6%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$176.7 Million out of
$2.8 Billion for all rights
2,416 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation $28.8 M
- Ford Foundation $26.9 M
- National Endowment for Democracy $14.3 M
- Oak Foundation $10.5 M
- The David and Lucile Packard Foundation $10.2 M
- Foundation to Promote Open Society $9.9 M
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $7.0 M
- International Community Foundation $5.4 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $4.3 M
- Fondo Centroamericano de Mujeres $4.3 M
- The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $4.2 M
- Hivos $3.0 M
- Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation $2.8 M
- Fundación AVINA $2.8 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $2.7 M
- American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $2.5 M
- The Summit Foundation $2.4 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $2.2 M
- American Jewish World Service $2.1 M
- Fund for Global Human Rights $2.0 M
- The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $1.9 M
- The Overbrook Foundation $1.8 M
- International Development Research Centre $1.8 M
- Both ENDS $1.8 M
- Seattle International Foundation $1.6 M
- M = Millions
Bilateral and Multilateral Funding
9%
Share of OECD
human rights funding
$348.6 Million out of
$3.9 Billion for all rights
2,578 Disbursements
Top Funders
- Spain $64.4 M
- United States $56.2 M
- Sweden $53.4 M
- Germany $42.7 M
- European Union Institutions $34.0 M
- Canada $26.9 M
- Norway $20.6 M
- Switzerland $13.2 M
- Denmark $5.4 M
- Inter-American Development Bank - Special Fund $5.2 M
- Netherlands $4.5 M
- Belgium $3.5 M
- Ireland $3.2 M
- Finland $3.1 M
- United Kingdom $2.4 M
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) $1.9 M
- Italy $1.6 M
- United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) $1.1 M
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) $1.1 M
- Korea $899.4 K
- Austria $876.1 K
- Luxembourg $763.7 K
- World Health Organization (WHO) $670.7 K
- International Labour Organisation $468.6 K
- Australia $299.7 K
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Issue
Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$38,302,323 (22%)
168 Grants (7%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$24,662,289 (14%)
568 Grants (24%)Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$21,695,514 (12%)
182 Grants (8%)Freedom from Violence
$19,529,613 (11%)
382 Grants (16%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$14,655,756 (8%)
84 Grants (3%)Civic and Political Participation
$10,579,244 (6%)
136 Grants (6%)Economic and Labor Rights
$10,521,307 (6%)
128 Grants (5%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$7,306,069 (4%)
101 Grants (4%)Human Rights, General
$7,186,217 (4%)
82 Grants (3%)Health and Well-being Rights
$5,730,807 (3%)
178 Grants (7%)Migration and Displacement
$5,058,182 (3%)
53 Grants (2%)Expression and Information Rights
$4,472,142 (3%)
112 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
$61,217,529 (35%)
999 Grants (41%)Children & Youth
$39,541,948 (22%)
388 Grants (16%)Indigenous Peoples
$22,917,214 (13%)
491 Grants (20%)Migrants & Refugees
$10,764,918 (6%)
126 Grants (5%)LGBTQI
$5,872,506 (3%)
169 Grants (7%)Human Rights Defenders
$5,631,817 (3%)
124 Grants (5%)People with Disabilities
$1,333,486 (1%)
39 Grants (2%)Sex Workers
$324,134 (0%)
21 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
$84,064,145 (48%)
1,557 Grants (64%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$41,036,512 (23%)
796 Grants (33%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$21,998,980 (12%)
464 Grants (19%)Research and Documentation
$18,308,679 (10%)
235 Grants (10%)Grassroots Organizing
$14,119,956 (8%)
338 Grants (14%)Media and Technology
$10,591,070 (6%)
216 Grants (9%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$10,208,331 (6%)
114 Grants (5%)Arts and Culture
$5,753,127 (3%)
218 Grants (9%)Security and Resilience
$594,463 (0%)
20 Grants (1%)Scholarships and Travel
$335,636 (0%)
65 Grants (3%)
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
242 Grants (10%)