17%
Share of foundation
human rights funding
$554.4 Million out of
$3.2 Billion for all rights
3,706 Grants
Top Foundation Funders
- Ford Foundation $224.8 M
- NoVo Foundation $33.7 M
- Oak Foundation $27.3 M
- W.K. Kellogg Foundation $24.1 M
- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation $18.3 M
- The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation $18.2 M
- The James Irvine Foundation $16.9 M
- The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation $15.8 M
- The California Endowment $15.1 M
- Open Society Institute $14.9 M
- John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $13.2 M
- Tides Foundation $10.9 M
- Foundation for a Just Society $9.6 M
- American Jewish World Service $8.3 M
- Global Greengrants Fund $5.2 M
- Surdna Foundation $4.5 M
- Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund $3.6 M
- Proteus Fund $3.6 M
- International Community Foundation $3.4 M
- Esmée Fairbairn Foundation $3.4 M
- Charles Stewart Mott Foundation $3.3 M
- Wellspring Philanthropic Fund $3.3 M
- The Libra Foundation $3.3 M
- The Annie E. Casey Foundation $3.2 M
- Disability Rights Advocacy Fund $3.1 M
- M = Millions
Foundation Funding by Region
Asia & Pacific
$40,448,868 (7%)
553 Grants (15%)
Caribbean
$2,111,744 (0%)
45 Grants (1%)
Eastern Europe, Central Asia, & Russia
$5,969,572 (1%)
113 Grants (3%)
Global Programs
$60,011,741 (11%)
153 Grants (4%)
Latin America & Mexico
$56,625,319 (10%)
767 Grants (21%)
Middle East & North Africa
$7,732,734 (1%)
88 Grants (2%)
North America
$326,674,795 (59%)
1,225 Grants (33%)
Sub-Saharan Africa
$57,425,654 (10%)
655 Grants (18%)
Western Europe
$20,202,137 (4%)
143 Grants (4%)
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
Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination
$99,433,190 (18%)
657 Grants (18%)Human Rights, General
$60,554,133 (11%)
269 Grants (7%)Environmental and Resource Rights
$60,258,845 (11%)
1,025 Grants (28%)Economic and Labor Rights
$53,359,225 (10%)
138 Grants (4%)Health and Well-being Rights
$52,381,856 (9%)
319 Grants (9%)Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law
$46,947,966 (8%)
193 Grants (5%)Migration and Displacement
$39,855,182 (7%)
169 Grants (5%)Freedom from Violence
$31,321,778 (6%)
252 Grants (7%)Civic and Political Participation
$25,864,427 (5%)
111 Grants (3%)Sexual and Reproductive Rights
$20,464,872 (4%)
114 Grants (3%)Expression and Information Rights
$16,371,962 (3%)
119 Grants (3%)Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding
$13,936,644 (3%)
142 Grants (4%)
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
$119,904,556 (22%)
1,369 Grants (37%)Children & Youth
$92,207,301 (17%)
854 Grants (23%)Migrants & Refugees
$73,991,122 (13%)
288 Grants (8%)Indigenous Peoples
$41,535,428 (7%)
623 Grants (17%)LGBTQI
$9,212,385 (2%)
222 Grants (6%)People with Disabilities
$6,018,756 (1%)
104 Grants (3%)Human Rights Defenders
$4,093,569 (1%)
93 Grants (3%)Sex Workers
$1,393,853 (0%)
54 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.
198 Grants (5%)