Top Foundation Funders

1. Foundation to Promote Open Society $57.5 M
2. Oak Foundation $50.0 M
3. Google Foundation $45.2 M
4. Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $40.7 M
5. Ford Foundation $38.6 M
6. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $38.2 M
7. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $34.8 M
8. Silicon Valley Community Foundation $30.3 M
9. NoVo Foundation $22.3 M
10. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $21.0 M
11. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $14.3 M
12. Freedom House $8.5 M
13. Sigrid Rausing Trust $7.2 M
14. Foundation for a Just Society $6.7 M
15. Mulago Foundation $5.4 M
16. Wallace Global Fund $4.9 M
17. David and Lucile Packard Foundation $4.2 M
18. Kendeda Fund $4.0 M
19. Wal-Mart Foundation $3.8 M
20. Schmidt Family Foundation $3.7 M
21. California Community Foundation $3.6 M
22. JPB Foundation $3.2 M
23. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $3.1 M
24. John Templeton Foundation $3.1 M
25. Charles LŽopold Mayer Foundation for Human Progress $3.0 M
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Human Rights, General

  $93,260,213 (20%)
  334 Grants (21%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $59,621,546 (13%)
  77 Grants (5%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $58,523,060 (13%)
  240 Grants (15%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $53,814,817 (12%)
  142 Grants (9%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $44,192,300 (10%)
  257 Grants (16%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $30,111,186 (7%)
  108 Grants (7%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $29,480,824 (6%)
  121 Grants (8%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $23,757,324 (5%)
  75 Grants (5%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $21,452,954 (5%)
  85 Grants (5%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $16,161,842 (4%)
  65 Grants (4%)

• Education, Religion, and Culture

  $14,607,124 (3%)
  39 Grants (2%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $10,445,667 (2%)
  30 Grants (2%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $6,173,042 (1%)
  29 Grants (2%)

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

  $150,059,974 (33%)
  329 Grants (21%)

• Children & Youth

  $63,099,043 (14%)
  145 Grants (9%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $41,068,917 (9%)
  175 Grants (11%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $24,878,063 (5%)
  103 Grants (6%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $11,864,376 (3%)
  26 Grants (2%)

• People with Disabilities

  $4,282,435 (1%)
  25 Grants (2%)

• LGBTQI

  $3,811,240 (1%)
  46 Grants (3%)

• Sex Workers

  $223,807 (0%)
  4 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.

Foundation Funding by Strategy

• Advocacy, Systems Reform and Implementation

  $189,635,871 (41%)
  563 Grants (35%)

• Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

  $60,055,233 (13%)
  134 Grants (8%)

• Coalition-building and Collaboration

  $47,232,048 (10%)
  184 Grants (11%)

• Media and Technology

  $44,129,500 (10%)
  146 Grants (9%)

• Research and Documentation

  $25,257,880 (5%)
  90 Grants (6%)

• Grassroots Organizing

  $8,079,028 (2%)
  48 Grants (3%)

• Litigation and Legal Aid

  $7,648,009 (2%)
  36 Grants (2%)

• Arts and Culture

  $2,316,679 (1%)
  32 Grants (2%)

• Security and Resilience

  $1,960,000 (0%)
  8 Grants (0%)

• Scholarships and Travel

  $157,951 (0%)
  4 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

• Investing in a New Era of Global Human Rights Leadership