Top Foundation Funders

1. National Endowment for Democracy $4.5 M
2. The Atlantic Philanthropies $1.9 M
3. American Jewish World Service $1.8 M
4. Freedom House $1.5 M
5. W. K. Kellogg Foundation $1.3 M
6. Open Society Foundations $985.5 K
7. Tides Foundation $789.2 K
8. Ford Foundation $562.4 K
9. UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality $530.0 K
10. Rockefeller Brothers Fund $500.0 K
11. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $450.0 K
12. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $309.0 K
13. Anonymous 5 $300.0 K
14. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee $218.0 K
15. Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $200.0 K
16. Global Fund for Children $192.0 K
17. The Coca-Cola Foundation $150.5 K
18. The Libra Foundation $150.0 K
19. Intel Foundation $148.9 K
20. Grassroots International $109.2 K
21. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $100.0 K
22. The Summit Foundation $85.0 K
23. Levi Strauss Foundation $82.5 K
24. The Global Fund for Women $73.5 K
25. Boston Foundation $65.0 K
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $3,274,145 (19%)
  25 Grants (10%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $2,430,400 (14%)
  44 Grants (18%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $2,017,944 (12%)
  16 Grants (7%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $1,645,000 (10%)
  5 Grants (2%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $1,475,736 (9%)
  25 Grants (10%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $1,447,938 (8%)
  16 Grants (7%)

• Human Rights, General

  $1,089,711 (6%)
  29 Grants (12%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $914,600 (5%)
  32 Grants (13%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $897,447 (5%)
  23 Grants (10%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $885,000 (5%)
  13 Grants (5%)

• Education, religion, and culture

  $627,992 (4%)
  12 Grants (5%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $545,000 (3%)
  2 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

  $4,141,993 (24%)
  80 Grants (33%)

• Women & Girls

  $3,150,693 (18%)
  67 Grants (28%)

• Children & Youth

  $2,164,735 (13%)
  49 Grants (20%)

• Ethnic or Racial Minorities

  $2,114,951 (12%)
  21 Grants (9%)

• People with AIDS

  $1,125,724 (7%)
  27 Grants (11%)

• Crime or Abuse Victims

  $1,084,727 (6%)
  30 Grants (12%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $975,050 (6%)
  17 Grants (7%)

• LGBTQI

  $489,651 (3%)
  17 Grants (7%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $272,420 (2%)
  2 Grants (1%)

• Sex Workers

  $235,491 (1%)
  8 Grants (3%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $79,140 (0%)
  3 Grants (1%)

• Offenders & Ex-Offenders

  $75,000 (0%)
  3 Grants (1%)

• People with Disabilities

  $54,500 (0%)
  4 Grants (2%)

• Substance Abusers

  $25,000 (0%)
  1 Grants (0%)

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 National Endowment for Democracy
  Recipient Jurimedia (Haiti)
  Description To promote the peaceful resolution of conflict and the use of mediation as an alternative to judicial proceedings in rural communities; build the capacity of grassroots leaders to monitor access to justice; and navigate the legal system.
• Funder Mama Cash
  Recipient Guyana Sex Work Coalition
  Description To lead a Caribbean sex workers' network and work with police to defend the rights of sex workers to freedom from violence, extortion, and harassment.

Related Resources

• From Resolutions to Conventions: Achieving Recognition of SOGI Rights in the Americas