In the latest report shared by the Human Rights Funders Network, Global Greengrants Fund is listed as the top funder of human rights by number of grants. The report uses data from 2018, a year in which Greengrants awarded 941 grants supporting human rights work.
At Global Greengrants Fund, close to 80% of our grants include a human rights component, as we believe that the rights of people are directly tied to the health and future of the earth. Unlike other environmental organizations focused solely on conservation efforts or wildlife preservation, our grantmaking upholds the rights of both people and planet.
On the positive, this years’ report showed that funding for human rights is increasing in the philanthropic space. $3.7 billion in human rights funding was awarded in 2018, more than ever before, and there was a 13 percent increase between 2017 and 2018 from funders that submitted grants data for both years. However, this is still not nearly enough funding for a crucial issue impacting humanity.
The report states that total human rights funding in 2018 was equivalent to just 12 percent of Facebook’s operating expenses in the same year.
The data also demonstrated that within the philanthropic sector, intersectional grantmaking isn’t happening in practice and there are significant gaps when it comes to funding with a racial justice lens. In fact, funding for health and well-being rights for racial and ethnic groups represents less than one percent of the overall $8 billion in U.S. foundation giving for health.
Overall, there is still a huge gap in funding for human rights, with only 7% of total funding dollars awarded by 1,000 of the largest U.S. foundations supporting human rights in 2018.
While Global Greengrants Fund is proud to be one of the top funders in the human rights space, we strongly advocate for others in philanthropy to not only increase the number of dollars going to human rights, but to reach marginalized communities, and to use an intersectional approach. Our participatory model allows us to fund people of all backgrounds and ethnicities, including those who often lack access to funding through other means. Our work connecting the rights of the environment to the rights of people adds a layer of intersectionality to our grantmaking, increasing the diversity of how our funds are dispersed.
This report is key to bringing awareness to gaps in foundational funding for human rights and showing where the sector is doing well in terms of support. We’d like to thank the Human Rights Funders Network for compiling the data and producing Advancing Human Rights: Annual Review of Global Foundation Grantmaking. We’d also like to thank our global network of volunteer advisors, coordinators, grantees, staff, board members, and donors who make our work possible.
Together, we are where change takes root.