21%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$689.7 Million out of
$3.2 Billion for all rights
6,105 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $126.5 M
- NoVo Foundation $79.5 M
- Ford Foundation $71.9 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $71.5 M
- Tides Foundation $40.3 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $32.9 M
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $21.3 M
- Oak Foundation $21.0 M
- Open Society Institute $17.7 M
- Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $17.6 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $16.0 M
- Fund for Policy Reform $10.0 M
- The Global Fund for Women $9.3 M
- The Kendeda Fund $7.2 M
- Foundation For The Carolinas $6.9 M
- American Jewish World Service $6.2 M
- Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $6.1 M
- Hivos $6.0 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $5.3 M
- African Women's Development Fund $5.2 M
- Mama Cash $5.2 M
- The New York Women's Foundation $4.7 M
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation $4.5 M
- International Development Research Centre $4.4 M
- The Libra Foundation $4.4 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
27%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$1.0 Billion out of
$3.9 Billion for all rights
3,846 Disbursements
Top Funders
- Sweden $207.5 M
- Canada $144.2 M
- United States $77.9 M
- United Kingdom $77.0 M
- European Union Institutions $71.7 M
- Australia $70.6 M
- Spain $70.3 M
- Norway $56.7 M
- Finland $50.7 M
- Netherlands $41.6 M
- Germany $38.9 M
- Japan $29.9 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $11.8 M
- Italy $11.0 M
- Ireland $10.0 M
- Switzerland $9.5 M
- Denmark $8.9 M
- Belgium $7.1 M
- Inter-American Development Bank $4.7 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $4.4 M
- Korea $4.2 M
- Luxembourg $4.2 M
- Austria $3.9 M
- United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $3.9 M
- France $3.1 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Region
Asia & Pacific
$76,092,348 (11%)
879 Grants (14%)
Caribbean
$3,758,461 (1%)
72 Grants (1%)
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
$6,590,221 (1%)
341 Grants (6%)
Global Programs
$113,964,603 (17%)
278 Grants (5%)
Latin America & Mexico
$64,882,307 (9%)
1,121 Grants (18%)
Middle East & North Africa
$20,155,241 (3%)
227 Grants (4%)
North America
$313,369,115 (45%)
1,867 Grants (31%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
$108,671,742 (16%)
1,189 Grants (19%)
Western Europe
$20,981,539 (3%)
250 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
Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$224,100,034 (32%)
748 Grants (12%)Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$142,531,642 (21%)
1,535 Grants (25%)Freedom from Violence
$83,993,877 (12%)
959 Grants (16%)Economic and Labor Rights
$50,178,959 (7%)
286 Grants (5%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$33,280,404 (5%)
202 Grants (3%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$31,122,047 (5%)
838 Grants (14%)Health and Well-being Rights
$28,478,742 (4%)
326 Grants (5%)Human Rights, General
$19,832,603 (3%)
253 Grants (4%)Civic and Political Participation
$15,534,551 (2%)
115 Grants (2%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$13,843,160 (2%)
279 Grants (5%)Migration and Displacement
$12,999,670 (2%)
131 Grants (2%)Expression and Information Rights
$7,543,438 (1%)
152 Grants (2%)
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
Children & Youth
$132,578,185 (19%)
1,496 Grants (25%)Migrants & Refugees
$37,665,443 (5%)
375 Grants (6%)Indigenous Peoples
$17,735,548 (3%)
637 Grants (10%)LGBTQI
$11,221,074 (2%)
265 Grants (4%)Human Rights Defenders
$7,385,818 (1%)
295 Grants (5%)People with Disabilities
$5,164,667 (1%)
121 Grants (2%)Sex Workers
$2,252,600 (0%)
73 Grants (1%)
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
Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation
$314,305,063 (46%)
3,343 Grants (55%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$119,904,556 (17%)
1,369 Grants (22%)Research and Documentation
$59,418,451 (9%)
442 Grants (7%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$53,942,635 (8%)
580 Grants (10%)Media and Technology
$42,536,251 (6%)
336 Grants (6%)Grassroots Organizing
$35,029,785 (5%)
420 Grants (7%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$17,075,038 (2%)
151 Grants (2%)Arts and Culture
$4,042,722 (1%)
179 Grants (3%)Security and Resilience
$1,334,443 (0%)
30 Grants (0%)Scholarships and Travel
$1,089,349 (0%)
47 Grants (1%)
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.
Related Resources
- Documenting Human Rights Violations: Increasing Recognition of Civil and Political Rights in Burma
- Rapid Response Grantmaking: A Successful Strategy to Protect Women's Human Rights
- Strengthening Women’s Voices and Supporting Women’s Movements
- Taking Advantage of Seasoned Activists to Expand and Strengthen Human Rights Movements
- The Value of Flexible Funding in International Human Rights Grantmaking
281 Grants (5%)