Four Paws International Inc

“Currently, the organization does not have any committees that act on behalf of the board of directors.”

“The organization will provide a copy of the form 990 to each of the five board members. They will have a week for review, comments, and approval before filing with the irs.”

“The conflict of interest policy is monitored annually by the us director and reviewed with board members. The conflict of interest policy covers any director, principal officer, or member of a committee with governing board delegated powers. The board of directors, minus the person involved in a potential conflict of interest, determines whether a conflict exists and how a conflict should be addressed, in accordance with the policy. The employee handbook addresses employee conflicts of interest. Four paws also maintains an online reporting system available both internally and externally through which any perceived conflicts of interest or other ethics conflicts can be shared confidentially.”

“The compensation of country director was agreed by the board and established after review of equivalent positions in the area and negotiation with the country director.”

“The organization makes its governing documents, conflict of interest policy and financial statements available to the public upon request.”

“Four paws' education and advocacy work on behalf of animals - four paws is working to educate and mobilize people to take actions that provide support and protection, and positive social and legislative changes for animals. Four paws is doing this in several ways: protecting wild animals from suffering worldwide: four paws is working to end the global and ongoing exploitation of big cats. This includes our extensive campaign work to break the vicious cycle in south africa, where african lions are bred and used in tourist attractions and killed for the brutal trophy hunting and lion bone trade industries, to ending the tiger trade in europe and stopping the commodification of other big cats like tigers, leopards, and jaguars who are also intensively bred and commercially traded for their body parts to be used as luxury items or for traditional medicines in asia. Through public and government engagement in south africa, europe, and the united states, we aim to end the farming and international trade of big cats and strive to protect endangered and threatened big cat species around the world. In the u.s. In 2024, four paws advocated for increased federal protections for endangered species, spoke about our global work to protect big cats at conferences, and held the first u.s. Screening of our new documentary dethroned, which provides a captivating and deeply thought-provoking look into humanity's connection with big cats. Four paws works towards ending the use of wild animals in circuses. Many wild animals are still suffering in circuses, which are constantly moving from location to location and are unable to provide any species-appropriate living conditions for the animals or room for the animals to exhibit their natural behaviors. In the u.s., four paws advocates for state and federal legislation to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, while also educating the public about what life is really like for animals used for entertainment and tourism. In 2024, four paws and our coalition partners celebrated the passage of legislation in massachusetts to end the use of certain wild animals in traveling shows, a major victory after decades of hard work by animal advocates in the state. Four paws is saving the saddest bears. Four paws strives to find sustainable solutions for bears suffering in poor conditions in captivity around the world. Four paws advocates for bears on a legislative level, fighting to make bear baiting illegal and banning their use in entertainment and as pets, along with rescuing bears and providing them safety for the rest of their lives in our seven bear sanctuaries (six sanctuaries across europe and one in vietnam). In vietnam, four paws's campaign work focuses on saving asiatic black bears from appalling conditions on farms where they have been used for the cruel practice of bile extraction, a terrifying and painful process that includes repeatedly piercing a bear's abdominal wall and gallbladder to extract bile for use in traditional medicine. In the u.s., four paws also advocates for legislative changes to protect both wild and captive bears from abuse and exploitation. This includes supporting state bans on their use in circuses, like the one passed by massachusetts in 2024. Also in 2024, four paws reached new audiences with the third annual march napness competition, an annual tournament-style bracket competition that highlights rescued bears. Inspired by march madness, march napness is an audience engagement and public education campaign celebrating our rescue bears and their stories of resilience and hope. In july 2024, we welcomed awarding-winning author and plant-based chef priyanka naik to bear sanctuary muritz. Here she filmed in the bear kitchen where she assembled a treat for the bears, many of which participated in march napness. Chef priyanka graciously used her platforms to share the messaging behind march napness and our effort to save the saddest bears. While advocating for the welfare of be”

“Giving farm animals a voice: four paws advocates for animal-friendly fashion. Four paws is working globally to educate people on the use of animals in fashion (such as fur, down feathers, and wool) and aims to build a compassionate and ethical fashion movement. As part of our wear it kind program, in addition to consumer education, we engage with hundreds of fashion brands globally to improve their animal welfare policies, reduce their use of animal-derived materials, and increase policy transparency for their consumers and within their supply chains. In the u.s. In 2024, four paws supported state bills to ban new retail fur sales and engaged with u.s. Fashion brands and the public on multiple levels, which included launching our be their voice campaign to end live lamb cutting in the australian wool industry. This campaign featured celebrity videos with new ambassadors mallory lewis and lamb chop, among others, and the release of our award-winning animation film "sunny the lamb." four paws aims to accomplish this ban through public awareness and pressure, fashion brand commitments, and policy engagement. A pillar of the one health approach: animal welfare: four paws advocated at key international meetings throughout 2024, including the united nations environment assembly, the high-level political forum and three conferences of the parties (cops) under the un framework convention on climate change, the convention on biological diversity and the united nations convention to combat desertification. Four paws advocates for the recognition of animal welfare as an investment for sustainable development - including climate action, health and food systems - ensuring animals are no longer left out of the solutions we need for a just and resilient future. Recognizing farm animal welfare as a cornerstone of the one health approach to combating amr is essential. At the united nations general assembly in new york, four paws successfully advocated to reinforce the one health perspective, with commitments to improving animal health, husbandry and welfare to reduce antimicrobial use in farming. Furthermore, experts from woah, the food and agriculture organization, governments and global governance structures emphasized animal health and welfare as a key solution. During the meeting, four paws presented global policy recommendations to integrate animal welfare into the one health approach, driving forward efforts to reduce antimicrobial use and combat amr effectively. Global affairs and disaster resilience: our work aims to also build resilient communities through disaster risk reduction policies that are inclusive of animals. In planning for and responding to disasters, our team can offer its expertise to ensure that animals are included in policies, relief efforts and recovery activities, strengthen human awareness of animal welfare in catastrophic as well as everyday situations, and to create sustainable solutions for the future of animals, people, and the environments they share. In 2024, four paws continued to build a strong global network by establishing a robust legal framework that brings together organizations with expertise in animal welfare, disaster response, and veterinary medicine. In the u.s., where natural disasters like wildfires, flooding, hurricanes and earthquakes are prominent, four paws efforts revolve around public education providing resources like disaster preparedness guides, disaster preparedness checklists, toolkits, etc. By bolstering local capacity and increasing preparedness, these efforts aim to protect both animal lives and the livelihoods of communities affected by disasters. Rescue response: protecting animals in conflict zones and unstable regions: four paws is dedicated to rescuing and protecting animals in need through its reveal, rescue, and respond (rrr) approach. Across the globe, countless wild and domestic animals are caught in the crossfire of conflict, with war-related activities destroying their h”

“The organization has allocated the joint costs of providing educational materials and activities that include a fundraising appeal. The allocation was determined by analyzing the total number of program lines divided by the total number of lines in the mailings. Only those joint activities that include programmatic, fundraising and general and administrative components are included in this allocation.”

“The organization uses a professional employer organization (peo) justworks to pay its employees. In 2024 justworks issued 18 w-2's on behalf of four paws international, inc.”