23%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$560.6 Million out of
$2.4 Billion for all rights
6,464 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $109.4 M
- NoVo Foundation $47.8 M
- Ford Foundation $33.3 M
- Oak Foundation $23.2 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $21.0 M
- Nationale Postcode Loterij $20.3 M
- Comic Relief $18.8 M
- Big Lottery Fund $17.2 M
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $15.1 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $14.5 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $13.1 M
- Tides Foundation $13.0 M
- The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $12.9 M
- American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $11.9 M
- Cordaid $9.3 M
- National Endowment for Democracy $8.5 M
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $8.0 M
- Human Dignity Foundation $7.7 M
- ViiV Healthcare $7.6 M
- Fund for Women's Equality $7.3 M
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation $6.5 M
- American Jewish World Service $5.6 M
- The Freedom Fund - London $5.5 M
- The Global Fund for Women $5.3 M
- Howard G. Buffett Foundation $5.0 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
26%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$968.9 Million out of
$3.7 Billion for all rights
3,542 Disbursements
Top Funders
- United Kingdom $129.1 M
- Canada $96.1 M
- Norway $93.8 M
- Global Fund $85.1 M
- Sweden $82.6 M
- Australia $74.9 M
- European Union Institutions $65.4 M
- Finland $53.5 M
- Netherlands $51.1 M
- Spain $47.5 M
- United States $33.8 M
- Germany $29.6 M
- Belgium $23.4 M
- Switzerland $17.5 M
- Italy $14.7 M
- Japan $14.0 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $10.5 M
- Denmark $10.4 M
- Ireland $8.2 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $6.3 M
- Korea $5.7 M
- International Labour Organisation $3.4 M
- Austria $2.7 M
- France $1.9 M
- United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $1.7 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Region
Asia & Pacific
$52,866,995 (9%)
1,111 Grants (17%)
Caribbean
$2,712,096 (0%)
73 Grants (1%)
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
$20,888,175 (4%)
533 Grants (8%)
Global Programs
$98,014,313 (17%)
331 Grants (5%)
Latin America & Mexico
$36,163,288 (6%)
910 Grants (14%)
Middle East & North Africa
$20,326,864 (4%)
291 Grants (5%)
North America
$180,013,411 (32%)
1,434 Grants (22%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
$102,371,414 (18%)
1,477 Grants (23%)
Western Europe
$57,187,711 (10%)
387 Grants (6%)
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
$152,897,050 (27%)
872 Grants (13%)Freedom from Violence
$129,451,103 (23%)
1,614 Grants (25%)Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$49,614,877 (9%)
950 Grants (15%)Health and Well-being Rights
$42,372,153 (8%)
405 Grants (6%)Economic and Labor Rights
$38,102,386 (7%)
417 Grants (6%)Civic and Political Participation
$33,133,626 (6%)
365 Grants (6%)Human Rights, General
$16,987,208 (3%)
121 Grants (2%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$16,743,861 (3%)
519 Grants (8%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$13,957,752 (2%)
140 Grants (2%)Expression and Information Rights
$11,916,040 (2%)
261 Grants (4%)Migration and Displacement
$8,901,009 (2%)
88 Grants (1%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$8,577,183 (2%)
196 Grants (3%)
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
$164,908,432 (29%)
2,085 Grants (32%)Migrants & Refugees
$41,125,645 (7%)
453 Grants (7%)LGBTQI
$32,070,165 (6%)
441 Grants (7%)Indigenous Peoples
$26,501,131 (5%)
440 Grants (7%)People with Disabilities
$16,402,035 (3%)
219 Grants (3%)Sex Workers
$3,841,694 (1%)
95 Grants (1%)Human Rights Defenders
$3,503,139 (1%)
207 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
$239,535,688 (43%)
3,472 Grants (54%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$105,944,724 (19%)
1,315 Grants (20%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$66,197,213 (12%)
1,166 Grants (18%)Research and Documentation
$58,099,897 (10%)
402 Grants (6%)Grassroots Organizing
$53,998,015 (10%)
474 Grants (7%)Media and Technology
$49,114,919 (9%)
685 Grants (11%)Arts and Culture
$11,590,188 (2%)
350 Grants (5%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$6,366,658 (1%)
153 Grants (2%)Scholarships and Travel
$1,601,905 (0%)
304 Grants (5%)Security and Resilience
$1,273,073 (0%)
23 Grants (0%)
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
-
Fondo Lunaria Mujer
Soyla Crew (Colombia)
To create spaces for young women to discuss gender-based violence in their communities, transform dialogue, and seek empowerment through arts or sports. -
Both ENDS
Forest Peoples Programme, based (United Kingdom)
To work with the Sengwer forest peoples in Kenya, supporting women to share experience of forced evictions, and secure Sengwer rights to collective community land tenure, water, food and healthy environment under Kenya's new constitution.
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
516 Grants (8%)