Jane Goodall Institute
Protecting chimpanzees and their habitats, and empowering communities to conserve wildlife
Our editorial assessment
Founded by the pioneering primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, the Institute pairs chimpanzee protection and habitat conservation with a distinctive, community-led approach: it works with people living near wildlife to build sustainable livelihoods that reduce pressure on forests. Its Roots & Shoots youth programme operates in dozens of countries. Charity Navigator awards it a four-star rating with a perfect accountability and finance score, with roughly 76% of spending reaching programmes. It suits donors who want wildlife conservation grounded in community engagement and education.
The problem they're solving
Chimpanzee populations have fallen sharply as forests are cleared and wildlife is hunted, and lasting protection depends on the communities who share those landscapes. The Jane Goodall Institute links great-ape conservation with local livelihoods and youth education, addressing the causes of habitat loss rather than only its symptoms.
About Jane Goodall Institute
The Jane Goodall Institute protects chimpanzees and great apes, conserves their habitats, and runs community-centred conservation and its youth Roots & Shoots program in dozens of countries.
Where your dollar goes
What your donation could do
Your $100 supports chimpanzee protection and community-led conservation.
Illustrative estimate based on figures this organisation publishes about its own programs — not a statement from the charity itself. Actual impact varies by program and year.
What donors say about Jane Goodall Institute
Donors signed in with Google can rate Jane Goodall Institute from one to five stars and share a short review of their experience — whether as a donor, volunteer, or beneficiary. Community ratings are displayed as their own criterion alongside our editorial metrics; they never alter the editorial 0–100 score.
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How this score was produced
The Charity Ranking score is our own editorial assessment, produced with a weighted rubric covering program spending, transparency and governance, evidence of impact, cost-effectiveness, and leadership. It draws on publicly available reports from independent evaluators such as GiveWell, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch, but it is not a rating issued or endorsed by any of those organisations. The community rating shown above is a separate signal contributed by signed-in donors; it is displayed alongside our criteria but never feeds into the editorial score. Read the full methodology →