Top Foundation Funders

1. Oak Foundation $90.6 M
2. Tides Foundation $67.3 M
3. Ford Foundation $59.7 M
4. NoVo Foundation $59.2 M
5. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $34.3 M
6. National Endowment for Democracy $32.5 M
7. American Jewish World Service - Donor Advised Funds $25.7 M
8. NEO Philanthropy $19.7 M
9. Comic Relief $19.6 M
10. Human Dignity Foundation $19.0 M
11. Foundation For The Carolinas $17.7 M
12. Big Lottery Fund $16.9 M
13. Foundation to Promote Open Society $16.2 M
14. EEA and Norway Grants $16.1 M
15. Esmée Fairbairn Foundation $15.9 M
16. The California Endowment $14.7 M
17. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $13.3 M
18. American Jewish World Service $12.0 M
19. Freedom House $11.8 M
20. The Tudor Trust $11.7 M
21. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation $11.2 M
22. Foundation for a Just Society $10.3 M
23. The Atlantic Philanthropies $9.9 M
24. International Development Research Centre $9.5 M
25. The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women $8.9 M
26. M = Millions

Foundation Funding by Region

Region totals include both foundation grants directly to recipients based in the region specified and foundation grants to recipients located in other regions to do work benefiting the region specified. Grants may mention more than one region of benefit and therefore be counted in more than one category.

Foundation Funding by Issue

• Freedom from Violence

  $183,373,917 (21%)
  1,811 Grants (18%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $119,362,119 (13%)
  1,060 Grants (10%)

• Education, religion, and culture

  $91,477,607 (10%)
  1,117 Grants (11%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $88,458,111 (10%)
  1,354 Grants (13%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $74,939,388 (8%)
  1,060 Grants (10%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $63,470,142 (7%)
  762 Grants (7%)

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $55,506,511 (6%)
  530 Grants (5%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $51,246,081 (6%)
  631 Grants (6%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $47,226,517 (5%)
  435 Grants (4%)

• Human Rights, General

  $44,642,312 (5%)
  466 Grants (5%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $33,144,381 (4%)
  403 Grants (4%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $25,085,591 (3%)
  302 Grants (3%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $15,818,923 (2%)
  274 Grants (3%)

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

  $239,535,688 (27%)
  3,472 Grants (34%)

• Children & Youth

  $219,996,730 (25%)
  2,383 Grants (23%)

• Migrants & Refugees

  $109,963,252 (12%)
  1,018 Grants (10%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $53,253,713 (6%)
  837 Grants (8%)

• LGBTQI

  $51,213,424 (6%)
  985 Grants (10%)

• People with Disabilities

  $40,931,517 (5%)
  555 Grants (5%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $11,769,909 (1%)
  279 Grants (3%)

• Sex Workers

  $4,452,651 (0%)
  118 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.

Sample Grants

• Funder NoVo Foundation
  Recipient National Domestic Workers Alliance (United States)
  Description To develop the political, economic, and cultural power and leadership of low-income women of color, domestic and care workers, and immigrant women.
• Funder Oak Foundation
  Recipient Promundo (United States)
  Description To engage men and boys, together with women and girls, to promote gender equity, improve health, and end violence against women and children in Brazil, Uganda, Moldova, Bulgaria, and Latvia