Top Foundation Funders

1. National Endowment for Democracy $26.3 M
2. Open Society Foundations $21.1 M
3. Ford Foundation $18.4 M
4. Google.org $11.1 M
5. Hivos $6.5 M
6. Anonymous $4.6 M
7. Bloomberg Philanthropies $3.8 M
8. The Oak Foundation $3.3 M
9. American Jewish World Service $3.1 M
10. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $2.8 M
11. Mensen met een Missie $2.2 M
12. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $2.1 M
13. Cordaid $2.0 M
14. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $1.7 M
15. Humanity United $1.7 M
16. The Rockefeller Foundation $1.6 M
17. Fund For Global Human Rights $1.5 M
18. Human Dignity Foundation $1.5 M
19. Levi Strauss Foundation $1.5 M
20. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $1.5 M
21. The Global Fund for Women $1.3 M
22. Global Fund for Children $1.2 M
23. The Charitable Foundation $1.2 M
24. Partnership for Transparency Fund $1.1 M
25. Tides Foundation $1.1 M
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Human Rights, General

  $26,715,487 (19%)
  455 Grants (23%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $26,594,740 (19%)
  392 Grants (20%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $19,460,389 (14%)
  177 Grants (9%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $19,304,597 (14%)
  164 Grants (8%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $12,094,139 (9%)
  259 Grants (13%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $10,701,457 (8%)
  118 Grants (6%)

• Education, religion, and culture

  $6,841,414 (5%)
  180 Grants (9%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $6,443,035 (5%)
  85 Grants (4%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $6,146,812 (4%)
  76 Grants (4%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $4,581,718 (3%)
  31 Grants (2%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $1,202,547 (1%)
  16 Grants (1%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $932,311 (1%)
  12 Grants (1%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $517,570 (0%)
  17 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 Population

• Economically Disadvantaged

  $46,747,683 (33%)
  429 Grants (22%)

• Women & Girls

  $39,558,319 (28%)
  643 Grants (32%)

• Crime or Abuse Victims

  $29,475,761 (21%)
  216 Grants (11%)

• Children & Youth

  $26,519,896 (19%)
  417 Grants (21%)

• Ethnic or Racial Minorities

  $19,280,762 (14%)
  273 Grants (14%)

• LGBTQI

  $6,231,626 (4%)
  82 Grants (4%)

• People with AIDS

  $6,207,815 (4%)
  69 Grants (3%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $6,096,278 (4%)
  111 Grants (6%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $4,357,969 (3%)
  99 Grants (5%)

• People with Disabilities

  $3,468,080 (2%)
  137 Grants (7%)

• Sex Workers

  $1,832,637 (1%)
  25 Grants (1%)

• Offenders & Ex-Offenders

  $1,529,438 (1%)
  27 Grants (1%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $1,297,362 (1%)
  45 Grants (2%)

• Substance Abusers

  $1,254,771 (1%)
  27 Grants (1%)

Population totals include foundation funding that could be identified as meant to benefit a specific group. Grants may serve multiple populations and would therefore be counted in more than one category.

Sample Grants

• Funder McKnight Foundation
  Recipient Social Action for Change (Cambodia)
  Description For grassroots women's empowerment and awareness-raising about rural issues.
• Funder The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
  Recipient Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights (Papua New Guinea)
  Description For legal support to coastal communities and non-governmental organizations.

Related Resources

• Documenting Human Rights Violations: Increasing Recognition of Civil and Political Rights in Burma
• Investing in a New Era of Global Human Rights Leadership
• 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