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Advancing Human Rights

The State of Global Foundation Grantmaking

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  • Years
    • 2011 - 2015
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
  • Regions
    • Asia & Pacific
    • Caribbean
    • Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
    • Global Programs
    • Latin America & Mexico
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
    • Sub-Saharan Africa
    • Western Europe
  • Issues
    • Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
    • Civic and Political Participation
    • Economic and Labor Rights
    • Education, Religion, and Culture
    • Environmental and Resource Rights
    • Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
    • Expression and Information Rights
    • Freedom from Violence
    • Health and Well-being Rights
    • Human Rights, General
    • Migration and Displacement
    • Sexual and Reproductive Rights
    • Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
  • Populations
    • Children & Youth
    • Human Rights Defenders
    • Indigenous Peoples
    • LGBTQI
    • Migrants & Refugees
    • People with Disabilities
    • Sex Workers
    • Women & Girls
  • Strategies
    • Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation
    • Arts and Culture
    • Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
    • Coalition-building and Collaboration
    • Grassroots Organizing
    • Litigation and Legal Aid
    • Media and Technology
    • Research and Documentation
    • Scholarships and Travel
    • Security and Resilience
  • Bi/Multilateral
Issue

Education, Religion, and Culture, 2017

Supporting the right to participate in the cultural life of a community and engage in community duties essential to free and full development. This category includes the right to education, freedom of belief and religion, and the right to pursue one’s cultural traditions. It incorporates grants to support inclusion, acclimation, and acceptance of diverse communities.

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  • Trends, 2011 - 2015
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2015
  • 2014
  • 2013
  • 2012
  • 2011
Explore:
Select a Section
  • Top Foundation Funders
  • Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
  • Regional Focus
  • Population Focus
  • Strategy Focus
  • Related Resources

10%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$307.8 Million out of
$3.2 Billion for all rights
1,612 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. W.K. Kellogg Foundation $68.1 M
  2. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $36.5 M
  3. Tides Foundation $20.3 M
  4. Silicon Valley Community Foundation $13.4 M
  5. Ford Foundation $13.4 M
  6. NoVo Foundation $10.4 M
  7. Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation $7.8 M
  8. Raikes Foundation $6.7 M
  9. Comic Relief $6.7 M
  10. Carnegie Corporation of New York $6.1 M
  11. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation $5.1 M
  12. Knight Foundation $4.5 M
  13. Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund $3.1 M
  14. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $2.9 M
  15. Tamalpais Trust $2.9 M
  16. Michael & Susan Dell Foundation $2.8 M
  17. Bloomberg Family Foundation $2.8 M
  18. Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation $2.7 M
  19. College Futures Foundation $2.6 M
  20. Omidyar Network Fund $2.2 M
  21. Oak Foundation $2.1 M
  22. The Abell Foundation $2.1 M
  23. The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation $2.0 M
  24. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $1.9 M
  25. The Kresge Foundation $1.9 M
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

5%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$187.2 Million out of
$3.9 Billion for all rights
916 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. European Union Institutions $24.5 M
  2. Sweden $24.0 M
  3. Finland $23.1 M
  4. Norway $18.7 M
  5. Spain $18.3 M
  6. United States $17.3 M
  7. Germany $13.9 M
  8. Italy $10.6 M
  9. Australia $8.9 M
  10. Canada $5.3 M
  11. Switzerland $4.7 M
  12. Denmark $3.0 M
  13. Netherlands $2.3 M
  14. Korea $2.3 M
  15. France $1.8 M
  16. Austria $1.3 M
  17. Iceland $1.1 M
  18. Inter-American Development Bank $1.0 M
  19. Ireland $1.0 M
  20. United Arab Emirates $996.0 K
  21. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $570.1 K
  22. Belgium $452.8 K
  23. Adaptation Fund $435.5 K
  24. Japan $425.2 K
  25. Luxembourg $273.1 K
  26. M = Millions

Key Findings:    2017 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$5,163,768 (2%)
101 Grants (6%)

Caribbean

$821,601 (0%)
14 Grants (1%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$888,196 (0%)
28 Grants (2%)

Global Programs

$5,740,784 (2%)
44 Grants (3%)

Latin America & Mexico

$18,729,534 (6%)
132 Grants (8%)

Middle East & North Africa

$2,005,759 (1%)
39 Grants (2%)

North America

$255,668,200 (83%)
1,013 Grants (63%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$13,594,647 (4%)
137 Grants (8%)

Western Europe

$7,134,973 (2%)
110 Grants (7%)

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

  • Children & Youth

    $192,229,854 (62%)
    789 Grants (49%)
  • Indigenous Peoples

    $30,487,093 (10%)
    256 Grants (16%)
  • Women & Girls

    $26,265,169 (9%)
    281 Grants (17%)
  • Migrants & Refugees

    $12,283,909 (4%)
    89 Grants (6%)
  • People with Disabilities

    $6,828,718 (2%)
    55 Grants (3%)
  • LGBTQI

    $4,211,488 (1%)
    52 Grants (3%)
  • Human Rights Defenders

    $98,788 (0%)
    20 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

    $145,549,080 (47%)
    566 Grants (35%)
  • Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

    $33,661,562 (11%)
    198 Grants (12%)
  • Coalition-building and Collaboration

    $17,467,512 (6%)
    88 Grants (5%)
  • Media and Technology

    $12,261,687 (4%)
    62 Grants (4%)
  • Research and Documentation

    $9,753,124 (3%)
    46 Grants (3%)
  • Arts and Culture

    $6,600,922 (2%)
    127 Grants (8%)
  • Scholarships and Travel

    $4,427,602 (1%)
    45 Grants (3%)
  • Grassroots Organizing

    $4,094,959 (1%)
    62 Grants (4%)
  • Litigation and Legal Aid

    $1,618,531 (1%)
    18 Grants (1%)
  • Security and Resilience

    $4,440 (0%)
    2 Grants (0%)

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.

Related Resources

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