In July 2024, we launched an impactful humane education initiative entitled The Bold Choice Fund: For Animals, People, and Our Planet.

Through this project, we aim to reach 10 million more people by 2027 with a comprehensive educational experience that significantly engages more learners to foster empathy, promote sustainable practices, and inspire informed choices for a kinder world.

This opportunity has been made possible thanks to the support and thought leadership of Bold Choice Fund founding members Dr. Martin D. Madaus and Susan Madaus, who generously provided a $500,000 matching pledge to help us meet our ambitious goal. 

The goals of our wide-ranging humane education programs extend well beyond animal welfare to address interconnected issues of social inequity, environmental sustainability, and food insecurity. Our programs have been recognized as a national model in the field of humane education because they significantly impact the way young people think and feel about their responsibility both to animals and to others. 

Importantly, thanks to the generosity of our donors, Farm Sanctuary is able to provide our educational resources at no cost, benefiting children, educators, parents, and academic communities alike. Recognizing that students sitting in classrooms today are tomorrow’s leaders— in business, academia, government, and all spheres of public life—Farm Sanctuary understands that educating young hearts and minds is key to creating real change in the world.

Over the past few years, Farm Sanctuary has made measurable progress in growing and enhancing our humane education programs, helping thousands of students learn more about today’s food system and explore solutions that positively impact animals, people, and our planet. In 2023, our educational reach expanded by 200% and grew internationally by reaching students in countries such as Costa Rica and Australia—all thanks to the ongoing commitment of donors like you who support this thoughtful, values-based education. 

Highlights:

• By 2025, we reached a historic milestone—250,000 students engaged through our humane education program.
• As of August 2025, Farm Sanctuary has raised $1,155,000, with the goal of raising $345,000 more in matching funds by December 2025 for a total of $1.5 million.

As part of Farm Sanctuary’s Strategic Plan, we aim to expand these efforts in the years ahead to reach an ever-increasing number of students, activists, adults, and educators in compelling and innovative ways. At this time, Farm Sanctuary has a number of opportunities and is positioned to scale at a steeper trajectory and meet this expanding need swiftly.

To learn more about how you can be part of this impactful new initiative, please contact your dedicated Farm Sanctuary contact.

In early 2025, we set forth a plan that builds on our community-driven approach to education. Three primary goals were designed to guide our next chapter of growth.

• Teachers Helping Teachers (THT) peer-support network: In humane education, our most important resource is our teachers. The Teachers Helping Teachers (THT) peer-support program will involve our most engaged teachers and include creating a Teacher Advisory Council to support new curriculum development and program marketing, and allow our most involved educators to engage in training adapted from our youth programs.
• Scale our impact by working alongside partners like the Green Rural Redevelopment Organization (GRRO) to educate, empower, and shift meals in rural communities: At the time, GRRO operated in one North Carolina county, serving a few dozen farmers and their families. With Farm Sanctuary’s funding, consultation, and their own insights into how best to reach rural communities, GRRO has since expanded to 15 counties, now reaching 6,000 people each month through education, medically tailored meals, and prescription produce programs. In 2024 alone, they shifted 1.4 million meals—all in one of the top factory farming states in the country.
• Build Community Action Networks (CANs) to Support Community-Driven Education: Through our Community Action Network (CAN), we will help our most active and engaged members and followers establish community where they are, building Farm Sanctuary-guided programs and initiatives that have the potential to reach millions more. Farm Sanctuary will provide a menu of options and provide toolkits to channel community education and action. 

Please stay tuned for more information on the Bold Choice Fund in the months ahead!

Founding Member

• Dr. Martin D. Madaus and Susan Madaus
• Enriching the Lives of Animals Fund

Visionary Supporter

• Pietro Rotondi Foundation
• Fred and Donna Nives Foundation

Advocate

• Culley Carlson Foundation
• Jennifer Keegan
  
• Even Numbers Family Foundation

We are grateful for the support of the Madaus family for providing the foundation to launch our matching campaign for this promising new initiative. 

Martin and his wife Susan live in Hyannis, MA, and have three adult children, Roman, Marcus, and Alec. Martin was born and raised in Hamburg, Germany, and turned his love for animals into his profession, studying and practicing veterinary medicine in Germany. He changed professions and eventually moved to the U.S., becoming a successful global healthcare CEO and board member. Today, he works part-time as a consultant and serves on several boards. He is passionate about protecting the rights of animals, the ecosphere, and the climate and is actively supporting these causes through philanthropy. 

Susan C. Madaus was born and raised in the U.S. and is a former healthcare executive. She is a passionate gardener who grows floral resources for pollinators, especially native bumblebees. For over twenty years, she has been raising and releasing endangered Monarch butterflies.

Martin believes that we have a personal responsibility to our children and the next generations to transform our old norms and evolve our behaviors. Keeping the planet livable in the future should become our duty. He was inspired by Johan Rockström’s “Safe and Just Earth System Boundaries Theory” and the Netflix documentary You Are What You Eat for their solutions-oriented approach. Rockström’s theory identifies nine critical Earth system processes and sets thresholds beyond which human activities risk destabilizing the Earth’s system. Rockström’s theory builds upon this concept by emphasizing environmental sustainability, social equity, and justice. It recognizes that addressing global ecological challenges must go hand in hand with addressing social inequalities and ensuring fair distribution of resources.

We’re also honored to have won the award for the Best Youth Humane Education Program from the Association of Professional Humane Educators’ 2024 Educator’s Choice Awards!