Institutional Strategic Plan 2026–2030

When animals thrive, we all thrive. This belief continues to guide IFAW and remains unchanged. Our 2026–2030 Institutional Strategic Plan represents the next step in how we deliver on it.

Building on more than five decades of frontline experience, global collaboration, and scientific innovation, we are sharpening our focus for greater, long-term impact across land and sea. Animal rescue and conservation remain the foundation of our work, together forming a connected approach that links the wellbeing of individual animals with the future of species, habitats, and the communities who live alongside them.

The challenges we face are intensifying and increasingly interconnected, from climate disruption to wildlife trafficking, habitat loss, and human-wildlife conflict. Our response must be equally integrated. We recognise that people living closest to nature are essential stewards of conservation, and that lasting change depends on combining science-based approaches, field expertise, and trusted partnerships with communities, governments, and global institutions.

Rooted in local leadership and guided by science, our work connects practical, on-the-ground solutions with the broader systems that sustain them. From protecting wildlife connectivity in Africa to transforming digital enforcement against wildlife crime, this plan reflects our mission to unite animal welfare and conservation, amplify local voices, and help shape a future where animals and people thrive together.

This 2026–2030 Institutional Strategic Plan reflects an organisation that is clear in its role, confident in its approach, and focused on delivering meaningful outcomes. We will advance five institutional goals through our core pillars of Rescue and Conservation: elevate care for animals in crises, strengthen disaster preparedness and response, influence policy for systemic change, support the recovery and stability of key wildlife populations, and foster coexistence between people and wildlife.

We work pragmatically and with purpose, empowered to act and agile in the face of emergencies, uncertainty, and opportunity. At the same time, we are strengthening how we sustain and scale impact. Our fundraising approach remains grounded in diversification and long-term supporter engagement. Storytelling is elevated as a strategic enabler, connecting global audiences more directly to the realities of our work and the change it drives. Across IFAW, teams and systems are increasingly aligned to support delivery where it matters most.

This is not a departure from our past, but a progression of it. This plan sets out a clear and deliberate path for the next five years to achieve our mission and vision at scale, built on experience, strengthened through partnership, and focused on lasting impact for animals, people, and the places they call home.