Population

Human Rights Defenders, 2016

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

$19.3 Million out of
$2.8 Billion for all rights
576 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. National Endowment for Democracy $3.3 M
  2. Freedom House $2.7 M
  3. Oak Foundation $2.4 M
  4. Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders $1.8 M
  5. Foundation to Promote Open Society $1.4 M
  6. Foundation for a Just Society $1.1 M
  7. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights $888.1 K
  8. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $825.0 K
  9. Ford Foundation $723.0 K
  10. American Jewish World Service $687.8 K
  11. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $649.7 K
  12. The Overbrook Foundation $580.0 K
  13. Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $506.9 K
  14. The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $500.0 K
  15. Urgent Action Fund- Africa $306.7 K
  16. Fondo de Acción Urgente de America Latina $297.4 K
  17. Fund for Global Human Rights $277.4 K
  18. Arcus Foundation $235.0 K
  19. The Schmidt Family Foundation $200.0 K
  20. Hivos $196.6 K
  21. New Israel Foundation $168.5 K
  22. Mama Cash $160.5 K
  23. Levi Strauss Foundation $150.0 K
  24. Compton Foundation $150.0 K
  25. The Open Technology Fund $107.4 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

1%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$49.2 Million out of
$3.9 Billion for all rights
274 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Sweden $14.2 M
  2. European Union Institutions $11.8 M
  3. United States $7.5 M
  4. Norway $5.3 M
  5. Canada $2.5 M
  6. Netherlands $1.6 M
  7. Germany $1.5 M
  8. Finland $1.4 M
  9. Ireland $1.3 M
  10. United Kingdom $1.1 M
  11. Switzerland $651.0 K
  12. Spain $239.9 K
  13. Austria $166.7 K
  14. Estonia $55.3 K
  15. Italy $6.6 K
  16. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2016 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$3,743,912 (19%)
111 Grants (19%)

Caribbean

$2,417,068 (12%)
11 Grants (2%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$265,769 (1%)
29 Grants (5%)

Global Programs

$2,551,984 (13%)
16 Grants (3%)

Latin America & Mexico

$5,631,817 (29%)
124 Grants (22%)

Middle East & North Africa

$3,428,574 (18%)
172 Grants (30%)

North America

$831,806 (4%)
29 Grants (5%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$2,495,703 (13%)
87 Grants (15%)

Western Europe

$667,799 (3%)
8 Grants (1%)

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.

Foundation Funding by Strategy

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.

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.