Issue

Environmental and Resource Rights, 2015

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.

8%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$196.9 Million out of
$2.4 Billion for all rights
2,656 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Nationale Postcode Loterij $55.2 M
  2. Foundation For The Carolinas $28.2 M
  3. Tides Foundation $10.2 M
  4. Oak Foundation $7.5 M
  5. Global Greengrants Fund $6.9 M
  6. Ford Foundation $6.7 M
  7. NoVo Foundation $6.1 M
  8. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $4.4 M
  9. American Jewish World Service $3.6 M
  10. Comic Relief $3.6 M
  11. Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $3.4 M
  12. The Kresge Foundation $3.2 M
  13. The Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for Human Progress $2.9 M
  14. Foundation to Promote Open Society $2.6 M
  15. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $2.3 M
  16. Robertson Foundation $2.0 M
  17. International Community Foundation $1.9 M
  18. Compton Foundation $1.8 M
  19. Dietel Partners $1.6 M
  20. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $1.5 M
  21. Fund For Global Human Rights $1.5 M
  22. Fundación AVINA $1.5 M
  23. Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust $1.4 M
  24. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $1.3 M
  25. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $1.3 M
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

10%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$360.5 Million out of
$3.7 Billion for all rights
1,057 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Canada $106.3 M
  2. Sweden $51.6 M
  3. Finland $35.6 M
  4. United States $30.8 M
  5. European Union Institutions $26.3 M
  6. Norway $22.3 M
  7. Switzerland $21.7 M
  8. United Kingdom $13.4 M
  9. Germany $12.8 M
  10. Spain $12.7 M
  11. Denmark $10.7 M
  12. Belgium $7.5 M
  13. Ireland $6.2 M
  14. Global Environment Facility $666.7 K
  15. Italy $658.1 K
  16. Netherlands $373.9 K
  17. Korea $252.1 K
  18. Inter-American Development Bank $177.4 K
  19. Australia $119.8 K
  20. Austria $105.2 K
  21. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $80.5 K
  22. Inter-American Development Bank - Special Fund $56.4 K
  23. OPEC Fund for International Development $40.0 K
  24. Hungary $5.4 K
  25. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2015 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$15,006,395 (8%)
577 Grants (22%)

Caribbean

$695,939 (0%)
33 Grants (1%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$920,352 (0%)
46 Grants (2%)

Global Programs

$48,529,663 (25%)
132 Grants (5%)

Latin America & Mexico

$19,786,999 (10%)
681 Grants (26%)

Middle East & North Africa

$1,388,899 (1%)
24 Grants (1%)

North America

$63,640,837 (32%)
626 Grants (24%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$20,510,459 (10%)
469 Grants (18%)

Western Europe

$33,210,206 (17%)
101 Grants (4%)

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.

Foundation Funding by Strategy

Strategy totals include foundation funding that could be identified as supporting a specific strategy. Grants may employ multiple strategies and would therefore be counted in more than one category.

Sample Grants

  • Ford Foundation
    Global Justice (Brazil)
    To develop and implement strategies to monitor and address human rights violations committed in conjunction with extractive industries and the 2016 Olympic Games.
  • The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
    Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) (United States)
    Which convenes former energy regulators and more traditional environmental advocates to promote sustainable, low-carbon power sector development in the USA, China, India, Europe, and Latin America.