September has that quality of a fresh start that January pretends to have. The nonprofits in this month's roundup used it well.
JRF gave voice to young people falling through the cracks of education and employment. The American Red Cross reminded people that emergency preparedness happens before the disaster, not during it. And OHCHR marked 40 years of the right to development by asking who actually benefits from global progress.
All three come back to one question: who is being left behind, and why?
Best Charity Animation
Joseph Rowntree Foundation's "How childhood hardship is affecting young people's life chances"
JRF is a UK charity working to tackle poverty through research and policy. This charity animation accompanies their research with Trussell on how childhood financial insecurity shapes life chances long before young people reach adulthood.
There's no narrator. Young people tell it in their own words: "I can't remember a time where I wasn't worried about finances."
The style is mixed-media collage: flat, rounded characters in crayon-like environments, with speckled paper textures and photographic cutouts of everyday objects. It feels warm without softening what's being said.
One visual metaphor stands out: a character trapped against a pink spiral of dark, inward-pointing shapes, capturing the feeling of being "thrown into it" without a word of explanation.
The video ends on a wish: "I just want a good career path, a good family, a stable home."
Best Healthcare Animation
American Red Cross "Emergency App"
The American Red Cross made this thirty-second healthcare animation video to promote its free Emergency app, which helps people prepare before a disaster, get alerts during one, and find support afterwards. The "before, during, and after" structure keeps it simple.
The style is flat 2D illustration in bright red, blue, yellow and green, with a smartphone as the recurring visual frame. Everyone already carries one, so each scenario feels familiar.
The script is practical and direct: "Help protect yourself and loved ones before, during, and after a disaster."
One comment shows the real-world stakes: "We suffered through a disaster last week, and the organisation has been amazing. The help was totally unexpected but has been greatly appreciated."
Best NGO Animation
OHCHR's "40 years of the transformative right to development"
OHCHR marked 40 years of the UN Declaration on the Right to Development with an NGO animation that is more reckoning than celebration.
Over 800 million people remain in extreme poverty. Debt servicing in developing countries has reached $1.4 trillion. Just 12 individuals are richer than half of humanity. The script sets those figures against this line: "Never has humanity had greater wealth, knowledge and technology."
The mixed-media animation pairs flat 2D illustration with photographic collage. Visual metaphors carry most of the weight: a chasm linked to a calculator for debt, clasped hands over a world map for cooperation.
Each injustice is paired with an "Imagine if..." alternative, which gives a complex argument a steady rhythm. The film ends: "It is time to rebalance power."
What These Nonprofit Animations Teach Us
Charity animations work best when they step back and let real voices speak. JRF's worked because it trusted its contributors.
Health care animation is most useful when it reaches people before they need it. The Red Cross video makes emergency preparedness practical and immediate.
NGO animation for advocacy has to be honest about what it's asking for. OHCHR named the scale of the problem clearly, which is harder than offering easy solutions.
Catch up on our 2026 nonprofit animation roundups: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August.
Or explore the archive: Best Nonprofit Videos of All Time.
What's Leon! Animation Studio Up To?
September has been a busy one for our nonprofit animation studio. Two new clients joined the roster: Southampton CTU and the University of the West of England.
We're making good progress on NHS animation for Guy's and St Thomas' and University Hospitals Sussex, and on medical animation for the British Heart Foundation. The Médecins Sans Frontières video and our Partners Against Mortality in Epilepsy medical animation are both nearly done.
Our charity animation studio makes non-profit animation, charity videos, healthcare animation, and NHS animation for organisations whose messages deserve to be heard. If yours is one of them, let's talk.
