Issue

Economic and Labor Rights, 2011

Supporting the right to desirable work, which includes the right to free choice of employment, safe conditions and just remuneration, protection against unemployment, access to rest and reasonable working hours, and equal pay for equal work. This category incorporates rights to free association (that is, to form labor unions), collective bargaining, and social security, and protection against forced labor, exploitative labor, child labor, and labor discrimination. It includes grants to address economic inequality where workers, jobs, or work-related laws or policies are mentioned.

6%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$104.8 Million out of
$1.7 Billion for all rights
1,031 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. National Endowment for Democracy $16.2 M
  2. Anonymous $13.4 M
  3. Ford Foundation $8.6 M
  4. Open Society Foundations $8.1 M
  5. Public Welfare Foundation $7.4 M
  6. Bloomberg Philanthropies $3.8 M
  7. Hivos $3.7 M
  8. Humanity United $2.2 M
  9. The San Francisco Foundation $2.1 M
  10. The Kresge Foundation $1.9 M
  11. Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock $1.8 M
  12. The California Endowment $1.6 M
  13. Marguerite Casey Foundation $1.4 M
  14. W. K. Kellogg Foundation $1.3 M
  15. NoVo Foundation $1.2 M
  16. Surdna Foundation $1.2 M
  17. Mama Cash $1.1 M
  18. Howard G. Buffett Foundation $1.0 M
  19. Arcus Foundation $1.0 M
  20. Levi Strauss Foundation $938.5 K
  21. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $900.0 K
  22. Esmee Fairbairn Foundation $756.2 K
  23. American Jewish World Service $734.6 K
  24. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $713.5 K
  25. The Rockefeller Foundation $710.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

3%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$100.7 Million out of
$3.5 Billion for all rights
592 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. United States $56.4 M
  2. Norway $12.1 M
  3. Canada $7.8 M
  4. European Union Institutions $5.4 M
  5. Sweden $4.6 M
  6. Belgium $4.3 M
  7. Germany $3.1 M
  8. Spain $1.9 M
  9. Switzerland $1.6 M
  10. France $1.2 M
  11. Finland $1.1 M
  12. Netherlands $613.2 K
  13. Denmark $269.0 K
  14. Japan $131.7 K
  15. New Zealand $130.2 K
  16. Italy $113.9 K
  17. United Kingdom $58.8 K
  18. Austria $27.8 K
  19. Korea $11.4 K
  20. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2011 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$19,460,389 (19%)
177 Grants (17%)

Caribbean

$1,322,229 (1%)
10 Grants (1%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$6,470,067 (6%)
63 Grants (6%)

Global Programs

$5,547,897 (5%)
38 Grants (4%)

Latin America & Mexico

$6,060,076 (6%)
108 Grants (10%)

Middle East & North Africa

$7,349,935 (7%)
25 Grants (2%)

North America

$46,400,630 (44%)
462 Grants (45%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$20,247,981 (19%)
118 Grants (11%)

Western Europe

$5,951,160 (6%)
60 Grants (6%)

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

  • Marguerite Casey Foundation
    Coalition of Immokalee Workers (United States)
    For advocacy for fair wages, human dignity, decent housing, and stronger laws protecting workers' rights for all farmworkers of the retail food industry.
  • Humanity United
    Verite (United States)
    To eradicate forced labor from the global gold and palm oil supply chains and to support the development of Verite's program to address forced labor.