Issue

Economic and Labor Rights, 2012

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.

5%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$97.7 Million out of
$1.8 Billion for all rights
1,235 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. National Endowment for Democracy $15.1 M
  2. Ford Foundation $10.4 M
  3. Open Society Foundations $7.9 M
  4. Public Welfare Foundation $7.0 M
  5. Comic Relief UK $6.2 M
  6. Bloomberg Philanthropies $3.8 M
  7. Humanity United $2.5 M
  8. The San Francisco Foundation $2.2 M
  9. Hivos $2.1 M
  10. Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock $2.0 M
  11. The Joyce Foundation $1.9 M
  12. UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality $1.8 M
  13. Trust for London $1.6 M
  14. The Atlantic Philanthropies $1.5 M
  15. American Jewish World Service $1.5 M
  16. Mama Cash $1.3 M
  17. Levi Strauss Foundation $1.2 M
  18. Surdna Foundation $1.2 M
  19. Tides Foundation $1.1 M
  20. NoVo Foundation $1.1 M
  21. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $885.0 K
  22. The Oak Foundation $841.6 K
  23. Fund For Global Human Rights $680.0 K
  24. NEO Philanthropy $671.4 K
  25. W. K. Kellogg Foundation $660.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

3%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$103.8 Million out of
$3.4 Billion for all rights
323 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. United States $59.7 M
  2. Norway $14.4 M
  3. Belgium $5.3 M
  4. Canada $4.8 M
  5. European Union Institutions $4.6 M
  6. Sweden $4.0 M
  7. Germany $3.3 M
  8. Australia $2.1 M
  9. Finland $1.6 M
  10. France $1.0 M
  11. Denmark $882.2 K
  12. Spain $692.6 K
  13. Switzerland $689.1 K
  14. Netherlands $382.7 K
  15. Japan $115.9 K
  16. United Kingdom $77.1 K
  17. New Zealand $64.3 K
  18. Italy $59.5 K
  19. United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $48.8 K
  20. Czech Republic $27.6 K
  21. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2012 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$13,940,141 (14%)
208 Grants (17%)

Caribbean

$1,447,938 (1%)
16 Grants (1%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$3,566,872 (4%)
65 Grants (5%)

Global Programs

$5,580,740 (6%)
62 Grants (5%)

Latin America & Mexico

$9,015,489 (9%)
128 Grants (10%)

Middle East & North Africa

$3,360,264 (3%)
30 Grants (2%)

North America

$44,496,390 (46%)
543 Grants (44%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$15,286,917 (16%)
151 Grants (12%)

Western Europe

$3,949,026 (4%)
52 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.

Sample Grants

  • Comic Relief UK
    Traidcraft Exchange (Kenya)
    To train farmers' groups and workers' representatives that export fresh vegetables to supermarkets in the United Kingdom, as well as supermarket management, about worker's rights, and to improve working conditions.
  • UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality
    Fondo de Mujeres del Sur and Fondo Alquimia
    To defend the social and economic rights of informal sector workers in Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay and work towards the recognition of labor rights for domestic workers and seamstresses through a variety of key strategies, partnerships, and alliances.