Top Foundation Funders

1. NoVo Foundation $70.2 M
2. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $70.1 M
3. W.K. Kellogg Foundation $48.5 M
4. Oak Foundation $36.2 M
5. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $19.8 M
6. Ford Foundation $19.8 M
7. Comic Relief $19.1 M
8. Annie E. Casey Foundation $17.8 M
9. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $16.8 M
10. California Endowment $16.5 M
11. Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation $15.9 M
12. Foundation to Promote Open Society $14.7 M
13. Silicon Valley Community Foundation $14.1 M
14. Walton Family Foundation $12.3 M
15. JPB Foundation $11.5 M
16. Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $9.9 M
17. Paul Hamlyn Foundation $7.5 M
18. Conrad N. Hilton Foundation $6.9 M
19. Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation $6.9 M
20. San Francisco Foundation $6.8 M
21. Carnegie Corporation of New York $6.3 M
22. Andrew W. Mellon Foundation $6.3 M
23. Tulsa Community Foundation $6.1 M
24. Freedom Fund (UK) $5.8 M
25. Foundation for a Just Society $5.7 M
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 Issue

• Education, Religion, and Culture

  $245,249,191 (34%)
  895 Grants (18%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $94,476,523 (13%)
  806 Grants (16%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $91,606,371 (13%)
  489 Grants (10%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $67,308,820 (9%)
  520 Grants (10%)

• Human Rights, General

  $45,756,275 (6%)
  785 Grants (16%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $44,906,272 (6%)
  224 Grants (5%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $39,621,907 (6%)
  279 Grants (6%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $35,577,799 (5%)
  168 Grants (3%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $25,655,549 (4%)
  570 Grants (11%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $10,278,687 (1%)
  78 Grants (2%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $7,677,627 (1%)
  86 Grants (2%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $3,598,137 (1%)
  37 Grants (1%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $3,057,480 (0%)
  34 Grants (1%)

Issue totals include foundation funding that could be identified as meant to address a specific issue. In order to provide unique totals and avoid double-counting, each foundation grant has been assigned to exactly one issue category within the human rights taxonomy.

Foundation Funding by Intersecting Populations

• Women & Girls

  $169,031,225 (24%)
  1,570 Grants (32%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $70,480,823 (10%)
  402 Grants (8%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $25,372,250 (4%)
  417 Grants (8%)

• People with Disabilities

  $12,985,444 (2%)
  187 Grants (4%)

• LGBTQI

  $10,294,095 (1%)
  117 Grants (2%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $4,563,746 (1%)
  28 Grants (1%)

• Sex Workers

  $113,450 (0%)
  5 Grants (0%)

In order to show the intersections of multiple population groups, these graphics indicate other population groups supported within funding towards the group highlighted on this page.

Foundation Funding by Strategy

• Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation

  $300,715,332 (42%)
  1,782 Grants (36%)

• Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

  $110,374,980 (15%)
  944 Grants (19%)

• Coalition-building and Collaboration

  $79,784,831 (11%)
  476 Grants (10%)

• Research and Documentation

  $32,417,448 (5%)
  183 Grants (4%)

• Media and Technology

  $32,198,821 (5%)
  262 Grants (5%)

• Grassroots Organizing

  $23,315,272 (3%)
  502 Grants (10%)

• Arts and Culture

  $22,367,934 (3%)
  160 Grants (3%)

• Litigation and Legal Aid

  $5,364,893 (1%)
  76 Grants (2%)

• Security and Resilience

  $3,815,000 (1%)
  6 Grants (0%)

• Scholarships and Travel

  $2,245,669 (0%)
  27 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.