Population

Human Rights Defenders, 2011

Human rights defenders promote and protect human rights through peaceful means individually or/and with others. They may collect and disseminate information on violations, support victims of abuse, or seek accountability and an end to impunity. Human rights funding for human rights defenders supports their protection needs, enhancing their resilience and developing a more enabling environment for their work. It includes rapid response and longer-term capacity-building support.

1%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$9.3 Million out of
$1.7 Billion for all rights
280 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. National Endowment for Democracy $1.2 M
  2. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $1.1 M
  3. Anonymous $836.6 K
  4. Open Society Foundations $788.8 K
  5. The Oak Foundation $773.6 K
  6. Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders $732.7 K
  7. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $690.2 K
  8. Freedom House $645.7 K
  9. Ford Foundation $500.0 K
  10. Hivos $313.7 K
  11. Urgent Action Fund - Africa $312.0 K
  12. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights $292.4 K
  13. American Jewish World Service $220.0 K
  14. Fund For Global Human Rights $208.7 K
  15. Fondo de Accion Urgente de America Latina $160.1 K
  16. Arab Human Rights Fund $126.3 K
  17. Mensen met een Missie $71.6 K
  18. New Israel Fund $55.0 K
  19. The Seattle Foundation $50.0 K
  20. The Overbrook Foundation $50.0 K
  21. Mama Cash $46.0 K
  22. Brazil Human Rights Fund $37.5 K
  23. Channel Foundation $25.0 K
  24. General Service Foundation $18.0 K
  25. Fund for Nonviolence $15.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

1%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$23.7 Million out of
$3.5 Billion for all rights
135 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. European Union Institutions $5.1 M
  2. Sweden $4.8 M
  3. Canada $4.5 M
  4. Norway $4.1 M
  5. United States $1.7 M
  6. Finland $835.4 K
  7. Switzerland $674.4 K
  8. Spain $554.7 K
  9. Denmark $536.2 K
  10. Netherlands $330.5 K
  11. Germany $282.5 K
  12. United Kingdom $202.2 K
  13. Ireland $47.3 K
  14. Czech Republic $14.3 K
  15. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2011 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$1,297,362 (14%)
45 Grants (16%)

Caribbean

$55,030 (1%)
1 Grants (0%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$951,406 (10%)
26 Grants (9%)

Global Programs

$1,904,630 (20%)
7 Grants (3%)

Latin America & Mexico

$738,694 (8%)
55 Grants (20%)

Middle East & North Africa

$2,603,652 (28%)
77 Grants (28%)

North America

$88,960 (1%)
8 Grants (3%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$1,295,330 (14%)
57 Grants (20%)

Western Europe

$385,924 (4%)
8 Grants (3%)

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

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

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.

Sample Grants

  • Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support
    Human Rights Defenders
    Gave an urgent grant for temporary relocation of an anonymous Syrian human rights defender and his family to a neighboring country due to cumulative life threats.
  • Ford Foundation
    Akiba Uhaki Foundation (Kenya)
    For research, training, and technical assistance to help human rights defenders in East Africa and link them with their counterparts in West, Southern, and North Africa.

Grants in this category include those that explicitly reference human rights defenders in the grant description, as well as grants from funders that identified all of their funding as supporting this population.