Dear Friends,
As I reflect on the past year since I started at NAVS, I keep returning to one word: momentum. Not the fleeting kind, but the kind built deliberately through strategy, relationships, and sustained partnership with supporters like you.
This year, we launched Crossroads 2029: The Shift to Science Without Suffering, a long-term campaign that reflects where this movement stands today. We are navigating a pivotal moment between outdated systems that rely on animal experimentation and a future driven by humane, innovative science. Crossroads 2029 is our commitment to lead through this moment with clarity, credibility, and focus as we approach NAVS’ 100th anniversary.
“THIS YEAR, WE REACHED A CROSSROADS—
AND CHOSE TO LEAD WITH STRATEGY,
COLLABORATION, AND A LONG-TERM
VISION FOR CHANGE.”
That vision is already translating into real progress. At the federal level, we saw meaningful progress, including a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy that, for the first time, allows federal research funding to support the continued care and rehoming of animals used in laboratories (NIH Notice NOT-OD-25-163). These shifts don’t happen overnight, but they signal that years of thoughtful advocacy are beginning to reshape how institutions think about both science and responsibility.
Your partnership also helped make this a milestone year for NAVS’ visibility and influence. The release of our second annual Laboratory Animal Care Audit marked an important step forward—strengthening our role as a national watchdog, informing public dialogue, and opening new opportunities for accountability and reform. LACA is not an endpoint, but a foundation we will continue to build on as part of the broader Crossroads strategy.
Equally important has been the growth of relationships that sustain this work. Over the past year, NAVS staff deepened engagement with donors who have become true thought partners; expanded collaboration with educators, researchers, and scientists advancing non-animal methods; opened new conversations with industry leaders; welcomed a first-ever national Woman’s Board; and strengthened ties with advocates and student groups working to advance transparency and humane policy.
Together, these partnerships delivered measurable progress—expanding humane science education, increasing national awareness, mobilizing thousands of advocates for change, and positioning NAVS as a stronger, more resilient organization prepared for long-term impact. Thank you for walking with us at this crossroads. Your support makes it possible for NAVS not only to respond to change, but also to lead toward a future where science proceeds without suffering.
With gratitude,
Sally Draper
Executive Director
