Population

Sex Workers, 2011

Sex workers are adults who receive money or goods in exchange for consensual sexual services or erotic performances, either regularly or occasionally. Human rights funding for sex workers recognizes the agency, bodily autonomy, and self-determination of sex workers, and distinguishes between sex work and human trafficking. It funds initiatives to address and reduce harms related to criminalization, stigma, and discrimination and supports the development of movements pursuing these goals.

<1%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$5.9 Million out of
$1.7 Billion for all rights
130 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Hivos $1.9 M
  2. Open Society Foundations $1.4 M
  3. Mama Cash $611.7 K
  4. American Jewish World Service $493.3 K
  5. Ford Foundation $250.0 K
  6. Stop AIDS Now $222.2 K
  7. The Oak Foundation $149.0 K
  8. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $125.0 K
  9. Uhai Eashri $120.5 K
  10. Fund For Global Human Rights $115.0 K
  11. The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice $105.9 K
  12. The Overbrook Foundation $55.0 K
  13. Third Wave Foundation $48.0 K
  14. The Global Fund for Women $45.0 K
  15. Mensen met een Missie $42.6 K
  16. G. II Charities $40.0 K
  17. Foundation for a Just Society $25.0 K
  18. Brazil Human Rights Fund $22.5 K
  19. Levi Strauss Foundation $20.0 K
  20. Ms. Foundation for Women $15.0 K
  21. Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $15.0 K
  22. The Northern Rock Foundation $12.0 K
  23. Firelight Endowment $12.0 K
  24. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights $10.0 K
  25. Strategic Fund for Turkey $8.0 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

<1%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$17.4 Million out of
$3.5 Billion for all rights
258 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Sweden $10.6 M
  2. Global Fund $2.9 M
  3. Spain $2.5 M
  4. European Union Institutions $401.9 K
  5. Belgium $278.1 K
  6. Finland $272.0 K
  7. Germany $160.7 K
  8. Norway $155.9 K
  9. Canada $71.2 K
  10. Italy $69.5 K
  11. Luxembourg $16.3 K
  12. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2011 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$1,832,637 (31%)
25 Grants (19%)

Caribbean

$120,000 (2%)
2 Grants (2%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$236,622 (4%)
8 Grants (6%)

Global Programs

$819,397 (14%)
9 Grants (7%)

Latin America & Mexico

$608,214 (10%)
19 Grants (15%)

Middle East & North Africa

$102,740 (2%)
5 Grants (4%)

North America

$222,000 (4%)
11 Grants (8%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$1,845,976 (31%)
48 Grants (37%)

Western Europe

$425,031 (7%)
7 Grants (5%)

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

  • UHAI - the East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative
    Anonymous (Burundi)
    To contribute to the psychosocial care of LGBT persons and sex workers who are victims of violence based on gender or sexual identity.
  • Mama Cash
    SZEXE, the Association of Hungarian Sex Workers
    To provide legal aid for sex workers experiencing discrimination and to build the leadership capacities of sex workers in Hungary and of Hungarian origin working abroad to network, mobilize campaigns, and interact with the media to reduce the stigma of sex work.

* Red Umbrella Fund, Mama Cash, and Open Society Foundations recently conducted an in-depth analysis of sex worker rights funding in 2013 and identified a total of $11 million in support. This additional support was identified through targeted data collection, including from non-governmental organizations, from which we do not collect funding data. To learn more: www.redumbrellafund.org/report/.