The Nonhuman Rights Project Inc

“We amended our bylaws in June of 2024 to increase the limit on total number of board members from 5 to 7.”

“There are no committees with authority to act on behalf of The Board.”

“Nonhuman Rights Project Inc, has its form 990 prepared by an outside accounting firm and has established the following review process to ensure that the information reported is complete and accurate. When the form 990 has been prepared, it is electronically sent to the in-house bookkeeper and two members of The Board for review. Any comments are then grouped, summarized and provided to the outside accountants. Each issue is documented and addressed until the return is finalized and approved for filing.”

“Annually all Board members and officers of The Organization must fill out a conflict of interest disclosure. In connection with any actual or possible conflict of interest, an interested person must disclose the existence of the financial interest and be given the opportunity to disclose all material facts to the directors and members of committees with governing Board delegated powers considering the proposed transaction or arrangement.After disclosure of the financial interest and all material facts, and after any discussion with the interested person, he/she shall leave the governing Board or committee meeting while the determination of a conflict of interest is discussed and voted upon. The remaining Board or committee members shall decide if a conflict of interest exists.”

“The Board determines compensation for The Organizations Board Chair and Executive Director. Compensation comparability data for similiarly situated organizations is presented to all Board members. Independent Board members vote on compensation decisions according to the process outlined in our bylaws. Decisions are recorded in board minutes and resolutions.”

“The Executive Director determines compensation for key employees using comparability data from other organizations 990s and other available sources to establish compensation for key employees.”

“The Organizations governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financial statements are available upon request.”

“Program Service Accomplishments:The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only civil rights organization in the United States dedicated solely to securing legal rights for nonhuman animals. NhRP work is informed in part by the playbooks of other civil rights movements that transformed the legal system through high profile litigation, a parallel legislative strategy, and data-driven public engagement.. Litigation Program:The NhRPs litigation is the first of its kind in the world. The NhRPs groundbreaking work to date has focused on bringing habeas corpus petitions to challenge the wrongful confinement of nonhuman animals in places like laboratories and zoos. Science tells us that the biological and social needs of many species simply cannot be met in captivity: their instincts and natural behaviors are inseparably tied to an appropriate habitat and the freedom to make their own decisions. Science also tells us that many species have some comprehension of the past and the future, and that, like humans, members of these species suffer immensely in captivity because they can anticipate that their confinement may be never-ending.. The writ of habeas corpus has existed for centuries and is meant to protect anyone who is unjustly imprisoned. NhRP petitionswhich have resulted in the worlds first ever habeas corpus hearings on behalf of nonhuman animalsargue that common law courts must recognize our nonhuman animal clients as legal persons with the fundamental right to liberty protected by the writ of habeas corpus, and then order their release to sanctuary, where this right will be respected. NhRP cases have provided nonhuman animals with access to our justice system that they wouldnt otherwise have had. The NhRP made history and headlines in 2022 when the New York Court of Appealsone of the most influential state courts in the USagreed to hear the NhRPs case on behalf of Happy, an elephant living in solitary confinement at the Bronx Zoo. This marked the first time the highest court of any English-speaking jurisdiction heard a habeas corpus case brought on behalf of a nonhuman being. NhRP legal actions in 2024 afforded similarly historic opportunities for public oral argument on behalf of elephants in Hawaii and in Colorado, with a hearing expected in 2025 in our chimpanzee case in Michigan. NhRPs persistence and bold approach are changing the legal status quo and have catalyzed a global conversation about how our legal systems view and treat nonhuman animals. As a result of the NhRPs unique mission and work, courts and legislatures around the world are beginning to recognize the systemic problem of animals rightlessness, the suffering it has caused, and the ways it undermines the values and principles of justice on which our own human rights depend.. Legislative Program: The NhRPs legislative aff airs program works at the city and state levels to proactively introduce and pass rights-based legislation, closely monitor anti-rights developments, and plan and defend against future legislative backlash related to our litigation. In 2024, the NhRP worked with the New York City Council and the Los Angeles City Council to develop and introduce rights-based bills relevant to the captivity status of NhRP clients in these locations. The NhRP legal team also drafted a constitutional challenge to an anti-rights statute passed in Utah in 2024, which was filed in early 2025.. Public Engagement/ Polling and Message Testing. In 2024, the NhRP launched a new project intended to bolster and strengthen NhRP work inside the courtroom by influencing public discourse outside the courtroom in a way that transforms the concept of legal rights for nonhuman animals from something unimaginable to something worthy of consideration and debate. The project uses public opinion research tools to gain insight into the underlying knowledge and beliefs that shape current positions on legal rights for nonhuman animals and identify the content best deployed to positively shift”