Top Foundation Funders

1. John S. and James L. Knight Foundation $30.0 M
2. Oak Foundation $14.9 M
3. Ford Foundation $7.7 M
4. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $6.8 M
5. Tides Foundation $5.3 M
6. Fund For Global Human Rights $4.5 M
7. Alliance for Open Society International $2.9 M
8. NoVo Foundation $2.8 M
9. NEO Philanthropy $1.9 M
10. Proteus Fund $1.8 M
11. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria $1.7 M
12. Foundation to Promote Open Society $1.2 M
13. Public Welfare Foundation $1.0 M
14. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $995.0 K
15. Unbound Philanthropy $978.4 K
16. EEA and Norway Grants $874.0 K
17. Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund $802.5 K
18. Dietel Partners $729.0 K
19. New Israel Foundation $726.4 K
20. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation $573.3 K
21. National Endowment for Democracy $553.0 K
22. Bill and Susan Oberndorf Foundation $500.0 K
23. Colcom Foundation $500.0 K
24. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $430.0 K
25. Dick & Betsy DeVos Family Foundation $400.0 K
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Region

Region totals include both foundation grants directly to recipients based in the region specified and foundation grants to recipients located in other regions to do work benefiting the region specified. Grants may mention more than one region of benefit and therefore be counted in more than one category.

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Expression and Information Rights

  $30,773,758 (32%)
  10 Grants (2%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $15,441,760 (16%)
  137 Grants (22%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $12,981,966 (13%)
  153 Grants (24%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $7,717,292 (8%)
  89 Grants (14%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $6,242,226 (6%)
  44 Grants (7%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $5,879,350 (6%)
  23 Grants (4%)

• Social and Cultural Rights

  $3,707,829 (4%)
  51 Grants (8%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $3,461,493 (4%)
  22 Grants (3%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $3,135,447 (3%)
  37 Grants (6%)

• Human Rights, General

  $2,462,327 (3%)
  20 Grants (3%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $1,857,890 (2%)
  15 Grants (2%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $1,677,373 (2%)
  26 Grants (4%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $1,115,710 (1%)
  10 Grants (2%)

Issue totals include foundation funding that could be identified as meant to address a specific issue. In order to provide unique totals and avoid double-counting, each foundation grant has been assigned to exactly one issue category within the human rights taxonomy.

Foundation Funding by Population

• Migrants & Refugees

  $10,023,312 (10%)
  76 Grants (12%)

• Children & Youth

  $8,253,467 (9%)
  74 Grants (12%)

• Women & Girls

  $6,366,658 (7%)
  153 Grants (24%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $5,073,546 (5%)
  61 Grants (10%)

• LGBTQI

  $3,892,832 (4%)
  69 Grants (11%)

• People with Disabilities

  $1,370,412 (1%)
  19 Grants (3%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $492,736 (1%)
  58 Grants (9%)

• Sex Workers

  $108,459 (0%)
  6 Grants (1%)

Population totals include foundation funding that could be identified as meant to benefit a specific group. Grants may serve multiple populations and would therefore be counted in more than one category.

Sample Grants

• Funder TASO Foundation
  Recipient Molaogli Development Group (Georgia's self-help group of ethnic Azerbaijani women and youth mobilized)
  Description For social activism in the Muslim community to establish a community resource center and advocate for women's rights in collaboration with regional legal clinics.
• Funder Urgent Action Fund - Africa
  Recipient A Common Future - Cameroon (Cameroon)
  Description To pursue litigation against five agents in Bamenda for trafficking girls to Kuwait for forced labor and sexual exploitation.