63%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$2.3 Billion out of
$3.7 Billion for all rights
15,168 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- Ford Foundation $169.7 M
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation $138.6 M
- NoVo Foundation $135.5 M
- Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation $92.8 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $79.5 M
- Silicon Valley Community Foundation $79.2 M
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation $66.9 M
- Foundation to Promote Open Society $63.5 M
- California Endowment $61.3 M
- Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $42.9 M
- JPB Foundation $41.8 M
- Foundation For The Carolinas $41.1 M
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $38.9 M
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $36.4 M
- Andrew W. Mellon Foundation $35.7 M
- Freedom Forum $34.7 M
- Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund $31.0 M
- San Francisco Foundation $30.5 M
- Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors $29.6 M
- James Irvine Foundation $23.9 M
- Carnegie Corporation of New York $22.3 M
- Tulsa Community Foundation $22.1 M
- Kresge Foundation $21.5 M
- Laura and John Arnold Foundation $20.1 M
- Tides Foundation $19.3 M
- M = Millions
Key Findings: 2018 Funding
Foundation Funding by Issue
Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$444,824,649 (19%)
3,475 Grants (23%)Human Rights, General
$262,641,723 (11%)
3,257 Grants (21%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$246,538,283 (11%)
1,112 Grants (7%)Health and Well-being Rights
$208,887,032 (9%)
1,298 Grants (9%)Migration and Displacement
$179,474,413 (8%)
1,469 Grants (10%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$150,363,079 (6%)
970 Grants (6%)Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$121,448,775 (5%)
445 Grants (3%)Civic and Political Participation
$88,722,382 (4%)
595 Grants (4%)Freedom from Violence
$83,903,730 (4%)
411 Grants (3%)Expression and Information Rights
$76,977,045 (3%)
334 Grants (2%)Economic and Labor Rights
$73,207,948 (3%)
354 Grants (2%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$21,482,056 (1%)
203 Grants (1%)
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
Children & Youth
$486,755,304 (21%)
2,845 Grants (19%)Migrants & Refugees
$327,984,374 (14%)
2,251 Grants (15%)Women & Girls
$322,317,074 (14%)
1,991 Grants (13%)Indigenous Peoples
$85,338,093 (4%)
467 Grants (3%)LGBTQI
$79,587,676 (3%)
860 Grants (6%)People with Disabilities
$17,501,044 (1%)
220 Grants (1%)Sex Workers
$592,425 (0%)
16 Grants (0%)Human Rights Defenders
$355,032 (0%)
46 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
$827,456,652 (36%)
4,380 Grants (29%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$335,677,601 (14%)
1,395 Grants (9%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$220,407,576 (9%)
1,279 Grants (8%)Media and Technology
$128,795,399 (6%)
792 Grants (5%)Research and Documentation
$105,108,857 (5%)
378 Grants (2%)Arts and Culture
$86,497,847 (4%)
388 Grants (3%)Grassroots Organizing
$64,944,332 (3%)
613 Grants (4%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$44,813,834 (2%)
296 Grants (2%)Scholarships and Travel
$15,919,927 (1%)
66 Grants (0%)Security and Resilience
$3,215,242 (0%)
18 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.
1,245 Grants (8%)