6%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$214.5 Million out of
$3.7 Billion for all rights
2,603 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- Ford Foundation $42.7 M
- NoVo Foundation $24.4 M
- Foundation to Promote Open Society $17.2 M
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $16.1 M
- Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $12.2 M
- Tides Foundation $10.6 M
- Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $10.5 M
- Oak Foundation $8.7 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $5.9 M
- International Community Foundation $5.0 M
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $4.4 M
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation $4.2 M
- Sigrid Rausing Trust $4.0 M
- Global Greengrants Fund $3.4 M
- Comic Relief $3.3 M
- Hivos $2.5 M
- Tinker Foundation $2.0 M
- UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $2.0 M
- American Jewish World Service $1.8 M
- Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $1.7 M
- Fund for Global Human Rights $1.6 M
- Summit Foundation $1.6 M
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $1.6 M
- Global Fund for Women $1.5 M
- John Templeton Foundation $1.5 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
9%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$462.7 Million out of
$5.0 Billion for all rights
2,713 Disbursements
Top Funders
- United States $100.2 M
- Germany $77.9 M
- Spain $77.4 M
- Sweden $55.1 M
- European Union Institutions $36.9 M
- Switzerland $25.5 M
- Norway $19.0 M
- Canada $17.5 M
- Belgium $12.5 M
- Netherlands $6.5 M
- Italy $4.7 M
- Inter-American Development Bank $3.3 M
- Ireland $2.9 M
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) $2.5 M
- Global Fund $2.5 M
- United Kingdom $2.4 M
- Denmark $2.2 M
- Korea $2.0 M
- Global Environment Facility $1.9 M
- France $1.8 M
- Luxembourg $1.5 M
- World Health Organization (WHO) $1.3 M
- Finland $1.1 M
- International Labour Organisation $1.0 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $811.7 K
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Issue
Environmental and Resource Rights
$51,661,486 (24%)
738 Grants (28%)Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$36,247,442 (17%)
447 Grants (17%)Freedom from Violence
$30,762,243 (14%)
236 Grants (9%)Human Rights, General
$25,506,773 (12%)
247 Grants (9%)Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$20,811,960 (10%)
203 Grants (8%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$16,121,722 (8%)
78 Grants (3%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$7,259,036 (3%)
129 Grants (5%)Expression and Information Rights
$6,541,804 (3%)
77 Grants (3%)Health and Well-being Rights
$4,869,592 (2%)
164 Grants (6%)Migration and Displacement
$4,042,285 (2%)
95 Grants (4%)Civic and Political Participation
$3,944,368 (2%)
38 Grants (1%)Economic and Labor Rights
$3,460,117 (2%)
91 Grants (3%)
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
$66,988,089 (31%)
1,190 Grants (46%)Indigenous Peoples
$62,862,687 (29%)
609 Grants (23%)Children & Youth
$23,068,105 (11%)
326 Grants (13%)Human Rights Defenders
$12,290,508 (6%)
147 Grants (6%)Migrants & Refugees
$10,943,808 (5%)
150 Grants (6%)LGBTQI
$4,905,676 (2%)
154 Grants (6%)People with Disabilities
$3,099,072 (1%)
37 Grants (1%)Sex Workers
$342,715 (0%)
18 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
$87,658,107 (41%)
1,242 Grants (48%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$69,978,905 (33%)
915 Grants (35%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$34,924,608 (16%)
273 Grants (10%)Grassroots Organizing
$19,884,161 (9%)
552 Grants (21%)Research and Documentation
$18,523,906 (9%)
186 Grants (7%)Media and Technology
$13,892,736 (6%)
260 Grants (10%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$10,453,938 (5%)
143 Grants (5%)Security and Resilience
$6,431,692 (3%)
43 Grants (2%)Arts and Culture
$2,386,613 (1%)
78 Grants (3%)Scholarships and Travel
$357,778 (0%)
23 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
- Campaigning to Prioritize Human Rights: Garnering Government Support for Environmental Rights of the Local Community
- From Resolutions to Conventions: Achieving Recognition of SOGI Rights in the Americas
- Investing in a New Era of Global Human Rights Leadership
- Rapid Response Grantmaking: A Successful Strategy to Protect Women's Human Rights
60 Grants (2%)