Issue

Civic and Political Participation, 2011

Supporting the right to peaceful assembly and association, voting rights, and full participation in the political process. This category includes grants to promote democracy, citizen political involvement, protection from closing civic space, free and fair elections, gaining access to public officials, and obtaining necessary information to make informed decisions at the polls and in daily public affairs.

2%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$36.1 Million out of
$1.7 Billion for all rights
293 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Ford Foundation $6.1 M
  2. Open Society Foundations $4.1 M
  3. National Endowment for Democracy $3.5 M
  4. NoVo Foundation $3.0 M
  5. Marguerite Casey Foundation $2.9 M
  6. Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund $1.7 M
  7. Hivos $1.0 M
  8. The California Endowment $1.0 M
  9. The Atlantic Philanthropies $950.0 K
  10. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $810.7 K
  11. W. K. Kellogg Foundation $729.4 K
  12. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $720.0 K
  13. Wallace H. Coulter Trust $650.0 K
  14. Public Welfare Foundation $625.0 K
  15. The James Irvine Foundation $588.3 K
  16. Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock $581.0 K
  17. The Pershing Square Foundation $500.0 K
  18. Public Interest Projects $475.0 K
  19. The Skillman Foundation $415.0 K
  20. Carnegie Corporation of New York $415.0 K
  21. The San Francisco Foundation $380.0 K
  22. Bauman Family Foundation $310.0 K
  23. The Denver Foundation $250.0 K
  24. Humanity United $250.0 K
  25. The Joyce Foundation $246.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

16%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$555.6 Million out of
$3.5 Billion for all rights
1,928 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. United States $251.2 M
  2. Norway $53.5 M
  3. Sweden $52.4 M
  4. Canada $32.1 M
  5. European Union Institutions $29.0 M
  6. United Kingdom $24.0 M
  7. Denmark $23.1 M
  8. Ireland $18.3 M
  9. Spain $17.8 M
  10. Germany $15.2 M
  11. Finland $10.4 M
  12. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) $9.3 M
  13. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $5.7 M
  14. Netherlands $4.4 M
  15. Switzerland $3.4 M
  16. International Development Association $2.7 M
  17. Italy $1.1 M
  18. France $662.5 K
  19. Australia $383.3 K
  20. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) $361.9 K
  21. Portugal $204.4 K
  22. Austria $131.7 K
  23. New Zealand $124.9 K
  24. Belgium $92.3 K
  25. Iceland $54.4 K
  26. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2011 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$932,311 (3%)
12 Grants (4%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$2,238,711 (6%)
32 Grants (11%)

Global Programs

$268,567 (1%)
2 Grants (1%)

Latin America & Mexico

$849,371 (2%)
10 Grants (3%)

Middle East & North Africa

$899,214 (2%)
16 Grants (5%)

North America

$28,615,735 (79%)
191 Grants (65%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$2,648,194 (7%)
29 Grants (10%)

Western Europe

$47,577 (0%)
3 Grants (1%)

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 Population

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

  • Surdna Foundation
    New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice (United States)
    To expand democracy for low-income communities of color engaged in the reconstruction of New Orleans and to increase civic participation in unemployed and under-employed communities.
  • Humanity United
    Human Rights Watch (United States)
    To open a field office in Kinshasa in order to monitor the electoral process and associated human rights violations.