Region

Global Programs, 2015

17%
Share of foundation
human rights funding

$411.7 Million out of
$2.4 Billion for all rights
1,367 Grants

Top Foundation Funders

  1. Nationale Postcode Loterij $146.1 M
  2. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $35.4 M
  3. Oak Foundation $30.2 M
  4. Ford Foundation $30.2 M
  5. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $19.7 M
  6. NoVo Foundation $12.6 M
  7. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $10.3 M
  8. Tides Foundation $10.0 M
  9. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $8.8 M
  10. Foundation to Promote Open Society $8.5 M
  11. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $7.7 M
  12. Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program $5.8 M
  13. National Endowment for Democracy $5.5 M
  14. Howard G. Buffett Foundation $5.0 M
  15. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $4.7 M
  16. Human Dignity Foundation $4.6 M
  17. Humanity United $4.5 M
  18. Silicon Valley Community Foundation $4.1 M
  19. King Baudouin Foundation United States $4.0 M
  20. Margaret A. Cargill Foundation $3.7 M
  21. The Skoll Foundation $3.5 M
  22. Foundation for a Just Society $3.2 M
  23. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation $2.9 M
  24. The Charles Léopold Mayer Foundation for Human Progress $2.1 M
  25. Moriah Fund $2.1 M
  26. M = Millions

Bilateral and Multilateral Funding

24%
Share of OECD
human rights funding

$875.8 Million out of
$3.7 Billion for all rights
1,404 Disbursements

Top Funders

  1. Italy $230.9 M
  2. Sweden $126.2 M
  3. Norway $68.6 M
  4. United States $67.1 M
  5. Netherlands $62.7 M
  6. United Kingdom $61.3 M
  7. Switzerland $33.7 M
  8. Finland $31.9 M
  9. Denmark $29.5 M
  10. Germany $22.9 M
  11. European Union Institutions $22.0 M
  12. International Labour Organisation $21.2 M
  13. Australia $20.1 M
  14. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) $13.7 M
  15. Japan $10.9 M
  16. Belgium $10.7 M
  17. France $10.3 M
  18. Spain $7.7 M
  19. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $7.3 M
  20. Greece $3.5 M
  21. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) $2.8 M
  22. Ireland $2.7 M
  23. World Health Organization (WHO) $1.9 M
  24. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) $1.3 M
  25. Iceland $1.1 M
  26. M = Millions

Key Findings:      2015 Funding

Key Findings

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 Population

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

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.

Sample Grants

  • King Baudouin Foundation
    Swiss Philanthropy Foundation (Switzerland)
    To address the root causes of environmental degradation and social inequalities caused by financial systems.
  • Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
    Oxfam America (United States)
    To build resilience and capacities for disaster risk reduction in vulnerable communities in Latin America and the Pacific Islands.

Bilateral and multilateral funding includes disbursements not directed toward a specific country or region (designated in the OECD data set as “Bilateral, unspecified”). This includes disbursements providing a global benefit or used to cover the donor’s administrative costs.