Top Foundation Funders

1. Oak Foundation $6.8 M
2. Humanity United $4.2 M
3. National Endowment for Democracy $3.7 M
4. Ford Foundation $3.2 M
5. The Skoll Foundation $3.1 M
6. International Development Research Centre $2.8 M
7. Foundation to Promote Open Society $2.5 M
8. W. K. Kellogg Foundation $2.5 M
9. Fund For Global Human Rights $2.5 M
10. Cordaid $1.6 M
11. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $1.5 M
12. Nationale Postcode Loterij $1.5 M
13. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $1.4 M
14. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $1.4 M
15. NoVo Foundation $1.1 M
16. Catalyst for Peace $1.0 M
17. New Israel Foundation $905.1 K
18. U.S. Institute of Peace $852.2 K
19. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $848.4 K
20. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $821.5 K
21. Mensen met een Missie $771.9 K
22. Carnegie Corporation of New York $745.1 K
23. Peace Direct $697.4 K
24. TrustAfrica $687.0 K
25. American Jewish World Service $611.2 K
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Region

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

• Women & Girls

  $8,577,183 (17%)
  196 Grants (30%)

• Children & Youth

  $5,889,982 (11%)
  120 Grants (18%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $1,967,617 (4%)
  28 Grants (4%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $1,405,580 (3%)
  25 Grants (4%)

• LGBTQI

  $1,150,322 (2%)
  8 Grants (1%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $925,509 (2%)
  32 Grants (5%)

• People with Disabilities

  $214,271 (0%)
  7 Grants (1%)

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

• Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation

  $25,085,591 (49%)
  302 Grants (46%)

• Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

  $11,222,632 (22%)
  139 Grants (21%)

• Litigation and Legal Aid

  $5,879,350 (11%)
  23 Grants (4%)

• Public Engagement and Awareness-raising

  $5,795,657 (11%)
  98 Grants (15%)

• Coalition-building and Collaboration

  $5,702,006 (11%)
  100 Grants (15%)

• Research and Documentation

  $5,524,545 (11%)
  66 Grants (10%)

• Media and Technology

  $5,013,080 (10%)
  59 Grants (9%)

• Grassroots Organizing

  $2,913,716 (6%)
  46 Grants (7%)

• Arts and Culture

  $2,539,431 (5%)
  37 Grants (6%)

• Security and Resilience

  $187,040 (0%)
  2 Grants (0%)

• Scholarships and Travel

  $133,058 (0%)
  4 Grants (1%)

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

• Funder Humanity United
  Recipient Foundation for the Graduate Institute of International Relations and Development (Geneva)
  Description In the Inclusive Peace and Transition Initiative, helping local and international peacebuilding communities employ evidence-based approaches to inform more inclusive peace processes.
• Funder Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
  Recipient Youth Build USA (United States)
  Description Providing funding for programming in Kosovo to increase levels of youth civic participation to cultivate positive social action in Southeast Europe.

Related Resources

• Documenting Human Rights Violations: Increasing Recognition of Civil and Political Rights in Burma
• Transitional Human Rights Work in Syria: A Pilot Initiative Embedding Human Rights Norms in Nascent Governance Structures