Heifer International (also known as Heifer Project International) is a nonprofit organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas, that works to address poverty and food insecurity in developing regions by distributing livestock and providing agricultural training to families in need. Heifer International distributes animals, along with agricultural and value-based training, to families in need around the world as a means of providing self-sufficiency. Recipients must agree to "pass on the gift" by donating animal offspring, as well as sharing the skills and knowledge of animal husbandry and agricultural training with other impoverished families in the community. The organization receives financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, BlackRock, Cargill, Mastercard Foundation, Walmart and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States, Heifer International started with a shipment of 17 heifers to Puerto Rico in 1944.

Origins and history

Heifer International started as Heifers for Relief in 1944. Metzger started his tenure as a seagoing cowboy. Seagoing cowboys volunteered to accompany the animals to their overseas destinations.

In 2010, Pierre U. Ferrari was named CEO of Heifer International. Ferrari became president and CEO after Jo Luck's retirement.

In 2011, Heifer International has committed to help rebuild rural communities and to improve economic opportunities through livestock inputs and management in Haiti as part of the 2011 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting.

On May 7, 2022, Mark Middleton, a former special assistant to President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, was found dead at the Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas, approximately 30 miles from his home. His death was ruled a suicide; authorities reported that he was found hanging from a tree with an extension cord around his neck and a shotgun wound to his chest.

"Passing the Gift"

Heifer International's charitable model requires recipients of animals to "pass on the gift" by donating the first female offspring of their animal to another family in need. This practice is intended to create a self-sustaining chain of giving within communities.

GiveWell

GiveWell notes that while Heifer International is "commonly perceived as a way to 'give a cow to a poor family as a gift' ... this is in fact a donor illusion – donations support Heifer International's general 'agricultural assistance' activities." GiveWell delineates concerns about the efficacy of agricultural assistance programs in general, and, specifically, those that involve gifts of livestock, stating, in conclusion: "Neither Heifer's website nor its grant application have provided the kind of information needed to address these concerns."

  • Heifer International also received the 2004 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize for its efforts to eliminate hunger and help communities become self-sustaining. It was the first U.S.-based organization to win the $1-million award since 1997.
  • Heifer International received the 2006 and 2008 Social Capitalist award from Fast Company magazine.
  • In 2007, the Heifer International Headquarters building was named one of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Projects.
  • In 2008, the Heifer International Headquarters building was named a National AIA (American Institute of Architects) Institute Honor Award Winner.
  • In 2011, Heifer International announced a commitment to support rural community rebuilding in Haiti as part of the Clinton Global Initiative
  • The American Institute of Philanthropy gave Heifer International an "Open Book Credit" for making complete financial documentation available on request.
  • The Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance (WGA) reports that Heifer International meets all of its standards for charity accountability. According to the WGA evaluation, Heifer met all of the organization's standards for charity accountability.