Top Foundation Funders

1. Ford Foundation $63.0 M
2. Oak Foundation $50.2 M
3. Foundation to Promote Open Society $41.4 M
4. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $28.5 M
5. NoVo Foundation $21.9 M
6. Humanity United $16.3 M
7. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $12.2 M
8. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $9.5 M
9. Foundation for a Just Society $8.4 M
10. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $8.0 M
11. National Endowment for Democracy $7.0 M
12. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $5.8 M
13. Omidyar Network Fund $4.6 M
14. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $3.7 M
15. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $3.6 M
16. The Marisla Foundation $3.5 M
17. Anonymous 9 $3.4 M
18. High Meadows Foundation $3.0 M
19. Silicon Valley Community Foundation $2.9 M
20. The Rockefeller Foundation $2.8 M
21. The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $2.8 M
22. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $2.2 M
23. The Pershing Square Foundation $2.1 M
24. Greater Houston Community Foundation $2.1 M
25. The JPB Foundation $2.0 M
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $64,051,507 (19%)
  144 Grants (12%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $52,293,754 (15%)
  192 Grants (15%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $47,569,881 (14%)
  154 Grants (12%)

• Human Rights, General

  $42,280,879 (12%)
  219 Grants (18%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $41,025,317 (12%)
  52 Grants (4%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $27,228,439 (8%)
  112 Grants (9%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $15,955,857 (5%)
  67 Grants (5%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $13,081,533 (4%)
  39 Grants (3%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $12,176,877 (4%)
  46 Grants (4%)

• Social and Cultural Rights

  $8,389,992 (2%)
  45 Grants (4%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $8,059,542 (2%)
  60 Grants (5%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $6,149,757 (2%)
  58 Grants (5%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $5,909,488 (2%)
  59 Grants (5%)

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

  $118,756,717 (35%)
  259 Grants (21%)

• Children & Youth

  $51,990,273 (15%)
  123 Grants (10%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $32,071,576 (9%)
  73 Grants (6%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $15,911,782 (5%)
  108 Grants (9%)

• LGBTQI

  $8,957,337 (3%)
  76 Grants (6%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $2,551,984 (1%)
  16 Grants (1%)

• People with Disabilities

  $1,854,552 (1%)
  9 Grants (1%)

• Sex Workers

  $560,645 (0%)
  7 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.

Foundation Funding by Strategy

• Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation

  $139,443,218 (41%)
  511 Grants (41%)

• Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

  $56,216,344 (16%)
  141 Grants (11%)

• Grassroots Organizing

  $53,006,971 (15%)
  66 Grants (5%)

• Public Engagement and Awareness-raising

  $51,444,945 (15%)
  269 Grants (22%)

• Coalition-building and Collaboration

  $44,532,475 (13%)
  211 Grants (17%)

• Media and Technology

  $38,688,113 (11%)
  154 Grants (12%)

• Research and Documentation

  $27,229,488 (8%)
  98 Grants (8%)

• Litigation and Legal Aid

  $13,830,160 (4%)
  49 Grants (4%)

• Arts and Culture

  $4,826,400 (1%)
  50 Grants (4%)

• Security and Resilience

  $1,635,115 (0%)
  12 Grants (1%)

• Scholarships and Travel

  $1,174,792 (0%)
  7 Grants (1%)

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

• Investing in a New Era of Global Human Rights Leadership