20%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$538.8 Million out of
$2.7 Billion for all rights
5,617 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $76.1 M
- NoVo Foundation $59.2 M
- Ford Foundation $48.2 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $32.1 M
- Comic Relief $30.9 M
- EEA and Norway Grants $20.8 M
- National Endowment for Democracy $20.2 M
- The Oak Foundation $16.4 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $15.9 M
- American Jewish World Service $14.3 M
- Cordaid $12.4 M
- Hivos $11.4 M
- Howard G. Buffett Foundation $10.0 M
- The Kendeda Fund $8.0 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $7.6 M
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $7.3 M
- Tides Foundation $6.5 M
- Open Society Foundations $5.8 M
- Nationale Postcode Loterij $5.7 M
- Foundation For The Carolinas $5.7 M
- Open Society Fund Prague $5.4 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $5.2 M
- The Global Fund for Women $4.4 M
- W. K. Kellogg Foundation $4.3 M
- Blue Shield of California Foundation $4.2 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
29%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$1.1 Billion out of
$3.8 Billion for all rights
4,408 Disbursements
Top Funders
- Norway $126.6 M
- Canada $111.3 M
- Global Fund $110.9 M
- Sweden $106.3 M
- United Kingdom $102.6 M
- Netherlands $66.1 M
- Australia $64.3 M
- European Union Institutions $63.3 M
- Finland $55.7 M
- Spain $49.1 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $39.6 M
- Germany $36.6 M
- United States $34.3 M
- Belgium $21.5 M
- Switzerland $19.8 M
- Italy $16.1 M
- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) $11.1 M
- Japan $8.4 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $7.9 M
- Denmark $6.5 M
- Ireland $6.4 M
- Korea $5.8 M
- International Development Association $4.4 M
- Austria $3.0 M
- France $2.5 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Region
Asia & Pacific
$66,375,091 (12%)
801 Grants (14%)
Caribbean
$5,442,381 (1%)
76 Grants (1%)
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
$33,333,046 (6%)
606 Grants (11%)
Global Programs
$78,167,710 (15%)
217 Grants (4%)
Latin America & Mexico
$38,734,176 (7%)
911 Grants (16%)
Middle East & North Africa
$21,336,419 (4%)
320 Grants (6%)
North America
$216,315,470 (40%)
1,415 Grants (25%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
$89,917,130 (17%)
1,134 Grants (20%)
Western Europe
$25,772,528 (5%)
252 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
$174,988,038 (32%)
761 Grants (14%)Freedom from Violence
$103,064,562 (19%)
1,469 Grants (26%)Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$50,846,959 (9%)
879 Grants (16%)Economic and Labor Rights
$38,165,299 (7%)
377 Grants (7%)Civic and Political Participation
$26,385,058 (5%)
314 Grants (6%)Health and Well-being Rights
$24,774,087 (5%)
374 Grants (7%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$16,103,746 (3%)
429 Grants (8%)Expression and Information Rights
$15,423,323 (3%)
79 Grants (1%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$15,358,758 (3%)
122 Grants (2%)Human Rights, General
$12,580,442 (2%)
87 Grants (2%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$8,827,855 (2%)
149 Grants (3%)Migration and Displacement
$7,840,695 (1%)
60 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
$159,591,496 (30%)
1,797 Grants (32%)Migrants & Refugees
$49,064,421 (9%)
450 Grants (8%)Indigenous Peoples
$23,047,034 (4%)
540 Grants (10%)LGBTQI
$15,871,262 (3%)
296 Grants (5%)People with Disabilities
$9,799,642 (2%)
193 Grants (3%)Human Rights Defenders
$3,973,990 (1%)
296 Grants (5%)Sex Workers
$2,174,104 (0%)
60 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
$183,319,318 (34%)
1,901 Grants (34%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$78,080,673 (14%)
1,092 Grants (19%)Media and Technology
$48,724,242 (9%)
453 Grants (8%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$38,954,056 (7%)
877 Grants (16%)Research and Documentation
$38,757,045 (7%)
457 Grants (8%)Grassroots Organizing
$32,263,382 (6%)
385 Grants (7%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$13,745,629 (3%)
133 Grants (2%)Arts and Culture
$12,756,827 (2%)
344 Grants (6%)Security and Resilience
$1,185,725 (0%)
15 Grants (0%)Scholarships and Travel
$265,462 (0%)
35 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
517 Grants (9%)