Top Foundation Funders

1. Open Society Foundations $10.1 M
2. Ford Foundation $6.8 M
3. The Sigrid Rausing Trust $5.8 M
4. The Oak Foundation $5.6 M
5. Comic Relief UK $5.3 M
6. The Atlantic Philanthropies $5.3 M
7. Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation $3.9 M
8. National Endowment for Democracy $2.4 M
9. American Jewish World Service $1.4 M
10. Public Welfare Foundation $1.4 M
11. Fund For Global Human Rights $1.4 M
12. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation $900.0 K
13. EEA and Norway Grants $769.1 K
14. Searle Freedom Trust $735.0 K
15. CS Fund $680.0 K
16. Avina Americas $596.0 K
17. Trust for London $588.5 K
18. Robert Sterling Clark Foundation $545.0 K
19. Unbound Philanthropy $516.2 K
20. Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund $375.0 K
21. Eurasia Partnership Foundation $299.5 K
22. Mama Cash $280.2 K
23. UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality $200.0 K
24. Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation $200.0 K
25. NoVo Foundation $200.0 K
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

• Access to Justice/Equality Before the Law

  $13,969,663 (25%)
  120 Grants (26%)

• Health and Well-being Rights

  $10,742,718 (19%)
  27 Grants (6%)

• Economic and Labor Rights

  $5,386,845 (10%)
  23 Grants (5%)

• Freedom from Violence

  $4,681,878 (8%)
  60 Grants (13%)

• Equality Rights and Freedom from Discrimination

  $4,680,201 (8%)
  40 Grants (9%)

• Migration and Displacement

  $3,712,661 (7%)
  28 Grants (6%)

• Human Rights, General

  $3,482,530 (6%)
  23 Grants (5%)

• Expression and Information Rights

  $2,640,140 (5%)
  28 Grants (6%)

• Civic and Political Participation

  $2,635,123 (5%)
  24 Grants (5%)

• Environmental and Resource Rights

  $1,554,207 (3%)
  45 Grants (10%)

• Sexual and Reproductive Rights

  $1,151,853 (2%)
  11 Grants (2%)

• Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding

  $1,149,758 (2%)
  11 Grants (2%)

• Social and Cultural Rights

  $627,581 (1%)
  15 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

• Migrants & Refugees

  $7,701,515 (14%)
  67 Grants (15%)

• Women & Girls

  $7,604,566 (13%)
  104 Grants (23%)

• Children & Youth

  $4,608,107 (8%)
  56 Grants (12%)

• People with Disabilities

  $2,533,341 (4%)
  24 Grants (5%)

• LGBTQI

  $1,852,349 (3%)
  27 Grants (6%)

• Indigenous Peoples

  $1,466,576 (3%)
  37 Grants (8%)

• Human Rights Defenders

  $1,304,176 (2%)
  19 Grants (4%)

• Sex Workers

  $367,637 (1%)
  6 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 The Atlantic Philanthropies
  Recipient Reprieve (United Kingdom)
  Description To reduce excessive and abusive U.S. counter-terrorism practices through litigation and other legal advocacy strategies.
• Funder The Fund for Global Human Rights
  Recipient Unissons-Nous pour la Promotion des Batwa (Burundi)
  Description To provide legal representation to Batwa victims of discrimination in strategic legal cases in national and regional courts.