6%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$153.9 Million out of
$2.8 Billion for all rights
2,302 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- National Endowment for Democracy $33.4 M
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $15.8 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $9.4 M
- Oak Foundation $7.4 M
- American Jewish World Service $7.0 M
- Foundation to Promote Open Society $6.8 M
- Ford Foundation $6.8 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $4.2 M
- The Kendeda Fund $3.2 M
- The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $3.1 M
- Stop AIDS Now $3.1 M
- Comic Relief $2.5 M
- Fund for Global Human Rights $2.4 M
- Global Fund for Women $2.4 M
- NoVo Foundation $2.2 M
- Global Greengrants Fund $2.2 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $2.2 M
- Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $2.1 M
- The M.A.C. AIDS Fund $2.1 M
- International Development Research Centre $2.0 M
- Human Dignity Foundation $2.0 M
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $1.9 M
- Mama Cash $1.6 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $1.6 M
- Freedom House $1.4 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
15%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$604.8 Million out of
$3.9 Billion for all rights
2,613 Disbursements
Top Funders
- United States $100.6 M
- Australia $77.4 M
- European Union Institutions $65.3 M
- United Kingdom $63.3 M
- Sweden $46.2 M
- Germany $41.6 M
- Finland $34.2 M
- Norway $33.3 M
- Canada $33.0 M
- Denmark $21.4 M
- Switzerland $18.1 M
- Netherlands $14.7 M
- Japan $13.0 M
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) $8.4 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $8.0 M
- France $4.2 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $4.1 M
- Belgium $4.0 M
- Spain $2.6 M
- Ireland $2.2 M
- Luxembourg $1.9 M
- New Zealand $1.7 M
- Korea $1.3 M
- United Nations Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF) $1.1 M
- Italy $1.0 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Issue
Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$33,998,062 (22%)
237 Grants (10%)Freedom from Violence
$22,297,415 (14%)
379 Grants (16%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$21,110,786 (14%)
506 Grants (22%)Civic and Political Participation
$16,160,113 (10%)
191 Grants (8%)Economic and Labor Rights
$15,471,278 (10%)
161 Grants (7%)Health and Well-being Rights
$11,169,454 (7%)
167 Grants (7%)Expression and Information Rights
$6,925,829 (4%)
185 Grants (8%)Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$6,776,157 (4%)
64 Grants (3%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$5,543,120 (4%)
97 Grants (4%)Human Rights, General
$4,592,100 (3%)
67 Grants (3%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$3,827,314 (2%)
97 Grants (4%)Migration and Displacement
$887,813 (1%)
14 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
Women & Girls
$68,886,725 (45%)
1,026 Grants (45%)Children & Youth
$38,706,127 (25%)
576 Grants (25%)LGBTQI
$9,226,597 (6%)
266 Grants (12%)Migrants & Refugees
$9,071,100 (6%)
100 Grants (4%)Indigenous Peoples
$7,566,898 (5%)
224 Grants (10%)Human Rights Defenders
$3,743,912 (2%)
111 Grants (5%)People with Disabilities
$3,616,941 (2%)
155 Grants (7%)Sex Workers
$1,936,332 (1%)
37 Grants (2%)
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.
Foundation Funding by Strategy
Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation
$90,179,362 (59%)
1,537 Grants (67%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$41,625,505 (27%)
891 Grants (39%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$28,195,241 (18%)
494 Grants (21%)Grassroots Organizing
$15,530,076 (10%)
333 Grants (14%)Media and Technology
$15,128,547 (10%)
214 Grants (9%)Research and Documentation
$14,694,662 (10%)
242 Grants (11%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$5,786,767 (4%)
100 Grants (4%)Arts and Culture
$4,131,406 (3%)
93 Grants (4%)Scholarships and Travel
$933,019 (1%)
101 Grants (4%)Security and Resilience
$390,185 (0%)
11 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.
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
137 Grants (6%)