WASHINGTON—Noah Wyle, star of NBC’s “ER,” will appear in a new ad campaign this winter promoting the emerging trend of “cruelty-free giving.” A print ad featuring Wyle will run in Playbill and other magazines in major U.S. cities this December telling donors how they can make sure their contributions to health charities don’t fund animal experiments. The end of the year is traditionally a major time for charitable giving.

The ad promotes the “Humane Charity Seal of Approval,” a two-year-old program that certifies those health charities that fund vital patient services or life-saving medical research, but never animal experiments. Like the “cruelty-free” symbols found on many cosmetics, the Humane Seal consists of a circular logo and the outline of a rabbit.

“Before giving to a charity, I always look for the Humane Seal,” Wyle says in the ad. Noah Wyle is famous for his role as Dr. John Carter on the long-running medical drama “ER.”

The simplicity of the seal—used on certified charities’ materials—makes it easy for donors to quickly determine if a charity matches their values. The program is administered by the not-for-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine on behalf of the Council on Humane Giving, a consortium of public interest and animal protection groups. The Council is expecting a significant shift in philanthropic giving over the coming years, similar to the impact the cruelty-free cosmetics campaigns have had on the personal care products industry.

The first program of its kind, the Seal is available to any health charity that can guarantee it doesn’t fund or conduct animal tests. Because PCRM administers the Seal as a public service, there is no fee for applying for or using the Seal. More than 200 charities, including Easter Seals, the American Kidney Fund, and Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc., have received licensing to date. The two newest charities to join the list are the McDougall Research and Education Foundation and the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation. The program is in the process of expanding to other countries.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit health organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research,and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in research.