23%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$645.5 Million out of
$2.8 Billion for all rights
6,241 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $130.4 M
- NoVo Foundation $69.1 M
- Oak Foundation $44.8 M
- Ford Foundation $44.0 M
- National Endowment for Democracy $22.5 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $21.4 M
- Big Lottery Fund $20.7 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $19.9 M
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $19.2 M
- Comic Relief $16.9 M
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $16.3 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $12.5 M
- The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $12.2 M
- American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $11.5 M
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation $10.7 M
- Human Dignity Foundation $8.3 M
- Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $8.1 M
- Global Fund for Women $6.6 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $6.5 M
- American Jewish World Service $6.4 M
- International Development Research Centre $5.8 M
- ViiV Healthcare $5.3 M
- Groundswell Fund $5.0 M
- Foundation to Promote Open Society $4.8 M
- Mama Cash $4.7 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
25%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$977.2 Million out of
$3.9 Billion for all rights
4,069 Disbursements
Top Funders
- Sweden $189.9 M
- United Kingdom $96.3 M
- Canada $82.4 M
- Spain $68.0 M
- Norway $67.9 M
- Netherlands $65.1 M
- United States $63.7 M
- European Union Institutions $62.8 M
- Finland $59.7 M
- Australia $55.4 M
- Germany $36.0 M
- Japan $25.7 M
- Switzerland $16.3 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $14.9 M
- Denmark $11.7 M
- International Development Association $10.5 M
- Ireland $10.5 M
- United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $6.9 M
- Belgium $5.3 M
- Italy $4.6 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $4.4 M
- France $3.2 M
- Austria $2.5 M
- Korea $2.3 M
- Inter-American Development Bank - Special Fund $2.2 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Region
Asia & Pacific
$68,886,725 (11%)
1,026 Grants (16%)
Caribbean
$16,417,939 (3%)
99 Grants (2%)
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
$10,883,681 (2%)
425 Grants (7%)
Global Programs
$118,756,717 (18%)
259 Grants (4%)
Latin America & Mexico
$61,217,529 (9%)
999 Grants (16%)
Middle East & North Africa
$18,280,811 (3%)
291 Grants (5%)
North America
$234,451,407 (36%)
1,540 Grants (25%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
$112,369,091 (17%)
1,316 Grants (21%)
Western Europe
$45,094,164 (7%)
359 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
$204,394,959 (32%)
835 Grants (13%)Freedom from Violence
$149,762,428 (23%)
1,540 Grants (25%)Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$84,599,375 (13%)
845 Grants (14%)Economic and Labor Rights
$62,739,257 (10%)
460 Grants (7%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$46,221,951 (7%)
760 Grants (12%)Civic and Political Participation
$25,534,161 (4%)
470 Grants (8%)Health and Well-being Rights
$21,224,243 (3%)
395 Grants (6%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$10,224,337 (2%)
132 Grants (2%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$7,784,965 (1%)
206 Grants (3%)Human Rights, General
$7,007,405 (1%)
103 Grants (2%)Expression and Information Rights
$6,033,923 (1%)
85 Grants (1%)Migration and Displacement
$4,974,099 (1%)
69 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
$184,568,525 (29%)
1,690 Grants (27%)Migrants & Refugees
$46,959,425 (7%)
466 Grants (7%)Indigenous Peoples
$38,153,576 (6%)
570 Grants (9%)LGBTQI
$23,725,390 (4%)
616 Grants (10%)People with Disabilities
$8,957,511 (1%)
209 Grants (3%)Human Rights Defenders
$5,774,759 (1%)
309 Grants (5%)Sex Workers
$3,044,173 (0%)
86 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
$303,096,921 (47%)
3,767 Grants (60%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$120,583,274 (19%)
1,704 Grants (27%)Grassroots Organizing
$112,627,118 (17%)
948 Grants (15%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$77,450,602 (12%)
1,162 Grants (19%)Research and Documentation
$43,265,375 (7%)
479 Grants (8%)Media and Technology
$27,807,255 (4%)
444 Grants (7%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$22,150,323 (3%)
204 Grants (3%)Arts and Culture
$13,577,250 (2%)
339 Grants (5%)Scholarships and Travel
$2,029,856 (0%)
152 Grants (2%)Security and Resilience
$1,068,475 (0%)
34 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
341 Grants (5%)