Revealed: Tyson Foods dumps millions of pounds of toxic pollutants into US rivers and lakes

I just wanted to share this excellent research from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the article by the Guardian:  https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/30/tyson-foods-toxic-pollutants-lakes-rivers

This is an excellent write-up of your work! Thank you for sharing it. And especially, thank you for all you do for animals in Ghana!

Question: I received a Movement Grant last year, am I eligible to apply again?

Response: Yes! Provided the work you are applying for remains in scope (see the Movement Grants eligibility criteria here) previous grantees are welcome to apply for funding again this round. 

Question: I am curious whether you accept grant applications from organizations preferring to remain anonymous or not publicly acknowledged as grantees?

Response: You can apply and request to remain anonymous. If successfully awarded a grant, we would only publicly list the amount and that it was to an anonymous organization. 

There is no question in the application form asking if you would like to remain anonymous, but you can note “anonymous” in the preferred name field so we are aware of your preference. If awarded a grant, we ask for feedback on our announcement post providing another opportunity to request that your grant remain anonymous if you haven’t already made us aware. 

Question: I have previously applied for funding on Granti, is there any connection between this application and applications I have submitted for other funders?

Response: Granti is the grant management platform ACE is using for Round 8 of the Movement Grants program. A number of other funders in the animal advocacy space use Granti, so applicants may already be familiar with the platform. Although we are using the same platform, our grantmaking programs are separate, we cannot see any applications you have submitted to other funders, and likewise they cannot see the application you have submitted to ACE. 

This is our first time using Granti and we appreciate any feedback you have on how you have on your user experience. 

Question: We will be applying for funding to cover our general operational costs, how do you determine an end date for the grant period?

Response: If you apply for general support funding, we will award the grant for 12 months from the point at which the grant agreement is signed - this means your grant period is likely to be from June/July 2024  to June/July 2025. If you spend the grant before that period concludes, you are welcome to report on your grant earlier (there is a question in the application that invites you to provide a date to report earlier), but this is not required. 

You can find more information on the Process and Timeline here. 

Question: Will applying for a higher amount decrease the chances of getting funding? Or is it best to apply for the lowest possible amount needed to carry out the project?

Response: 

Requesting more in the first stage is unlikely to hurt your chances of being awarded a grant provided you sincerely believe that being awarded more will substantially improve the impact of your project—we might well agree! Conversely, if it appears that an applicant has excessively padded their budget with unnecessary line items, we would look unfavorably upon this. 

There is a question in the application form about breaking down your budget. This would be where we would note what is necessary for the project and what is nice to have. If you can also explain how the nice-to-have line items will further help animals, this will help us decide whether to fulfill the requested amount or offer partial funding. 

We have previously awarded partial funding where we think the organization can deliver the project with less funding, and disbursing those additional funds to another organization will benefit animals more. We do this because our program is highly funding-constrained compared to the number of quality applications we receive. 

Depending on the size of the grant being considered (if it is over $20,000), we will often follow up with the applicant to understand whether they would be able to deliver the project with partial funding. 
 

Question: A number of people have been in touch to ask whether Masters and PhD students research projects are within the scope of the Movements Grants program.

Response: The program is open to applicants undertaking research, so Masters and PhD students are eligible to apply for funding. Note that we typically award grants to research organizations, mid-stage career researchers, and research programs because their work is often more likely to have real-world outcomes for animals than Masters or PhD student's research projects. However, we don't want to discourage you from applying, and we strongly advise that in your application you include how the research will ultimately help animals. For example, will the findings of your research be used by animal advocacy organizations, governments or industry? How will you ensure the users of your research will see your work and adopt its findings?  This is needed so we can understand the potential impact of your work. 

Secondly, we are unable to award grants to individuals working outside of the U.S., please ensure your university or another organization can act as fiscal sponsor to receive a grant if awarded. 

Question: A few people have queried the eligibility of individuals working outside of an organization to receive a Movement Grant. 
 

Response: We are able to fund individuals working in the United States, although such a grant may be considered taxable income. Individuals working outside the U.S. are asked to collaborate with a fiscal sponsor. 

We also received some questions via email, which I thought would be helpful to share with you all. I will post them in this thread 👇🧵