We Animals
We Animals is a Canadian non-profit animal photojournalism agency that operates a 40,000+ visual stock platform and a global network of 100+ photojournalists, supplying NGOs, media outlets, and advocates across 133 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What We Animals does
We Animals is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit, founded in 1998 by photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur and rebranded in 2019 to We Animals Media, that operates as the first and only dedicated animal photojournalism agency. The organization documents animal use across food systems, fashion, entertainment, research, religious traditions, and environmental/health contexts through a global network of 100+ contributing photojournalists across 40+ countries, with work used in 133 countries by 190+ organizations and 350+ media outlets.
The core product is the We Animals Stock Platform (stock.weanimals.org), a visual content management platform hosting 40,000+ photos and videos with advanced search filters (area of focus, asset type, region, color, orientation, photographer, license type) and chain-of-custody documentation on raw files to ensure authenticity. Supporting products include a Photography Masterclass, an Animal Photojournalism Fellowship program, premium Stock Subscription (launched November 2024 at $300CAD/month with team access and royalty-free commercial licensing in perpetuity), short films, publications (HIDDEN, We Animals, Captive), a Stock Alerts newsletter, commissioned assignments, and exhibitions. The organization explicitly enforces a no-AI-manipulation standard.
Revenue is generated through four streams: donations and monthly giving (We Animals Allies), stock visual licensing and commercial subscription fees, book sales, and commissioned assignments. Distribution combines a self-serve stock platform for global SMB/individual access, direct NGO and media partnerships for enterprise assignments, and retail book channels. The organization is headquartered in Ontario, Canada, operates with a small leadership team, and has published a Theory of Change and three-year Strategic Plan for 2026-2028.
We Animals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- We Animals
- Legal name
- We Animals
- Website
- https://weanimals.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- We Animals is a Canadian non-profit animal photojournalism agency that operates a 40,000+ visual stock platform and a global network of 100+ photojournalists, supplying NGOs, media outlets, and advocates across 133 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
We Animals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Animal Photojournalism Stock Media
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare) (BPAGAIAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations (AFAEALAC)
Keywords
Where We Animals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
We Animals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Stock Visual Licensing: Revenue from licensing fees for commercial use of photos and videos. Non-commercial use is free for animal advocates. Commercial licensing generates subscription revenue starting at $300CAD/month.
- Donations and Grants: Primary funding source from monthly donors (We Animals Allies), one-time donations, tribute gifts, and legacy bequests. The organization is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit.
- Stock Subscription: Premium subscription service at $300CAD/month providing unlimited downloads, direct downloads, team access with unlimited logins, royalty-free licensing including commercial use and fundraising in perpetuity, priority 24-hour support, quarterly reports, and curated collections.
- Book Sales: Sale of published books including HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene, We Animals, and Captive through Amazon and Lantern Books. Also offers signed copies via direct email request.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Non-Commercial License |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Commercial License |
| Subscription | Monthly | Stock Subscription Plan |
| Subscription | Monthly | We Animals Allies Monthly Donor |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
We Animals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
We Animals operates a nonprofit stock photo and video platform dedicated to animal photojournalism, hosting more than 40,000 photos and videos that document animals in human environments. The organization licenses this visual media to NGOs, media outlets, policymakers, researchers, and advocates, and supplements it with educational programs (Masterclass), grant programs (Fellowship), an advocacy network (Allies), and published books.
Product overview
We Animals is a nonprofit animal photojournalism organization operating primarily through a digital platform. The core offering is the Stock Platform (stock.weanimals.org), providing 40,000+ photos and videos for non-commercial (free) and commercial licensing. Supporting products include the Photography Masterclass (online video series), Animal Photojournalism Fellowship (photographer support program), Stock Subscription (premium tier at $300CAD/month), Short Films (documentary productions), Publications (books), Stock Alerts Newsletter, and Assignments/Editorials (commissioned work). The organization is headquartered in Ontario, Canada, and serves animal advocacy organizations, NGOs, journalists, and media outlets worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- We Animals Allies: Monthly donor program for supporters who help sustain the organization's work year-round
- HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene
- We Animals Photography Masterclass
Products and services
- We Animals Stock Media Platform An online stock photo and video platform providing 40,000+ animal photojournalism assets for licensing to NGOs, media outlets, researchers, policy-makers, and advocates globally.
- We Animals Masterclass An educational program providing training in animal photojournalism to photographers and advocates.
- We Animals Fellowship A grant program supporting emerging animal photojournalists through funded assignments and mentorship.
- We Animals Allies An advocacy network connecting individuals and organizations supporting animal welfare through the We Animals platform.
- We Animals Books Published books featuring animal photojournalism from the We Animals archive, available to consumers and supporters.
Quantifiable outcome
- Visuals used in 133 countries benefiting over 190 organizations
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use We Animals
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
We Animals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
We Animals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Compassion in World FarmingcoreCo-organized conference 'Overhauling EU Farm Animal Welfare Laws' at the European Parliament. We Animals exhibited 56 photographs from eight photojournalists, and Founder Jo-Anne McArthur presented on industrial farming to EU members. Compassion in World Farming organized the high-level conference addressing revision of EU animal welfare laws.
- Open Wing AlliancecoreCollaboration on the largest-ever investigation into industrialized egg farms, releasing comprehensive visual documentation of the global egg industry.
- World Animal ProtectioncorePartnership to document and raise awareness about diverse animal issues, including coverage of chicken factory farms in Thailand.
- Animal EqualitycoreCollaboration on investigations including pig farming documentation in Spain. Jo-Anne McArthur photographed Animal Equality's open rescue operations.
- FIAPO (Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations)corePartnership to document animal issues in India, including coverage of poultry farms and heat exhaustion deaths.
- Sinergia AnimalcoreCollaboration on documenting broiler chicken farming practices in Argentina, contributing to regional animal advocacy efforts.
- Sibanye TrustcorePartnership documenting the rise of industrial animal farming in Africa, contributing to awareness of changing agricultural practices.
- Anima InternationalcoreNighttime investigation collaboration at raccoon dog fur farms in Poland, documenting conditions at large-scale fur operations.
- SamayucoreAssignment partnership for documenting fish harvests and markets across Andhra Pradesh, India, capturing the realities of fish farming.
- Djurrättsalliansen (Swedish Animal Rights Alliance)coreCollaboration documenting Sweden's dairy industry with photojournalist Noah Marsten, creating stock visuals of animal farming practices.
- Te ProtejocoreAssignment partnership with NGO working to end animal research and testing, documenting life for animals in laboratories.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
We Animals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Farm Sanctuary: Farm animal rescue and advocacy organization featured in We Animals visual storytelling (Jo-Anne McArthur photographed at Farm Sanctuary USA, 2023). Comparable as a peer advocacy organization working on farm animal welfare with shared visual storytelling needs.
- World Animal Protection: Global animal welfare nonprofit that partners with We Animals on investigations (e.g., Thailand chicken factory farms). Comparable as a peer advocacy NGO with international scope and shared interest in visual documentation of animal issues.
- PETA: Large international animal rights organization with extensive use of undercover investigations and visual advocacy. Comparable as a peer animal advocacy organization with overlapping visual documentation needs and donor-driven funding model.
- Animal Equality: Global animal protection organization that collaborates with We Animals on investigations including pig farming documentation in Spain. Comparable as a fellow advocacy NGO that both uses and contributes to the We Animals visual ecosystem.
- Open Wing Alliance: Coalition working to end caged egg production globally that collaborated with We Animals on the largest-ever investigation into industrialized egg farms. Comparable as a peer animal advocacy organization and commissioning partner for visual investigations.
- Mercy For Animals: International nonprofit working to end factory farming through investigations, corporate engagement, and policy advocacy. Comparable as a peer animal advocacy organization with overlapping mission and shared use of investigative visual storytelling.
- Compassion in World Farming: International animal welfare advocacy organization that co-organized the 'Overhauling EU Farm Animal Welfare Laws' conference with We Animals at the European Parliament. Directly comparable as a peer NGO operating in the same advocacy and policy space, often using We Animals visuals for campaigns.
Broad incumbents
- Shutterstock: Major subscription-based stock photography platform with global contributor network. Comparable in stock platform business model and self-serve licensing infrastructure, but serves general commercial customers rather than advocacy-specific use cases.
- National Geographic: Major documentary photography and journalism brand that has featured We Animals founder Jo-Anne McArthur's work. Comparable as a broader documentary photography brand with similar standards for ethical image-making and global editorial reach.
- Getty Images: The world's largest commercial stock photography and video platform. Comparable as a stock licensing infrastructure competitor, though Getty serves broad editorial and commercial use cases while We Animals operates exclusively in the animal advocacy niche.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
We Animals social profiles
Digital presenceWe Animals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
We Animals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
We Animals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
We Animals M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about We Animals
What does We Animals do?
We Animals operates a nonprofit stock photo and video platform dedicated to animal photojournalism, hosting more than 40,000 photos and videos that document animals in human environments. The organization licenses this visual media to NGOs, media outlets, policymakers, researchers, and advocates, and supplements it with educational programs (Masterclass), grant programs (Fellowship), an advocacy network (Allies), and published books.
Is We Animals a public or private company?
We Animals is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was We Animals founded?
We Animals was founded in 1998. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is We Animals based?
We Animals is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does We Animals make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Stock Visual Licensing is the primary driver. The others are donations and Grants, stock Subscription and book Sales.
Who are We Animals's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Farm Sanctuary, World Animal Protection, PETA, Animal Equality, Open Wing Alliance, Mercy For Animals and Compassion in World Farming. Broad incumbents are Shutterstock, National Geographic and Getty Images.
Does We Animals have an API?
No public API is recorded for We Animals.
What industry is We Animals in?
We Animals's product category is Animal Photojournalism Stock Media. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAIAJ, Advocacy, Policy & Public Awareness (Animal Welfare), with a secondary code of AFAEALAC, Animal Welfare & Advocacy Organizations. Its SIC code is 7330.