Hivos
Hivos (also known as the Humanist Institute for Development Cooperation or alternatively as Stichting Hivos) is a left-of-center international nonprofit that promotes various political causes pertaining to LGBT interests, environmentalism, and gender inclusion. It operates across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The organization positions itself not as a service provider but as an advocate, using grants and partnerships to influence policy and public opinion in developing countries. 1
Contents
Major funders include the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, the Dutch Postcode Lottery, and the Ford Foundation. 2 3
History and Founding
Hivos was created in 1968 by Dutch humanists as a secular alternative to religious development organizations. Its founding principle was that “necessary changes should spring from communities themselves.” Over time, it expanded from a grantmaking intermediary into a global advocacy network, embedding itself in European donor structures and international coalitions. 4
Leadership
As of 2025, the chief executive officer of Hivos was Marco De Ponte, the former secretary general of ActionAid Italy. At ActionAid, he oversaw campaigns on poverty reduction and civic participation, aligning with left-of-center advocacy networks in Europe and Latin America. His appointment in 2025 followed the resignation of Anne Jellema. Michel Farkas, the chief operations officer of Hivos as of 2025, has a background in organizational management and financial oversight and served as interim CEO during the transition. Farkas was responsible for internal governance and compliance with donor requirements at the time. 5 2
As of 2025, Hivos’s governance was overseen by a six-member supervisory council. Then-chairperson Marieke van Schaik was at that time the CEO of the Dutch Postcode Lottery, one of Hivos’s largest funders. Then-vice chairperson Nani Jansen Reventlow is the founder of Systemic Justice, a European legal advocacy group focused on racial and social justice. Other members at the time included Allert van den Ham, a former Hivos country director; Marieke van der Winden, a former Dutch diplomat and Ministry of Foreign Affairs official; Sander van der Linden, a Cambridge professor specializing in “misinformation” and behavioral science; and Rachida el Garani, a filmmaker and activist. 5
Activities
Civic Rights In a Digital Age
Hivos runs programs that monitor and defend “civic space.” In 2024, Hivos launched the EU System for an Enabling Environment for Civil Society (EU SEE), funded by the European Commission. The program tracks restrictions on civil society in 86 countries and issues alerts to trigger advocacy responses. Hivos also started Connect, Defend, Act!, which works in Colombia, Indonesia, Malawi, and the Palestinian territories to support marginalized groups facing government crackdowns. 2 6
Hivos manages the Digital Defenders Partnership, a program that gives emergency funding to human rights defenders, long-term protection grants to 12 organizations, and support for eight collaborative networks. Hivos also promoted its “Digital First Aid Kit,” which was accessed more than 11,000 times in 101 countries. 2
Climate Change
Hivos uses climate programs to push policy change and community activism. Through Voices for Just Climate Action, Hivos reframed water scarcity in Tunisia as a human rights issue, leading to the creation of a national advisory body on water rights. In Brazil, Hivos supported Indigenous youth who joined national climate forums and proposed legal personhood for rivers. 2 7
Hivos also runs Urban Futures, which trains young people to influence city policies. In 2024, more than 100 youth advocates in Zimbabwe, Colombia, and Zambia worked with Hivos to secure municipal policy changes and budget allocations. Hivos aims to support women’s economic empowerment through ENERGIA, which has backed more than 19,000 women-led renewable energy businesses in Africa and Asia. 2
Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Hivos promotes LGBT interests and gender inclusion through programs such as Free to Be Me. In 2024, Hivos strengthened 177 LGBT advocacy organizations in 12 countries. In Nigeria, Hivos secured commitments from the National Human Rights Commission to explore protections for LGBT persons. In Zimbabwe, Hivos supported efforts to add a third sex marker to civil registration. 2
Legacy Programs
Hivos closed several long-running programs in 2024. Voice, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supported 745 projects led by marginalized groups in Africa and Asia. Resources of Open Minds backed 342 audiovisual productions and 159 creative initiatives, helping young activists and artists challenge social norms. Work: No Child’s Business, led by Hivos in Uganda, removed or protected more than 12,000 children from child labor and contributed to similar results in India, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Jordan, and Vietnam. 2
Advocacy
Hivos’s work involves ideological advocacy. Its programs are designed to influence national policies, international institutions, and public opinion. In Tunisia, its climate program produced a national advisory body on water rights. In Nigeria, its domestic violence campaign shifted survey responses by 14 percent. In Zimbabwe, it supported efforts to add a third sex marker to civil registration. 2 Hivos regularly advances left-of-center social agendas abroad, funded largely by European governments and liberal foundations. 8
Coalition Partners
Hivos leads or participates in coalitions with CIVICUS, Democracy Reporting International, Transparency International, Forus, and the European Partnership for Democracy. It co-founded the Hivos–Triodos Fonds with Triodos Bank, a blended finance vehicle investing in weather-dependent energy and environmentalist agriculture. 9 In Southeast Asia, it works through Yayasan Humanis dan Inovasi Sosial, an independent partner organization in Indonesia. 2
Financials
In 2024, Hivos reported €66.982 million (approximately $77,957,000) in income and €61.994 million in program spending (approximately $72,145,827). It posted a surplus of €607,000 ($706,290), held reserves of €59.8 million ($69,591,652), and maintained a solvency rate of 61 percent. Major donors included the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, Norad, Sida, Global Affairs Canada, and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. Hivos also reported support from more than 30,000 individual donors in the Netherlands. 2
Through its subordinated loan to the Hivos–Triodos Fonds, Hivos earns interest income from a €69 million investment portfolio (approximately $80,293,920). The fund’s investments reached an estimated 918,500 people with improved energy access and supported 158,900 smallholder farmers. 9 Additional funding sources have previously included $3 million pledged by the U.S. Department of State, $3.3 million from USAID for programs in Indonesia, $60,000 from Indigo Trust in 2014, and financing from FMO, the Dutch development bank. 10 11 12 13
The Ford Foundation has been one of Hivos’s most consistent international funders. Between 2006 and 2024, Ford awarded Hivos more than $10 million in grants. These grants have supported Hivos’s Gender Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion programs, particularly in Southern Africa. In 2024, Ford provided $400,000 to establish a regional fund addressing sexual and reproductive health and rights of young women, with a focus on HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence. 8 In 2022, Ford awarded $600,000 in core support to Hivos’s GEDI program, backing young feminist organizations and advocacy against gender-based violence. 14 Earlier grants included $400,000 in 2017 for child marriage and gender-based violence interventions in Africa, and $238,698 in 2011 for LGBT advocacy work in Indonesia. 15 16