There will come a time when we, humans, will see that what we are doing to animals is the same thing we did to other human beings in the past.
The Pollination Project Foundation’s Global Animal Advocacy Program (GAAP) has been catalyzing change in Brazil, fostering a powerful movement for animal rights and welfare. By providing seed and growth grants to a diverse range of professionals including lawyers, scientists, veterinarians, activists, and community leaders, the program is contributing to drive institutional changes for farm animals across the country.
Building Coalitions for Change
One of the most impactful aspects of The Pollination Project’s work in Brazil has been its focus on creating coalitions among different groups to achieve common goals. This collaborative approach has led to important victories for farm animals and is strengthening the overall animal advocacy movement in the country.
In this video, we showcase three key initiatives that have been empowered by The Pollination Project’ seed grants.
1. Carga Viva Não MovementBrazil is the world’s second-largest exporter of live animals, second only to Australia. The Carga Viva Não Movement, with support from The Pollination Project, has been growing and organizing to ban live animal exports from São Sebastião, Brazil’s third-largest port. In 2023 alone, this port exported approximately 136,000 live animals, destined for long sea voyages to countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
2. Cell Ag Society BrazilAt the end of 2023, academic professionals and grantees Carla Forte Maiolino Molento and Rodrigo Morais-da-Silva founded Cell Ag Brazil with support from The Pollination Project Foundation. This newly created association aims to promote the development of cellular agriculture in Brazil through proactive promotion and unifying actions among various stakeholders. With a growth grant from The Pollination Project, they organized a conference in July in Curitiba, bringing together 150 stakeholders to discuss advancing the cellular agriculture industry in Brazil and Latin America.
3. Forum Animal and the Brazil Without Cages Campaign Forum Animal received a seed grant in 2017 and coalition grant in 2024. Thanks to our support, Forum Animal is now one of the prominent organizations and they played a crucial role in advocating for a national ban on live exports. In April 2023, their efforts, supported by animal welfare professor and lawyer Renato Silvano Pulz, led to a federal judge ruling in favor of banning live exports in Brazil. Although this ruling has faced challenges in implementation, it has sparked local efforts to reinforce the ban in cities across Brazil.
In November 2023, The Pollination Project supported the launch of the Brazil Without Cages Campaign, led by Forum Animal in collaboration with Animal Equality and World Animal Protection. This campaign aims to ban extreme confinement of all species in the farmed animal industry. The Pollination Project’s Brazil Country Coordinator, Beatriz, worked with new grantee Carla Genovez from Rede Ativa da Proteção Animal (Active Animal Protection Network) to mobilize grassroots volunteers in support of this campaign. Their efforts culminated in a powerful demonstration involving State and Federal Deputies to support legislation against extreme animal confinement.
The Power of Collaboration
The Pollination Project’s Global Animal Advocacy Program has demonstrated the transformative power of uniting diverse groups to work towards common goals. By strategically supporting coalitions and actively fostering collaboration, the program has catalyzed significant victories for farm animals and substantially strengthened the animal advocacy movement in Brazil.
This collaborative approach has yielded multiple benefits:
Amplified Impact: By bringing together lawyers, scientists, veterinarians, activists, and community leaders, the program has created a synergy where each group’s unique skills and resources complement the others. This amplification of efforts has resulted in more effective campaigns and more impactful outcomes.
Knowledge Sharing: The coalition-building approach has facilitated the exchange of ideas, strategies, and best practices across different sectors of the animal advocacy movement. This cross-pollination of knowledge has elevated the overall expertise within the Brazilian animal welfare community.
Unified Voice: By aligning diverse groups under common causes, such as the fight against live animal exports or the promotion of cellular agriculture, the program has helped create a more unified and powerful voice for animal rights in Brazil. This unity has increased the movement’s visibility and influence in policy-making circles.
Resource Optimization: Collaboration has allowed for more efficient use of limited resources. Instead of multiple groups working in isolation on similar issues, the coalition approach has minimized duplication of efforts and maximized the impact of available funding and human resources.
Sustainable Momentum: The connections forged through these collaborations have created a network of support that extends beyond individual projects. This network provides ongoing motivation, shared learning, and mutual support, helping to sustain the momentum of the animal advocacy movement in Brazil.
Multifaceted Approach: By bringing together groups with different areas of expertise – from legal advocacy to scientific research to grassroots activism – the program has enabled a more comprehensive and nuanced approach to complex issues in animal welfare.
Through this strategic focus on coalition-building, The Pollination Project has not only achieved immediate wins for farm animals but has also laid the groundwork for a more robust, interconnected, and effective animal advocacy movement in Brazil. This approach serves as a model for how targeted grant-making can catalyze systemic change and create lasting impact in the field of animal welfare and beyond.
A seed is something so small and can go even unnoticed. But without seeds there are no trees.






