Issue

Environmental and Resource Rights, 2011

Supporting the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. This includes the rights of indigenous, marginalized, or any other communities to the unspoiled natural resources that enable survival, including land, water, air, plants, animals, and energy; sustainable agriculture rights; the right to water and sanitation; and the right to share in and determine the distribution of lands, territories, and resources. This category captures grants to protect natural resources from overdevelopment, destruction, or adulteration and to address climate change.

5%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$88.1 Million out of
$1.7 Billion for all rights
1,408 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $17.7 M
  2. Ford Foundation $12.9 M
  3. Open Society Foundations $8.7 M
  4. Tides Foundation $3.7 M
  5. The Rockefeller Foundation $3.7 M
  6. Global Greengrants Fund $3.4 M
  7. Anonymous $3.2 M
  8. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $2.6 M
  9. The California Endowment $2.3 M
  10. W. K. Kellogg Foundation $2.0 M
  11. American Jewish World Service $2.0 M
  12. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $1.6 M
  13. Fund For Global Human Rights $1.2 M
  14. National Endowment for Democracy $973.3 K
  15. The McKnight Foundation $923.0 K
  16. The James Irvine Foundation $900.0 K
  17. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $890.0 K
  18. Park Foundation $840.0 K
  19. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $772.2 K
  20. CS Fund $731.0 K
  21. Anonymous $697.2 K
  22. The Kendeda Fund $690.0 K
  23. Hivos $628.6 K
  24. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $591.9 K
  25. Cordaid $589.3 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

9%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$332.9 Million out of
$3.5 Billion for all rights
1,277 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Ireland $102.9 M
  2. Canada $59.1 M
  3. Norway $41.9 M
  4. Spain $26.2 M
  5. United States $24.1 M
  6. International Development Association $16.1 M
  7. European Union Institutions $13.6 M
  8. Sweden $11.9 M
  9. Germany $10.0 M
  10. Denmark $6.3 M
  11. Inter-American Development Bank - Special Fund $5.7 M
  12. Switzerland $4.7 M
  13. Finland $3.3 M
  14. Belgium $2.4 M
  15. United Kingdom $1.4 M
  16. Netherlands $1.2 M
  17. Austria $720.6 K
  18. Korea $465.7 K
  19. Italy $395.6 K
  20. New Zealand $234.6 K
  21. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $188.9 K
  22. France $48.6 K
  23. Iceland $42.3 K
  24. Luxembourg $22.5 K
  25. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2011 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$12,094,139 (14%)
259 Grants (18%)

Caribbean

$341,367 (0%)
12 Grants (1%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$1,976,395 (2%)
78 Grants (6%)

Global Programs

$24,065,586 (27%)
77 Grants (5%)

Latin America & Mexico

$10,220,550 (12%)
431 Grants (31%)

Middle East & North Africa

$781,353 (1%)
23 Grants (2%)

North America

$19,505,114 (22%)
279 Grants (20%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$19,555,538 (22%)
252 Grants (18%)

Western Europe

$2,679,355 (3%)
25 Grants (2%)

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

  • Global Greengrants Fund
    Coalition of Agricultural Workers International (Philippines)
    To conduct studies on corporate accountability and farmworkers' occupational health and safety, including the impact of pesticides within the Asian-Pacific region, and to present the findings at the Permanent Peoples' Tribunal in India.
  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
    World Resources Institute (United States)
    To develop an educational online resource on land and natural resource property rights in Africa.