Chances are if you've been downtown this summer nearKroger headquarters, you've probably seen protests by animal rights groups.
The Cincinnati-based supermarket giant has been targeted by multiple groups that object to the grocer's backing off its 2016 promiseto only sell cage-free eggs by 2025. So who are these protest groups and who's bankrolled their efforts? Here's quick closer look:
Two animals rights groups (so far) have held 2026 protests against Kroger
Animal Equalityis a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 2006 and bills itself as “one of the most effective advocates for farmed animals in the world,” according to its website. The group has picketed Kroger's headquarters throughout most of the summer.
Last year, it generated $6 million in revenue, mostly from donations, according to its annual 990 financial
disclosure form filed with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
The nonprofit has 26 employees and boasts nearly 14,000 volunteers. Its president, Sharon Nunez, is married to the organization’s executive vice president, Jose Valle, who both work full-time for the nonprofit; each makes more than $100,000, according to the filing. The nonprofit spent nearly $475,000 paying its officers and trustees and another $1.3 million to its staff. Last year, it spent $82,000 on professional fundraising fees and $2.5 million on “other expenses.”
In the disclosure, the nonprofit describes several campaigns against unnamed large corporations to switch to cage-free eggs, including retailers, restaurant chains and hotel operators.
On its website, Animal Equality touts that it got discounterTarget in March to commit to 100% cage-free eggs by 2030 after missing its 2025 deadline. The group also claims it won more disclosure from grocer Ahold Delhaizeon its shift to cage-free eggs by 2032.
A different group is behind the protests at The Banks featuring inflatable chicken costumes, called theHumane League, based out of Maryland. It has a larger paid staff and raised more money than Animal Equality, according to its financial disclosure. The nonprofit generated $22.1 million last year and has 112 staff as well as 232 volunteers.
“We exist to end the abuse of animals raised for food. This mission is executed by persuading companies and institutions to adopt animal welfare policies through negotiation and pressure campaigns,” the group said, describing its mission in the filing. Among the targets of its campaigns: sandwich-maker Subway; grocery giant Ahold-Delhaize; hotelier Best Western, restaurant chain Cheesecake Factory; and discounter Walmart.
Silicon Valley philanthropy linked to a Facebook cofounder is supporting the protesters
While both groups are staging different protests on some of the same targets, they have something else in common: major financial backing by a San Francisco-based nonprofit Coefficient Giving that previously went by the name Open Philanthropy.
It was founded by its chairCari Tuna, a former Wall Street Journalreporter, and her husband, Dustin Moskovitz, a billionaire cofounder of Facebook. In 2010, they became the youngest couple to sign Bill Gates’ and Warren Buffett's Giving Pledge, agreeing in their 20s to give away most of their billions in wealth via philanthropy.
Coefficient Giving officials did not reply to two emailed requests from The Enquirer to comment for this story.
Coefficient Giving’s filing states the organization’s simple mission as supporting “various charitable cause areas to help others and our world with the resources available.” Perhaps what makes the group’s filing stand out is the sheer size of its resources available: It generated nearly $101 million last year.
The nonprofit uses that money to fund various causes from air quality to combating lead exposure. One of its causes is also “farm animal welfare,” to improve the lives of farm animals.
According to the nonprofit’s website, it gave Animal Equality more than $2.2 million in May for its “cage-free accountability” work at about the time protests outside Kroger headquarters began this year. The group has also previously donated to Animal Equality, giving a total of $10.8 million between 2016 and 2021.
The nonprofit also gave a big donation to the Humane League in January: $10 million for “general support." Previously, it had donated $63.5 million to the group between 2015 and 2025.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Here's the group bankrolling the Kroger egg protests
