Religious Framing
Islamic-Framed Farmer Outreach
Nigeria
Testing whether religious obligation or economic self-interest drives better welfare-practice adoption among smallholder farmers.
The Hatchery Fund
The Hatchery Fund
Micro-grants for movement R&D. Funding low-cost, high-novelty field experiments to learn what works in animal advocacy.
A project of The Roost Institute
An Engine for Movement Discovery
To discover tactics that the movement can scale, the Hatchery Fund operates on three principles:
- Hypothesis-Driven Action
- Local groups are always testing new ideas, but tactics are rarely framed with clear hypotheses or measurable criteria. We fund projects built around answerable questions.
- Prioritizing Novelty
- Instead of funding known tactics at scale, the Hatchery Fund prioritizes novel approaches: unproven levers, unique target audiences, and new formats.
- Null Results Count
- In traditional funding, there's an incentive to hide failure to achieve a result to get more funding. Here, learning what doesn't work is just as valuable as finding a winner. Every result is documented and shared.
A different kind of grant
The Hatchery Fund isn't a smaller version of a traditional advocacy grant, it's built for a different job. Where established funds back proven organizations to win big campaigns, we back individuals and small groups to test ideas and report back what they find.
| Dimension | The Hatchery Fund | Traditional Advocacy Funds |
|---|---|---|
| Target Audience | Non-paid activists or small grassroots groups | Established nonprofits with paid staff |
| Goal | Try a new tactic or strategy and learn from the results | Win large, long-term victories for animals |
| Commitment | A single project lasting from a single day to a few months | Long term campaigns and ongoing organizational programs |
| Budget | Hundreds to thousands of dollars ($500–$1,000) | Tens of thousands to millions of dollars |
| Applicant Requirements | Open to anyone with a novel idea and a commitment to test and write up results | Specialized domain expertise and formal organizational credentials |
| Expectations | We capture clear learnings whether the hypothesis succeeds or fails | A proven theory of change, where failure risks losing future funding |
The portfolio
Explore active projects across the globe.
Electoral Canvassing
Local Scorecard Canvassing
USA
Testing whether pledge-and-scorecard tabling activates a durable “animal voter” identity and increases turnout.
Cultural Entry Points
Tabletop RPG for Animal Welfare
Philippines
Testing whether a game that pushes players to take the perspective of farmed animals lowers defensiveness and expands moral circles.
Knowledge base
We publish detailed breakdowns of experiment results, tactical analyses, and key takeaways so the movement can build on our data.
Innovation on a Budget
High Demand for Low-Cost Movement R&D
When the Hatchery Fund opened, I expected 20 to 30 applications. Instead, 114 people applied. This response suggests an appetite among local activists to test new tactics and the possibility of strategic innovation on a budget.
Key takeawayGrassroots groups don't lack ideas; they lack seed funds to test them.
Read Analysis on Substack ↗
Mapping the Movement
The Unexpected Global Reach of Grassroots Innovation
Traditional animal advocacy funding is concentrated in North America and Western Europe. An analysis of Hatchery Fund applicants reveals interest across West and East Africa, South Asia, and Latin America to test localized levers.
Key takeawayInnovation in animal advocacy happens globally, often in regions overlooked by traditional movement funding.
Read Analysis on Substack ↗
Beyond Novelty
Moving from Conviction to Systematic Evaluation
Most of our activism runs on tradition and conviction. While funding novel ideas can give us new tools, novelty alone isn't enough. To build a stronger movement, we must evalute our existing tactics and how they scale to new contexts.
Key takeawayWe need research programs evaluating three areas: existing methods, existing methods in new contexts, and new methods.
Read Analysis on Substack ↗
Get Involved
For funders & donors
Interested in co-funding future rounds of movement R&D or expanding specific experiment pipelines?
Get in Touch ↗For organizers
Have a novel, hypothesis-driven experiment you want to test?
Subscribe for Grant Round Announcements ↗