Brooke India operations closing

It is with profound sadness that, after 25 years, our Brooke India operations will be closing.

Since 2001, the exceptional teams, partners and valued communities we work with have dramatically changed the lives of millions of horses, donkeys and mules. This impact was only made possible by the generosity of our wonderful supporters and our dedicated team on the ground.

In recent years, due to changes to India’s regulatory environment for charities, Brooke India has been engaging with authorities to ensure that the arrangements put in place when it was first created were still appropriate. As part of this engagement, Brooke India applied for registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act (FCRA) in December 2024.

During the process, regulators indicated that aspects of the current structure may not fully align with current regulatory requirements.

As a result, Brooke UK is unable to provide further funds to ensure the continuation of operations. With no viable alternative, Brooke India’s leadership have taken the extremely difficult decision to end our charity operations in the country.

This has been a deeply painful step for everyone involved. We have been honoured to support these working animals and their communities and will do everything we can to continue doing so in the future.

Our work in other regions will continue as normal, giving working horses, donkeys and mules a life worth living.

Questions and answers

Animals

What will happen to the animals now?

Our work in Brooke over the past 25 years has left a legacy of sustained improvement to animal welfare standards and that will carry on even after Brooke has left. There are a number of other animal welfare charities working in India and we are exploring how we can work with them to support animals in India going forward. We hope there will be an opportunity in the future to restart the work that has made such a difference to working horses, donkeys and mules and the communities that depend upon them.

How many animals will be affected?

Over the last five years alone, Brooke India has helped over 3.1 million equines and supported 38,000 communities. However, over the past 25 years, Brooke India has spent time strengthening local government vets and animal health service providers in brick kilns, and those trained teams are still in place and able to support working animals. They will continue to be able to use peer-to-peer support that Brooke India helped them to set up as well as Brooke’s free learning system.

Can you appeal to the Indian authorities to help the animals?

The Indian authorities know about the work Brooke has done for 25 years, but new rules in India now prevent Brooke India from receiving foreign funding. Because Brooke India is fully funded by Brooke UK, we’re no longer allowed to send the money needed to keep operations running there.

The good news is that over many years, Brooke India helped communities connect with government schemes and financial support. That means they’re not being left without help — they do have sustainable ways to access support locally.

There are some meetings expected to take place to look into other ways of ensuring the animals are looked after but we don’t currently have any updates we can share at the moment. We hope there will be an opportunity in the future to restart the work that has made such a difference to working horses, donkeys and mules and the communities that depend upon them.

Cost, finance and donations

How much funding were Brooke India given

Brooke India has received all of its funding from Brooke UK. This costs approximately £2.5m each year and was used to help over half a million animals and close to 7,000 communities annually.

What happens to my recent donation?

Funds already used in India supported animals directly. Most of our income is unrestricted and is therefore distributed across all of Brooke's work where the need is greatest, helping working horses, donkeys and mules.

What happens to any donations I made that were specifically for your work in India?

Any money that you kindly gifted, and was restricted to the India work, will have already gone directly to supporting the animals and communities in the country.

Is Brooke in financial trouble?

No. We have the money, we just aren’t allowed to send it to Brooke India. If we could, there would be no issue and Brooke India’s work could carry on as normal.

Why couldn’t you find more money for Brooke India?

The problem isn’t that we aren’t sending Brooke India enough money, it’s, sadly, that we’re no longer allowed to send money to Brooke India at all.

Where is our money now going if not to India?

Most of the donations we receive are unrestricted which means we can spend the funds where the needs are greatest to helping more working horses, donkeys and mules.

How much will it cost Brooke to close down the operations in India?

We understand the closing down process to be complex and lengthy. As this is breaking news, we are at a very early stage of the process and it is difficult to know the exact costs. Once we have a better understanding of the full process and related costs we will share the information we have on this webpage. I can reassure you that we ensure that as much of our income is spent on helping thousands of donkeys, horses and mules in all of the countries we continue to work in.

Can I make a donation now?

Yes of course. Please call our Supporter Care Team on 020 3012 3456 or make a donation online. These are donations that will be distributed across all of Brooke's work where the need is greatest, helping working horses, donkeys and mules.

Can I make a donation right now specifically to help India and the closure?

Unfortunately not, as we are no longer able to send funds to Brooke India due to the regulatory restrictions. We can take general donations that will support all of Brooke's work in the various countries we work where the need is greatest, helping working horses, donkeys and mules. To make a donation please call our Supporter Care Team on 020 3012 3456 or make a donation online.

Legal and Governance (what happened and why)

Does this affect Brooke’s work in other countries?

No. It only affects Brooke’s work in India.

Why is this an issue now/why didn’t Brooke do something earlier?

Since 2018 Brooke India has taken advice on this situation and explored various options to deal with the regulatory situation. Throughout this time, Brooke India has remained in constant contact with the regulatory authorities and in 2024 Brooke India asked for an appointment to discuss the situation with the authorities. This meeting has only recently happened.

What are the regulations stopping your operations in India?

India’s regulatory environment for charities significantly changed and Brooke India needed to ensure arrangements put in place when it was first created some 25 years ago were still applicable.

Last year, Brooke India applied for registration under the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act (FCRA). This application triggered a review of the existing arrangements under which Brooke India were operating.

During the process, regulators indicated the existing compliance structure would not meet the current regulations. This means that Brooke India is no longer able to receive funding from abroad. Sadly, because 100% of Brooke India’s funding comes from abroad (Brooke UK), we cannot provide the funds to continue its work. Therefore, we had to make the painful decision to close operations in India at this time.

Why can’t you get the relevant legal certificates/licences/regulatory paperwork to continue work in India?

Brooke has worked in India for 25 years, and the authorities are fully aware of the impact we’ve made to help tens of millions of animals and communities.

The reason we can’t continue isn’t about our work — it’s because of regulatory restrictions preventing organisations like Brooke India from receiving funding from abroad. These aren’t restrictions that we can/or should circumvent.

The important thing to note is that over many years of operation, Brooke India has helped communities connect with government support and financial schemes. That means they now have strong links in place to continue accessing help locally.

Organisations like SPANA and PETA are still working in India, why are they able to and Brooke aren’t?

We don’t have information and cannot comment on the legal status or governance arrangements of other charities who work in India, like SPANA and PETA.

Closure and impact on staff

How soon will Brooke India close?

We have started the process to close all operations with immediate effect. There is a small skeleton staff to ensure that this is managed effectively. We will update this webpage with more information and detail as soon as we have access to it.

How many people will lose their jobs?

Sadly, around 300 people will be made redundant, all of whom are extremely valued members of the Brooke family.

We would like to retain a few key members of staff in India to oversee the closure of operations and support communities with the transition. Brooke India has the funds to ensure redundancy and end of service packages for all staff to support them as they seek new employment.

Brooke’s legacy/future work in India/elsewhere

Is there anything you can do to continue your work in India?

Brooke India has been fully funded by Brooke UK and without them being able to receive funds from abroad, there is no way we can directly fund the work. However, over the 25 years that Brooke India has been in operation, they have worked extensively to link communities to government schemes and finance options, as part of sustainability planning, and this, in part, will ensure that communities can access support.

We hope there will be an opportunity in the future to restart the work that has made such a difference to working horses, donkeys and mules and the communities that depend upon them.

Will we work in India in the future?

There are some meetings expected to take place to look into other ways of ensuring the animals are looked after but we don’t currently have any updates we can share at the moment. We hope there will be an opportunity in the future to restart the work that has made such a difference to working horses, donkeys and mules and the communities that depend upon them.

What about your work in the brick kilns in India? Will there be anyone to continue that work?

Brooke India have been working so incredibly hard over the years to strengthen links with local government vets and animal health service providers in brick kilns, and those trained teams are still in place and able to support working animals so that support continues even without us there. They will continue to be able to use peer-to-peer support that Brooke India helped them to set up as well as Brooke’s free learning system.

Also, communities in the brick kilns who were supported to start equine welfare savings groups (small, local self-help groups aimed at promoting good management practices and providing financial security) are now self-sustaining, with access to first aid kits and links to government insurance schemes.

We’re also exploring funding local grassroots organisations so that a level of support continues on the ground ensuring the animals and communities aren’t being left without help.

Will you be working in another country in place of India now?

We can reassure you that we ensure that as much of our income is spent on helping thousands of donkeys, horses and mules in all of the countries we continue to work in. We will continue to do this valuable work with the kind donations of our supporters.

Can I do more to help?

Is there a petition I can sign/can we appeal to/lobby the Indian authorities?

No, and we are asking our supporters not to start one.

Why?

Because this is a regulatory compliance issue, lobbying/petitioning the authorities won’t make things better, and it could cause problems for Brooke India/our colleagues in India.