Funding search
Find who already funds work like yours.
Private foundations don’t post open calls, so nobody can search them. We read IRS filings instead — 9.6 million grants from 174,053 foundations and grantmaking charities, searchable by what the money was actually for.
12 funders with a record of paying for “defend”
Where the money went
Largest: $350,000 to WORLD RESOURCES INSTITUTE — core support for the defending land and environmental defenders coalition to convene human rights, environmental, and land rights stakeholders to collaborate to scale up prevention…
Largest: $500,000 to NATIONAL LEGAL AID AND DEFENDER ASSOCIATION — to continue and expand the black defender leadership institute, which provides specialized leadership training for black defenders
Largest: $189,454 to NATIONAL JUVENILE DEFENDER CENTER — to reduce the use of monetary bail and pretrial detention for juvenile defendants.
Largest: $100,000 to DEFENDERS PROTECTION INITIATIVE — tax-exempt activities of defenders protection initiative
Donors TrustAlexandria, VACharity · may take applications
16 matching grants · $5.7M · through 2024Largest: $957,100 to Parents Defending Education (now Defending Education) — for general operations
Largest: $160,000 to Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa — to defend and expand the digital civic space to enable the protection and promotion of human rights and to enhance innovation and sustainable development.
The Seaver EndowmentSierra Madre, CA
20 matching grants · $490,000 · through 2024Largest: $30,000 to FOUNDATION FOR INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS AND EDUCATION — to defend human rights and freedoms through legal means
Largest: $100,000 to NATIONAL JUVENILE DEFENDER CENTER — support for youth-centered research campaign to prevent "preventative detention"
John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation (Consolidated)Chicago, IL
13 matching grants · $5.5M · through 2024Largest: $50,000 to National Legal Aid and Defender Association — to support the national legal aid and defender association to organize and host a convening and consultation regarding the development of systems performance indicators for public …
Tides FoundationSan Francisco, CACharity · may take applications
16 matching grants · $1.1M · through 2024Largest: $175,000 to TEXAS DEFENDER SERVICE — equity, human rights, and economic empowerment
Largest: $385,000 to UNIVERSITY OF YORK — to support the centre for applied human rights to manage a fellowship for human rights defenders at-risk and to develop its knowledge exchange related to human rights defenders thr…
Largest: $200,000 to COALITION FOR GRASSROOT HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS COB — for human rights defenders conference
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Source: IRS Form 990-PF Part XV and Form 990 Schedule I, tax years 2019–2025. These are grants already paid, a record of what an organization funds rather than an open call. Private foundations rarely accept unsolicited applications and the route in is usually a program officer; grantmaking charities and associations more often run real application cycles, so check their website. How this data is built, and its limits →