Population

Sex Workers, 2012

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

$6.0 Million out of
$1.8 Billion for all rights
179 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Open Society Foundations $1.7 M
  2. Hivos $1.4 M
  3. American Jewish World Service $987.7 K
  4. Red Umbrella Fund $546.4 K
  5. Comic Relief UK $538.8 K
  6. Mama Cash $463.2 K
  7. The Global Fund for Women $417.5 K
  8. Ford Foundation $405.0 K
  9. Uhai Eashri $322.7 K
  10. Levi Strauss Foundation $270.0 K
  11. Esmee Fairbairn Foundation $118.9 K
  12. Fund For Global Human Rights $85.0 K
  13. The Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice $67.5 K
  14. The Overbrook Foundation $55.0 K
  15. Groundswell Fund $34.0 K
  16. The Rhode Island Foundation $30.0 K
  17. Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights $24.7 K
  18. HIV Young Leaders Fund $24.0 K
  19. Brazil Human Rights Fund $21.5 K
  20. Urgent Action Fund - Africa $17.0 K
  21. Tides Foundation $12.5 K
  22. Global Fund for Children $10.0 K
  23. Virginia Gildersleeve International Fund $6.5 K
  24. Women Fund Tanzania $6.5 K
  25. Calala Fondo de Mujeres $6.4 K
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

1%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$30.7 Million out of
$3.4 Billion for all rights
439 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Sweden $17.1 M
  2. Global Fund $12.5 M
  3. European Union Institutions $615.4 K
  4. Germany $210.2 K
  5. Norway $145.7 K
  6. Finland $51.4 K
  7. Switzerland $42.7 K
  8. Canada $38.8 K
  9. United Kingdom $11.8 K
  10. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2012 Funding

Key Findings

Foundation Funding by Region

Asia & Pacific

$1,072,689 (18%)
38 Grants (21%)

Caribbean

$235,491 (4%)
8 Grants (4%)

Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia

$739,865 (12%)
19 Grants (11%)

Global Programs

$569,260 (10%)
11 Grants (6%)

Latin America & Mexico

$803,020 (13%)
28 Grants (16%)

Middle East & North Africa

$54,500 (1%)
2 Grants (1%)

North America

$443,199 (7%)
19 Grants (11%)

Sub-Saharan Africa

$1,910,375 (32%)
51 Grants (28%)

Western Europe

$346,336 (6%)
8 Grants (4%)

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



  • For advocacy to address stigma and discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS status and to advance the human rights of sex workers.
  • Red Umbrella Fund
    Pacific Rainbow$ Advocacy Network (Fiji)
    To mobilize sex workers using peer education; organize safe space meetings; and build relationships with government ministries, UN agencies, and NGOs to campaign for legal and policy reform.

* 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/.