named a Recommended Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Improving farming practices on fish farms” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to support a strategic campaign that works with seafood certifiers to improve their aquatic animal welfare standards. By engaging with the largest certification schemes in the seafood industry to improve certification standards, this work could potentially impact hundreds of millions of aquatic animals that are exploited in the global food system every year. Key welfare interventions advocated for by this campaign include: water quality, stocking density, environmental enrichment, feed composition, and stunning before slaughter. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Aquatic Life Institute (ALI). Animal Charity Evaluators’ 2022 review of ALI is available here.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
To make a gift, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “Improving aquatic animal welfare through global seafood certifiers” to get started.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
To make a gift, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “Improve understanding of wild animal welfare through innovative field research” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to conduct undercover investigations into farms and slaughterhouses. The project aims to document animal treatment through 15-20 annual investigations, depending on access. Investigators will covertly gather evidence that a specialized team will analyze to prepare briefs and develop public educational content. This effort seeks to raise awareness, influence policies, and drive legal reforms to improve animal welfare and eliminate cruelty. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Animal Equality International.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
To make a gift, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “Support undercover investigations within farms and slaughterhouses” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to support international campaigns aimed at phasing out the use of battery cages for laying hens and gestation crates for breeding sows. Through negotiations and highly visual campaigns, including online petitions, advertisements, social media engagement, and street demonstrations, the campaign targets food companies primarily in the Global South. Operating in countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Indonesia, and Thailand, their efforts have successfully influenced over 120 companies to adopt more humane policies across 35 countries. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Sinergia Animal.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
To make a gift, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “Reducing animal suffering in food industries of the Global South” to get started.
RC Forward is seeking contributions to support the enhancement of a significant research library, which stands as the world’s largest repository of data on animal issues. Housing over 5,000 summaries of peer-reviewed articles, public opinion surveys, and in-depth blog posts, this library is an essential resource for understanding public attitudes and crafting effective advocacy strategies to promote animal welfare. The proposed funding will allow for the addition of 200 new study summaries, 46 blog entries, four deep dive series, and updates to the Global Slaughter Statistics. It will also improve the library’s design, review processes, outreach activities, dissemination efforts, and hosting capabilities. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Faunalytics.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
To make a gift, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “Building the animal advocacy research library” to get started.
Fighting climate change
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to support research on alternative proteins: plant-based and cultivated meat. This high-quality, open-access research will help power the global transition to a sustainable, secure, and just protein supply that is better for the climate, biodiversity, human health, and food security. Open-access research supported by philanthropy can play an outsized role in mobilizing funding and driving innovation across the entire sector, so that alternative proteins can compete on taste, price, and nutrition as soon as possible. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by the Good Food Institute, named a Top Climate Nonprofit by Giving Green and a Recommended Charity by Animal Charity Evaluators.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Support research to accelerate plant-based and cultivated meat innovation” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to protect the environment by funding a key new publication to help with transitioning the world’s 2,400 coal plants to clean energy by 2050. The publication will share an updated strategy for a fast, repeatable, and low-cost approach to “repowering” coal plants in order to eliminate carbon emissions and restore natural ecosystems. The publication will be disseminated globally at major climate conferences in 2024. Coal-for-power is a sector that is difficult to decarbonize, and this project will further work on innovative and scalable solutions that respond to these challenges. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by TerraPraxis, an organization that received a recommendation from Founders Pledge in 2022.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Support thought leadership to repower coal plants with clean energy” to get started.
RC Forward is soliciting contributions to enable a comprehensive analysis which seeks to identify and tackle financing obstacles hindering decarbonization in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). This initiative aims to forge practical, scalable strategies to ensure that financing does not impede the adoption of clean energy in these regions, thus accelerating their climate change mitigation efforts. The results will be encapsulated in a public report, shedding light on the financial barriers and opportunities critical to advancing clean energy projects in EMDEs. The report is set to be shared broadly to influence global clean energy financing strategies. This is a project of CAF Canada that is implemented by Clean Air Task Force.
Donation updates
Donations up to Q1 2024 have been directed to the project. Please see our public sheet for more details.
To make a donation
Scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “Increasing the flow of funding for clean energy in emerging economies” to get started.
Questions?
Contact us and we’ll be happy to help.
RC Forward Cause Funds
Please note that each of the Funds below has a different disbursement cadence and strategy. This is due to the operational changes that RC Forward is currently navigating. We will be updating our Fund information in November as you plan your year-end giving. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Fund goal
RC Forward Global Health Fund aims to maximize the impact of your donations through directing support to cost-effective, evidence-based projects to fight disease and improve health. Ultimately, we aim to help you meaningfully make a difference in the lives of some of the poorest people in the world.
How the Fund works
The Fund is advised by GiveWell, an expert charity evaluator that searches for the charities that save or improve lives the most per dollar.
How the Fund had operated in the past was by pooling donations and then allocating them quarterly to the most effective projects being operated by GiveWell Top Charities. We shared in July 2023 that RC Forward is navigating changes to its grant process to strengthen our partnership approach as a Canadian charity. These changes have significantly reduced the number of charities to which RC Forward is currently able to direct grant funding, which impacts how the Fund operates. Donations raised by the Fund October 2022 onwards will fund projects as soon as possible.
You can learn more about how the Fund currently operates in the Updates from RC Forward section, below.
Donation updates
Below you’ll find the total raised (net) per financial period, and which high-impact global health project your gift supported.
2021
- January-March: $120,039, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
- April-June: $190,338, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
- July-September: $91,532, directed to provide medicine to prevent malaria
- October-December: $755,823, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
2022
- January-March: $171,428, directed to provide medicine to prevent malaria
- April-June: $171,428, directed to provide medicine to prevent malaria
- July-September: $99,816, directed to provide medicine to prevent malaria
- October-December: $398,428, will be directed as soon as possible
2023
- January-March: $104,346, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
- April-June: $157,510, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
- July-September: $74,188, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
- October-December: Totalled $230,066, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
2024
- January-March: $16,098, directed to provide nets to prevent malaria
The Global Health Fund’s impact so far
Your generous gifts have so far provided 156,794 bed nets to protect family members against malaria through programs operated by Against Malaria Foundation, and 56,232 seasonal medicine treatments to protect children from malaria through programs operated by Malaria Consortium. We estimate that these nets and treatments have saved the lives of 222 people.
The above figures are based on the $1,600,404 CAD in gifts raised by the Fund from January 2021 to September 2022 that have been directed in support of these projects, and on GiveWell’s cost-effectiveness estimates.
Learn more about the work your gifts have supported in the Global Health Fund Impact Report.
Updates from RC Forward
November 8, 2023: We have emailed Global Health Fund donors that made a gift in October 2022 or later, with a detailed update on the Fund’s impact, changes, and current strategy. The key points are below, and the full email is here.
Key Points
- All gifts made to the Fund in September 2022 or earlier have supported projects.
- All gifts made October 2022 or later will support a project as soon as possible.
- We are making changes to our grant process that have significantly reduced the number of charities to which we’re currently able to direct grant funding.
- We’re collaborating with GiveWell to identify a cost-effective project to support during this transition period.
- It’s likely that funding may not occur this year, but if so it will be a top priority as soon as possible in 2024.
- We’ll keep you posted on any developments.
Learn more
We shared in July 2023 that RC Forward is navigating changes to its grant process to strengthen our partnership approach as a Canadian charity. These changes have significantly reduced the number of charities to which RC Forward is currently able to direct grant funding, which impacts how the Fund operates. Donations raised by the Fund October 2022 onwards will fund projects as soon as possible.
- Learn more about how the Fund currently operates during the changes in our Global Health Fund update.
- Learn more about your impact with the Fund in 2021-2022 in the Global Health Fund Impact Report.
To make a donation
To make a gift to the RC Forward Global Health Fund to make a meaningful difference in the lives of some of the world’s poorest people, scroll up to the donation form at the top of this page and select “RC Forward Global Health Fund” to get started.
Fund goal
RC Forward Animal Welfare Fund aims to maximize the impact of your donations through directing support to highly promising, evidence-based projects to help as many animals as possible with your gift. Ultimately, we aim to help you meaningfully make a difference in the lives of many animals, be they in factory farms or in the wild, on land or in the sea.
How the Fund works
The Fund is advised by Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE), an expert charity evaluator that searches for the most effective ways to help animals. Please see Donation updates below for an overview of the current Fund strategy, as we have recently worked with ACE to update the strategy in response to our operational changes.
RC Forward updates
February 9, 2024: Added the Animal Welfare Fund’s Q4 2023 awardee info in a donation update, below.
Donation updates
The following Donation updates are split into 2 sections to account for the new Fund strategy:
Donations raised October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023: Fund strategy
- These gifts were allocated per our former Fund strategy, whereby all gifts raised in a quarter were split equally between current ACE Top Charities.
- For the relevant period, ACE Top Charities were Wild Animal Initiative, Good Food Institute, The Humane League, and Faunalytics; the total raised over this period was split equally as recommendations for these 4 organizations.
- Each of these organizations have responded to our operational changes differently. Consequently, ½ of gifts raised in the Fund over this period have been directed, and the other ½ remains allocated per the Fund strategy, but has not been directed yet.
Donations raised October 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023: Donation updates
- Donations raised October-December 2022:
- Totalled $66,168 CAD, of which $33,084 has been directed so far
- $16,542: Support research to accelerate plant-based and cultivated meat innovation
- $16,542: Reduce suffering for hens with cage-free corporate accountability reports
- $16,542: Improve understanding of wild animal welfare through innovative field research
- $16,542: Building the animal advocacy library
- Totalled $66,168 CAD, of which $33,084 has been directed so far
- Donations raised Jan-March 2023:
- Totalled $18,816 CAD, of which $9,408 has been directed so far
- $4,704: Support research to accelerate plant-based and cultivated meat innovation
- $4,704: Reduce suffering for hens with cage-free corporate accountability reports
- $4,704: Improve understanding of wild animal welfare through innovative field research
- $4,704: Building the animal advocacy library
- Totalled $18,816 CAD, of which $9,408 has been directed so far
- Donations raised April-June 2023:
- Totalled $71,260 CAD, of which $35,630 has been directed so far
- $17,815: Support research to accelerate plant-based and cultivated meat innovation
- $17,815: Reduce suffering for hens with cage-free corporate accountability reports
- $17,815: Improve understanding of wild animal welfare through innovative field research
- $17,815: Building the animal advocacy library
- Totalled $71,260 CAD, of which $35,630 has been directed so far
Donations raised July 1, 2023 and onwards: Fund strategy
- In response to the operational changes we shared with you in July 2023, we have created a new Fund strategy with ACE. The new strategy works within our current partnership approach, so that we can regularly direct gifts from the Fund in support of high-impact animal welfare projects based on ACE’s Recommended Charities.
- So far, 6 of ACE’s 11 Recommended Charities have established partnerships with CAF Canada. This is important, because it means that new donations to the Fund be directed in support of any of these new partnerships based on ACE’s guidance and understanding of the highest impact opportunities at a particular time.
Donations raised July 1, 2023 and onwards: Donation updates
- Donations raised July-September 2023:
- Totalled $15,951 CAD
- The entirety of these funds has been directed to CAF Canada’s project to accelerate plant-based and cultivated meat innovation, implemented by the Good Food Institute.
- Gift direction is in progress (February 2024).
- Donations raised October-December 2023:
- Totalled $56,765
- The entirety of these funds has been directed to CAF Canada’s project to reduce hen suffering through cage-free corporate accountability reports, implemented by The Humane League.
- Gift direction complete (March 2024).
- Donations raised January-March 2024:
- Totalled $24,703
- The entirety of these funds has been directed to CAF Canada’s project to improve understanding of wild animal welfare through innovative field research, implemented by Wild Animal Initiative.
- Gift direction complete (June 2024).
To make a donation
To make a gift to the RC Forward Animal Welfare Fund to support impactful projects helping animals, scroll up to the Donation Form at the top of this page and select “RC Forward Animal Welfare Fund” to get started.
RC Forward fundraising changes
In mid-2023 RC Forward changed how it fundraises. To learn more, please read our July 2023 update, and our November 2023 update. We deeply appreciate your generosity and trust as we navigate these changes.
Please note that recipient Canadian charities will retain ultimate control over all funds raised, and will take RC Forward’s recommendations into account but will decide independently which implementers they work with to carry out projects. Our goal is to honour all donations recommendations. In the rare event that this is not possible, we will contact you to collaboratively determine an acceptable alternative.
How to contact us for questions or assistance
Email us at [email protected] if you would like more information or have any questions. We are here to help however we can as we navigate these changes.