5%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$152.5 Million out of
$3.2 Billion for all rights
1,610 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation $15.5 M
- Fondazione CON IL SUD $14.2 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $9.7 M
- Oak Foundation $8.6 M
- Trust for London $7.8 M
- Bridge House Estates $7.7 M
- The Tudor Trust $7.3 M
- Paul Hamlyn Foundation $6.7 M
- The National Lottery Community Fund $5.3 M
- Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust $5.2 M
- Ford Foundation $5.0 M
- Wikimedia Foundation $4.4 M
- NoVo Foundation $4.3 M
- Comic Relief $4.2 M
- Tides Foundation $3.4 M
- Open Society Institute $3.2 M
- The Sigrid Rausing Trust $3.2 M
- The Barrow Cadbury Trust $3.2 M
- The Robertson Trust $3.1 M
- Unbound Philanthropy $3.0 M
- The LankellyChase Foundation $3.0 M
- Foundation to Promote Open Society $2.9 M
- King Baudouin Foundation $2.9 M
- The Baring Foundation $2.3 M
- CHARITIES AID FOUNDATION OF AMERICA $2.0 M
- M = Millions
Key Findings: 2017 Funding
Foundation Funding by Issue
Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$25,003,469 (16%)
283 Grants (18%)Migration and Displacement
$24,983,301 (16%)
226 Grants (14%)Health and Well-being Rights
$24,868,734 (16%)
237 Grants (15%)Freedom from Violence
$17,655,661 (12%)
110 Grants (7%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$12,746,014 (8%)
96 Grants (6%)Human Rights, General
$10,642,952 (7%)
151 Grants (9%)Expression and Information Rights
$7,449,805 (5%)
217 Grants (13%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$6,470,860 (4%)
64 Grants (4%)Economic and Labor Rights
$5,229,789 (3%)
40 Grants (2%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$5,140,723 (3%)
35 Grants (2%)Civic and Political Participation
$4,716,798 (3%)
19 Grants (1%)Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$486,750 (0%)
22 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
Migrants & Refugees
$35,463,087 (23%)
332 Grants (21%)Children & Youth
$24,791,169 (16%)
283 Grants (18%)Women & Girls
$20,981,539 (14%)
250 Grants (16%)People with Disabilities
$17,545,442 (12%)
192 Grants (12%)LGBTQI
$2,347,721 (2%)
43 Grants (3%)Indigenous Peoples
$966,854 (1%)
8 Grants (0%)Sex Workers
$548,878 (0%)
11 Grants (1%)Human Rights Defenders
$151,010 (0%)
2 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
$92,528,859 (61%)
707 Grants (44%)Capacity-building and Technical Assistance
$20,202,137 (13%)
143 Grants (9%)Research and Documentation
$11,705,145 (8%)
99 Grants (6%)Coalition-building and Collaboration
$8,663,544 (6%)
75 Grants (5%)Arts and Culture
$7,371,268 (5%)
124 Grants (8%)Media and Technology
$6,276,162 (4%)
64 Grants (4%)Litigation and Legal Aid
$5,633,133 (4%)
35 Grants (2%)Grassroots Organizing
$3,826,613 (3%)
21 Grants (1%)Scholarships and Travel
$1,042,123 (1%)
68 Grants (4%)
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.
110 Grants (7%)