Population

Women & Girls, 2016

Human rights funding for women and girls, including transgender people, protects and promotes their equal rights as described in the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. This funding supports efforts to ensure gender equality, including in owning property, holding elected office, and earning fair wages, and addresses abuses like gender-based violence, sexual assault, and female genital mutilation. It promotes women’s reproductive rights.

23%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$645.5 Million out of
$2.8 Billion for all rights
6,241 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $130.4 M
  2. NoVo Foundation $69.1 M
  3. Oak Foundation $44.8 M
  4. Ford Foundation $44.0 M
  5. National Endowment for Democracy $22.5 M
  6. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $21.4 M
  7. Big Lottery Fund $20.7 M
  8. Foundation for a Just Society $19.9 M
  9. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $19.2 M
  10. Comic Relief $16.9 M
  11. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $16.3 M
  12. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $12.5 M
  13. The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $12.2 M
  14. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $11.5 M
  15. W.K. Kellogg Foundation $10.7 M
  16. Human Dignity Foundation $8.3 M
  17. Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $8.1 M
  18. Global Fund for Women $6.6 M
  19. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $6.5 M
  20. American Jewish World Service $6.4 M
  21. International Development Research Centre $5.8 M
  22. ViiV Healthcare $5.3 M
  23. Groundswell Fund $5.0 M
  24. Foundation to Promote Open Society $4.8 M
  25. Mama Cash $4.7 M
  26. 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

  1. Sweden $189.9 M
  2. United Kingdom $96.3 M
  3. Canada $82.4 M
  4. Spain $68.0 M
  5. Norway $67.9 M
  6. Netherlands $65.1 M
  7. United States $63.7 M
  8. European Union Institutions $62.8 M
  9. Finland $59.7 M
  10. Australia $55.4 M
  11. Germany $36.0 M
  12. Japan $25.7 M
  13. Switzerland $16.3 M
  14. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $14.9 M
  15. Denmark $11.7 M
  16. International Development Association $10.5 M
  17. Ireland $10.5 M
  18. United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $6.9 M
  19. Belgium $5.3 M
  20. Italy $4.6 M
  21. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $4.4 M
  22. France $3.2 M
  23. Austria $2.5 M
  24. Korea $2.3 M
  25. Inter-American Development Bank - Special Fund $2.2 M
  26. M = Millions

Key Findings:
2016 Funding

Key Findings

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

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

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

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.