Top Foundation Funders

1. Ford Foundation $42.7 M
2. NoVo Foundation $24.4 M
3. Foundation to Promote Open Society $17.2 M
4. Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $16.1 M
5. Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $12.2 M
6. Tides Foundation $10.6 M
7. Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $10.5 M
8. Oak Foundation $8.7 M
9. Foundation for a Just Society $5.9 M
10. International Community Foundation $5.0 M
11. William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $4.4 M
12. W.K. Kellogg Foundation $4.2 M
13. Sigrid Rausing Trust $4.0 M
14. Global Greengrants Fund $3.4 M
15. Comic Relief $3.3 M
16. Hivos $2.5 M
17. Tinker Foundation $2.0 M
18. UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $2.0 M
19. American Jewish World Service $1.8 M
20. Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $1.7 M
21. Fund for Global Human Rights $1.6 M
22. Summit Foundation $1.6 M
23. John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $1.6 M
24. Global Fund for Women $1.5 M
25. John Templeton Foundation $1.5 M
26. 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%)

• Education, Religion, and Culture

  $3,288,065 (2%)
  60 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

  $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