Population

Human Rights Defenders, 2012

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

$11.2 Million out of
$1.8 Billion for all rights
339 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Mama Cash $1.4 M
  2. Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders $1.4 M
  3. American Jewish World Service $1.2 M
  4. National Endowment for Democracy $1.1 M
  5. Freedom House $1.1 M
  6. Open Society Foundations $999.9 K
  7. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $633.9 K
  8. The Oak Foundation $496.8 K
  9. Ford Foundation $482.0 K
  10. Urgent Action Fund - Africa $399.7 K
  11. KIOS-The Finnish NGO Foundation for Human Rights $352.9 K
  12. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $345.0 K
  13. Fund For Global Human Rights $328.3 K
  14. The Open Technology Fund $320.0 K
  15. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights $310.9 K
  16. Hivos $300.7 K
  17. Fondo de Accion Urgente de America Latina $176.6 K
  18. U.S. Institute of Peace $117.4 K
  19. Mensen met een Missie $100.0 K
  20. Levi Strauss Foundation $60.0 K
  21. The Overbrook Foundation $50.0 K
  22. The Seattle Foundation $50.0 K
  23. General Service Foundation $43.5 K
  24. Karibu Foundation $30.0 K
  25. The Global Fund for Women $30.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

1%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$30.3 Million out of
$3.4 Billion for all rights
137 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Sweden $12.7 M
  2. Norway $3.8 M
  3. Canada $3.7 M
  4. European Union Institutions $3.6 M
  5. Switzerland $1.7 M
  6. United States $1.0 M
  7. Netherlands $913.9 K
  8. Denmark $772.4 K
  9. Finland $735.0 K
  10. United Kingdom $457.8 K
  11. Germany $318.9 K
  12. Spain $240.8 K
  13. Ireland $199.2 K
  14. Belgium $192.8 K
  15. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2012 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$1,679,168 (15%)
53 Grants (16%)

Caribbean

$79,140 (1%)
3 Grants (1%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$704,040 (6%)
24 Grants (7%)

Global Programs

$1,695,775 (15%)
12 Grants (4%)

Latin America & Mexico

$2,824,988 (25%)
65 Grants (19%)

Middle East & North Africa

$2,131,212 (19%)
110 Grants (32%)

North America

$109,041 (1%)
3 Grants (1%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$1,718,924 (15%)
71 Grants (21%)

Western Europe

$732,091 (7%)
6 Grants (2%)

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

  • Global Greengrants Fund
    Kaugalingong Sistema Igpasasandug ti Lumadnong Ogpaan (Philippines)
    To ensure the safety and well-being of families and human rights defenders acting against mining in their community so that they can continue to defend their rights.


  • To improve the safety and security of human rights defenders through engaging in advocacy, building organizations' capacity to mitigate risks and respond to threats, strengthening national support mechanisms, and monitoring violence against human rights defenders.

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.