Issue

Environmental and Resource Rights, 2012

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

$87.3 Million out of
$1.8 Billion for all rights
1,495 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Ford Foundation $14.6 M
  2. Comic Relief UK $9.3 M
  3. Both Ends $6.6 M
  4. American Jewish World Service $5.9 M
  5. Open Society Foundations $4.5 M
  6. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $3.7 M
  7. Global Greengrants Fund $3.6 M
  8. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $3.3 M
  9. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $2.8 M
  10. Tides Foundation $2.7 M
  11. UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality $1.5 M
  12. The Oak Foundation $1.4 M
  13. The Global Fund for Women $1.4 M
  14. Fund For Global Human Rights $1.3 M
  15. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $1.0 M
  16. Cordaid $957.7 K
  17. National Endowment for Democracy $953.4 K
  18. Anonymous $899.9 K
  19. Mensen met een Missie $855.2 K
  20. Wallace Global Fund II $795.0 K
  21. The Marisla Foundation $765.0 K
  22. The Kresge Foundation $615.0 K
  23. The Foundation for Civil Society $606.1 K
  24. Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock $575.0 K
  25. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $535.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

7%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$248.2 Million out of
$3.4 Billion for all rights
701 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Canada $83.6 M
  2. Norway $40.0 M
  3. United States $25.0 M
  4. Germany $14.2 M
  5. European Union Institutions $13.7 M
  6. Finland $13.5 M
  7. Spain $12.0 M
  8. Australia $9.0 M
  9. Switzerland $8.0 M
  10. Belgium $6.6 M
  11. Sweden $6.3 M
  12. Denmark $5.7 M
  13. United Kingdom $3.3 M
  14. Ireland $2.9 M
  15. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $999.3 K
  16. Netherlands $969.8 K
  17. Korea $523.3 K
  18. Austria $517.1 K
  19. Inter-American Development Bank - Special Fund $390.8 K
  20. Global Environment Facility $332.9 K
  21. Italy $298.6 K
  22. Iceland $200.8 K
  23. Luxembourg $36.1 K
  24. France $2.0 K
  25. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2012 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$12,522,756 (14%)
320 Grants (21%)

Caribbean

$914,600 (1%)
32 Grants (2%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$1,047,453 (1%)
55 Grants (4%)

Global Programs

$17,298,538 (20%)
93 Grants (6%)

Latin America & Mexico

$18,472,105 (21%)
429 Grants (29%)

Middle East & North Africa

$1,907,386 (2%)
36 Grants (2%)

North America

$13,675,075 (16%)
269 Grants (18%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$24,626,025 (28%)
280 Grants (19%)

Western Europe

$2,769,746 (3%)
28 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

  • Ford Foundation
    Coordinating Body for Indigenous Peoples Organizations of the Amazon Basin (Ecuador)
    To build the capacity of indigenous peoples' organizations to address the challenges posed by large-scale infrastructure mining and energy projects to their territorial rights.
  • CS Fund
    EarthRights International (United States)
    To hold corporations that commit environmental rights abuses accountable in US courts and to strengthen corporate accountability law abroad.