Top Foundation Funders

1. New Israel Fund $16.0 M
2. Open Society Foundations $12.2 M
3. Open Doors International $6.1 M
4. Ford Foundation $5.0 M
5. Hivos $4.6 M
6. The Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $3.9 M
7. The Skoll Foundation $3.8 M
8. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $2.8 M
9. National Endowment for Democracy $1.9 M
10. Nationale Postcode Loterij $1.8 M
11. The International Development Research Centre $1.7 M
12. Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders $1.7 M
13. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $1.0 M
14. The Global Fund for Women $983.8 K
15. Freedom House $959.5 K
16. The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation $811.0 K
17. Arab Human Rights Fund $788.5 K
18. King Baudouin Foundation United States $780.2 K
19. Fund For Global Human Rights $530.8 K
20. Sabanci Foundation $524.4 K
21. NoVo Foundation $450.0 K
22. The Nduna Foundation $415.0 K
23. Comic Relief UK $395.8 K
24. Rockefeller Brothers Fund $380.0 K
25. Mama Cash $320.0 K
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Human Rights, General

  $13,164,874 (18%)
  167 Grants (19%)

• Education, religion, and culture

  $11,643,037 (16%)
  83 Grants (9%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $9,425,434 (13%)
  141 Grants (16%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $7,528,222 (10%)
  132 Grants (15%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $5,221,413 (7%)
  24 Grants (3%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $4,748,716 (6%)
  63 Grants (7%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $4,062,456 (6%)
  84 Grants (9%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $3,862,625 (5%)
  36 Grants (4%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $3,630,732 (5%)
  46 Grants (5%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $3,045,086 (4%)
  25 Grants (3%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $2,351,910 (3%)
  41 Grants (5%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $2,330,073 (3%)
  29 Grants (3%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $2,141,810 (3%)
  21 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

  $18,484,879 (25%)
  268 Grants (30%)

• Children & Youth

  $11,121,905 (15%)
  131 Grants (15%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $7,606,943 (10%)
  102 Grants (11%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $2,890,725 (4%)
  114 Grants (13%)

• People with Disabilities

  $2,221,705 (3%)
  36 Grants (4%)

• LGBTQI

  $1,481,939 (2%)
  33 Grants (4%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $215,000 (0%)
  7 Grants (1%)

• Sex Workers

  $10,550 (0%)
  3 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

  $13,800,611 (19%)
  155 Grants (17%)

• Research and Documentation

  $10,299,707 (14%)
  93 Grants (10%)

• Capacity-building and Technical Assistance

  $9,550,754 (13%)
  125 Grants (14%)

• Media and Technology

  $5,798,270 (8%)
  92 Grants (10%)

• Coalition-building and Collaboration

  $2,799,021 (4%)
  62 Grants (7%)

• Litigation and Legal Aid

  $2,112,706 (3%)
  24 Grants (3%)

• Arts and Culture

  $1,679,690 (2%)
  34 Grants (4%)

• Grassroots Organizing

  $1,021,074 (1%)
  22 Grants (2%)

• Scholarships and Travel

  $616,640 (1%)
  4 Grants (0%)

• Security and Resilience

  $235,656 (0%)
  29 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.

Sample Grants

• Funder National Endowment for Democracy
  Recipient Citizenship Forum for Democracy and Human Development (Libya)
  Description To strengthen Libyan civil society leaders' understanding of democratic values and capacity to lead civic initiatives, foster dialogue on key issues related to Libya's political transition, and advocate for freedom of press and association.
• Funder The Open Society Foundations
  Recipient Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (Lebanon)
  Description To advance legislation on women's rights, provide psychosocial and legal services for survivors of violence, and provide literacy and vocational trainings for rural women.

Related Resources

• Funding at the Intersection of Governance and Sustainable Development to Achieve Human Rights
• Transitional Human Rights Work in Syria: A Pilot Initiative Embedding Human Rights Norms in Nascent Governance Structures