Our Mission

To advance animal advocacy and the intrinsic rights of our nonhuman fellow creatures by supporting artists and scholars whose work demonstrates a strong commitment to this aim.

Our Vision

The Culture & Animals Foundation (CAF) believes our future survival depends on developing a worldview that embraces a deep understanding of animals as deserving of our respect and care. We are inspired by the creativity, compassion, and commitment of artists and scholars who strive to awaken this realization in society.

Our Purpose

Since its founding in 1985, CAF has stood uniquely at the intersection of creativity and scholarship, dedicated to transforming society’s relationship with nonhuman animals. CAF’s hundreds of funded projects have explored the entire cultural language of animal rights—in the humanities and social sciences; in lectures, dissertations, books, and presentations; and through painting, music, dance, film, photography, spoken word, poetry, and drama. You can learn more about our history here, read about our grantees here, and discover more of our programs here.


Culture and Animals Banner Image

About the Illustration

Folk artist Jacob Knight created this celebration for the animals at the request of the Cartin Foundation, which subsequently gifted the painting to CAF.

“On an elephant sits a man (Tom Regan),” the painter writes, “looking at the moon with a spyglass, and the moon looks down and sees all.”