Top Foundation Funders

1. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $115.3 M
2. Ford Foundation $62.9 M
3. Open Society Foundations $28.6 M
4. The Oak Foundation $20.8 M
5. Comic Relief UK $17.3 M
6. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $16.1 M
7. American Jewish World Service $14.6 M
8. UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality $13.0 M
9. NoVo Foundation $12.4 M
10. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $12.0 M
11. Hivos $11.1 M
12. National Endowment for Democracy $9.6 M
13. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $7.9 M
14. Nationale Postcode Loterij $7.0 M
15. The Global Fund for Women $7.0 M
16. EEA and Norway Grants $5.9 M
17. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $5.8 M
18. Foundation for a Just Society $5.5 M
19. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $5.3 M
20. Foundation For The Carolinas $4.8 M
21. Tides Foundation $4.6 M
22. Mama Cash $4.6 M
23. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $4.4 M
24. HJW Foundation $3.7 M
25. The International Development Research Centre $3.4 M
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Region

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

  $198,345,196 (40%)
  802 Grants (15%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $79,651,981 (16%)
  1,098 Grants (21%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $71,964,283 (14%)
  1,166 Grants (22%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $36,319,492 (7%)
  473 Grants (9%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $22,372,563 (4%)
  301 Grants (6%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $20,342,857 (4%)
  346 Grants (6%)

• Social and Cultural Rights

  $17,204,441 (3%)
  242 Grants (5%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $14,335,801 (3%)
  130 Grants (2%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $13,682,492 (3%)
  424 Grants (8%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $9,076,033 (2%)
  93 Grants (2%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $6,143,484 (1%)
  111 Grants (2%)

• Human Rights, General

  $5,305,151 (1%)
  80 Grants (2%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $3,261,859 (1%)
  62 Grants (1%)

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

  $106,553,881 (21%)
  1,690 Grants (32%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $26,840,532 (5%)
  502 Grants (9%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $18,742,931 (4%)
  465 Grants (9%)

• LGBTQI

  $10,036,213 (2%)
  281 Grants (5%)

• People with Disabilities

  $5,866,451 (1%)
  179 Grants (3%)

• Sex Workers

  $4,101,394 (1%)
  65 Grants (1%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $3,249,399 (1%)
  148 Grants (3%)

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

  $112,358,090 (23%)
  1,220 Grants (23%)

• Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

  $63,981,567 (13%)
  913 Grants (17%)

• Research and Documentation

  $62,843,383 (13%)
  493 Grants (9%)

• Media and Technology

  $43,534,639 (9%)
  520 Grants (10%)

• Public Engagement and Awareness-raising

  $28,244,789 (6%)
  631 Grants (12%)

• Coalition-building and Collaboration

  $23,148,657 (5%)
  609 Grants (11%)

• Grassroots Organizing

  $11,933,216 (2%)
  246 Grants (5%)

• Arts and Culture

  $9,237,502 (2%)
  209 Grants (4%)

• Litigation and Legal Aid

  $7,604,566 (2%)
  104 Grants (2%)

• Security and Resilience

  $1,227,909 (0%)
  14 Grants (0%)

• Scholarships and Travel

  $1,108,140 (0%)
  31 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.

Sample Grants

• Funder Hivos
  Recipient Cita Tenun Indonesia (Indonesia)
  Description To promote female entrepreneurship and sustainable consumption and production of hand-woven textiles in Indonesia and the Phillippines.
• Funder Ford Foundation
  Recipient Center for Reproductive Rights (United States)
  Description To use the law to advance reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right that all governments are obligated to protect respect and fulfill.

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