21%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$498.0 Million out of
$2.3 Billion for all rights
5,328 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $115.3 M
- Ford Foundation $62.9 M
- Open Society Foundations $28.6 M
- The Oak Foundation $20.8 M
- Comic Relief UK $17.3 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $16.1 M
- American Jewish World Service $14.6 M
- UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality $13.0 M
- NoVo Foundation $12.4 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $12.0 M
- Hivos $11.1 M
- National Endowment for Democracy $9.6 M
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $7.9 M
- Nationale Postcode Loterij $7.0 M
- The Global Fund for Women $7.0 M
- EEA and Norway Grants $5.9 M
- The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $5.8 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $5.5 M
- Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $5.3 M
- Foundation For The Carolinas $4.8 M
- Tides Foundation $4.6 M
- Mama Cash $4.6 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $4.4 M
- HJW Foundation $3.7 M
- The International Development Research Centre $3.4 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
24%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$893.0 Million out of
$3.7 Billion for all rights
3,323 Disbursements
Top Funders
- Norway $124.5 M
- Global Fund $90.5 M
- Canada $81.9 M
- Sweden $80.6 M
- Netherlands $68.1 M
- United Kingdom $64.9 M
- Spain $61.5 M
- European Union Institutions $54.9 M
- United States $43.8 M
- Finland $43.4 M
- Australia $40.3 M
- Germany $37.2 M
- Denmark $18.9 M
- Switzerland $14.7 M
- Ireland $14.6 M
- Belgium $13.0 M
- Korea $9.6 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $7.7 M
- Italy $6.5 M
- Austria $5.7 M
- Iceland $1.9 M
- United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $1.7 M
- International Development Association $1.6 M
- Japan $1.6 M
- Luxembourg $1.0 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Region
Asia & Pacific
$48,849,785 (10%)
862 Grants (16%)
Caribbean
$3,708,988 (1%)
89 Grants (2%)
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
$16,825,973 (3%)
385 Grants (7%)
Global Programs
$78,526,747 (16%)
291 Grants (5%)
Latin America & Mexico
$55,881,830 (11%)
979 Grants (18%)
Middle East & North Africa
$18,484,879 (4%)
268 Grants (5%)
North America
$173,601,738 (35%)
1,146 Grants (22%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
$100,910,976 (20%)
1,171 Grants (22%)
Western Europe
$21,770,414 (4%)
249 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
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%)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%)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
-
Hivos
Cita Tenun Indonesia (Indonesia)
To promote female entrepreneurship and sustainable consumption and production of hand-woven textiles in Indonesia and the Phillippines. -
Ford Foundation
Center for Reproductive Rights (United States)
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
242 Grants (5%)