In 2012, foundations around the world raised a total of $1.8 billion dollars in grants to promote human rights, a 6% increase over 2011. 774 foundations raised that money for 11,000 non-profits, for a total of over 19,000 grants.
This information comes from a new report by the Foundation Center and the International Human Rights Funders Group (IHRFG), who have been working on such reports since 2013, when their first report focused on the year 2010. Their goal is to collate as much information as they can, in order to help charities focused on human rights issues. That data can help foundations figure out what kind of grants to write for, or find new partners to work with.
Some of the most impressive and easiest to parse data presented by the report are the total dollars of grants received in different parts of the world. In North America, for example, foundations received $821 million, the largest amount by far. The second highest, $237 million, went to Sub-Saharan Africa. Asia and the Pacific received $141 million, followed by Latin America and Mexico with $132 million. Western Europe received $110 million in grants, while Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Russia received a combined total of $79 million. The Middle East and Africa received $56 million, while he Caribbean received $17 million.
The largest portion of those total dollars, about 24%, went to foundations focused on equality and freedom from discrimination. General human rights groups received about 15%, while groups focused on sexual and reproductive rights, health and wellness rights, social and cultural rights, or labor rights each earned at least 5%.
Groups working with and for women and girls earned 27% of the grants and 26% of the money. Children and youth focused groups received 21% and 19% of the grants and dollars, respectively.