Anima International Fellowship 2026
In our daily work, we want to be unstoppable for animals. For this reason, we value radical honesty, truth-seeking, and the willingness to be wrong. This year we want to share our way of thinking and doing — we are launching the Anima International Fellowship.
Applications Now Open for September 2026
At Anima International we are fighting animal suffering. So far, we have transformed the lives of millions of farmed animals across the world. We released tens of investigations documenting animal cruelty, negotiated improvements for animals with multinational companies, and advocate to change laws in countries we operate in.
The Anima International Fellowship is a 3-week intensive program for people who are ambitious and who want to use this ambition to change the world for the better. Ideally, by joining us in Anima International or contributing meaningfully to the broader animal advocacy movement.
We encourage you to consider giving it a shot. No previous experience required. Whether you are early in your career or want to finally change it – you will benefit from participating in our fellowship!
What you need to know
Dates
September 1–20, 2026 (concluding with the CARE Conference, September 17–20)
Location
Warsaw, Poland (in person)
Language
English
Cohort Size
10–12 fellows
Compensation
All expenses covered (flights, accommodation, meals) + stipend (€1,500–€3,500)
Visa Support
We can provide you with a visa invitation and cover fees if needed. Please flag visa requirements early in the application process so we can begin supporting you promptly.
Nationality
No restrictions
Age
No restrictions: whether you're fresh out of college or you have a few decades of professional experience, you're welcome to apply
What do you gain from the Fellowship?
- A way of thinking: you will practise reasoning carefully, backing up your ideas with evidence, questioning your own assumptions, and updating your views when you're wrong. This is the foundation of everything we do at Anima International.
- Campaign skills: you will learn how corporate campaigns work and what strategies have been used when dealing with companies.
- Forecasting and decision-making under uncertainty: you will learn to make predictions, track your accuracy, and get better at acting when the data is incomplete.
- Knowledge of the movement: you will get a better picture of the movement and its history.
- A network: you will leave with connections to Anima International leadership, your fellow cohort members, and the broader effective animal advocacy community through the CARE Conference. We will make an effort to connect you to valuable contacts in the movement.
- Clarity: you may discover that professional animal advocacy is exactly what you want to do with your life. You may discover it isn't. Either way, you'll be closer to having a clearer picture.
What will you do?
Weeks 1–2
Intensive Program
Most of your time will be spent working alongside Anima International advocates and your fellow cohort members. A typical day might include:
Morning: Workshop or seminar — topics range from corporate campaign strategy and movement history to forecasting exercises and evidence-based decision-making.
Midday: Team-based project work on actual organisational challenges. You'll work in different teams throughout, so you'll collaborate with everyone in the cohort.
Afternoon/Evening: Team project presentations, feedback sessions, informal time with mentors, free time.
Week 3
CARE Conference Integration
The fellowship concludes with full participation in the annual CARE Conference (September 17–20) – all expenses paid by Anima International. Here you will be able to meet and network with advocates which you have learned from during the fellowship and from across the region.
We're building the program around three core development areas:
1. Scout mindset
Being data-driven, understanding scientific methods, holding multiple hypotheses, updating beliefs based on evidence, and – critically – being comfortable being wrong. Expect forecasting exercises, debates where you argue the opposite position, and case studies that challenge your assumptions.
2. Agency
Can you see a problem and just go solve it? We can’t teach you to care, but we can put you in a room full of people who take initiative and believe in your ability to do important work. We will be in this together – great advocates are the ones who take initiative and prioritise the team over their own ego.
3. Movement knowledge and context
Animal advocacy has a history. Different tactics and strategies have been tried, some have failed, others succeeded, or in some cases they have been abandoned. It’s messy, but learnable – you will gain some insights into what advocates have been doing in the last few decades.
What are we looking for in a candidate?
- Strong belief that animals matter. You should care deeply about reducing animal suffering. This doesn't mean you need to have been an activist for years — but this can't just be a line on your CV. We want people who are motivated by the mission above all.
- Ability to reason and communicate your thinking. You must be able to think carefully, try to back up your ideas with reasonable evidence, and above all be open to being proven wrong and changing your mind.
- Agency and a preference for action. You don't wait to be told what to do. You see problems and you try to solve them, even when you don't have all the information.
- Growth mindset. Nobody knows how to fix the world, so we need you to keep learning. We constantly strive to be better at our activism, but also as people.
- Comfort with honest feedback. We have a culture of direct communication and you will be encouraged to speak your mind.
- Not being an asshole. We expect you to treat others with respect, decency and compassion — including people you disagree with.
- Ability to commit to 3 full weeks in Warsaw (September 1–20). This means that if you have other significant commitments during this period, it will probably be difficult for you to participate fully.
- Seriously considering a career in animal advocacy and impact-focused work.
We value inclusion – you don't need to
- Be vegan or vegetarian
- Have prior advocacy experience
- Come from a specific academic or professional background
- Have any specific political views
Ideal backgrounds include (but aren't limited to):
- Grassroots organisers, advocates wanting to switch their cause area
- Recent graduates or career changers exploring animal advocacy
- People already working in advocacy who want to shift
- Professionals with transferable skills: communications, research, project management, campaigns, data analysis
- People from regions where animal advocacy is still developing: Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, Latin America
We welcome applicants regardless of background, nationality, age or experience level.
This might not be right for you if:
- You're primarily seeking a credential or résumé line rather than genuine development.
- You're not genuinely open to working at Anima International or similar organizations.
- You have strong ideological commitments that make pragmatic, evidence-based approaches uncomfortable.
- You need a highly structured program with clear assignments and well-defined answers.
Do you think this program is too challenging and you're not fit for it?
You may be thinking that this fellowship would be interesting for you, but you won't make the cut.
We encourage you not to worry and fill out the application anyway, especially if you think this program could bring you energy and purpose. Leave the judgment about your fit to us. You may even learn something useful along the way.
What fellows receive
- Full financial support: Reimbursement for round-trip flights, accommodation (individual rooms), all meals.
- Stipend: All fellows receive a stipend between €1,500 and €3,500 for personal expenses, depending on your country of residence. The amount is based on a transparent formula linked to your country of residence, so it's fair across different economic contexts. Stipends are not negotiable — they are calculated the same way for everyone.
- Visa assistance: Invitation letters and fees covered if needed.
- Mentorship: Direct access to Anima International leadership and experienced advocates.
- CARE Conference: Full participation in one of Europe's key animal advocacy gatherings.
- Feedback: At the end of the fellowship, we'll give you a candid picture of where we see your strengths, growth areas, and potential fit – whether that's at Anima, elsewhere in the movement, or a different path entirely.
Application process
Timeline:
March 26 – Applications open
May 17 – Applications close
May 23–31 – Time to complete tasks
June 10-21 – Interviews (shortlisted candidates)
June 30 – Decisions communicated
September 1 – Fellowship begins
The application process includes:
1. Short application form and a one-way interview (background, motivations, availability)
2. Completion of tasks
3. Interview (for shortlisted candidates)
The process is competitive but designed not to be exhausting.
Within up to a couple of days after submitting the initial form answers, you will be invited to take part in a short one-way interview. It should take no more than 30 minutes and it’s an obligatory part of the initial application. Submissions via form only, with no accompanying interview, will not be considered.
Join our Q&A Sessions
We're hosting two webinars with live Q&A sessions – same content, different dates – so you can join whichever works for you. You will be able to ask us all the questions you may have about the Fellowship and what it will involve.
We will post a link to the recording for people who couldn’t attend, so you can revisit this page later on to watch it.
What will help you with your application?
To help you progress through the stages in our recruitment process, we have prepared a list of materials. They will be especially useful for those who do not meet our requirements or lack either experience in activism or role-specific expertise, but we encourage all candidates to read them.
FAQ
Is this a paid program?
All expenses are covered and you'll receive a stipend for personal costs. This is not a salary – if you need to maintain full income during this period, the fellowship may not be feasible. If cost is a genuine barrier, flag this in your application; we may be able to offer supplementary grants on a case-by-case basis.
Do I need to speak Polish?
No. The fellowship will be conducted entirely in English.
What happens after the fellowship?
Some fellows may be offered positions at Anima International. Some may receive support from us to start their own projects or organisations. Others will leave with skills, connections, and knowledge applicable elsewhere in the movement. There's no obligation on either side.
Is this only for people who want to work at Anima International?
It's primarily for people who could see themselves working at Anima or similar organizations. If you're confident you don't want to work in professional animal advocacy, this isn't the right program.
I'm not vegan or vegetarian – can I still apply?
Yes. We care about your capacity to contribute to reducing animal suffering effectively, not your personal dietary choices. While all meals during the fellowship will be plant-based, we are open to anyone who wants to fight for a world free from animal suffering.
What if I need a visa?
We'll provide invitation letters and cover expenses if needed. Please flag visa requirements early in the application process so we can begin supporting you promptly.
This is a pilot – what does that mean?
This is the first time we're running this program. We're experimenting with format, content, and structure. Things may be imperfect. We'll be transparent about what's working and what isn't, and we expect fellows to be equally honest with us. If you're the kind of person who finds that exciting rather than unsettling, you're probably a good fit.
How is this different from other fellowships or programs?
Most advocacy training programs focus on either skill-building or networking. We're deliberately combining intensive development, real organizational work, mentorship, and talent identification into a single program.
Questions?
Contact: join@animainternational.org