Human Rights Funders Network

Human Rights Funders Network (HRFN) is a network of grantmakers and recipients focused on human rights. While not directly providing grants, HRFN provides research and publications on available funding. Human Rights Funders Network provides conferences and working groups on human rights funders and highlights research on global warming, racial justice, and migrant rights. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3), Fiscally Sponsored Project
Website:

https://www.hrfn.org

Project of:

Proteus Fund

Founded:

1994

Executive Director:

Kellea Miller

Contents

    History

    Human Rights Funders Network was founded in 1994 as the International Human Rights Funders Group. 2 HRFN began as a small group of human rights grantmakers collaborating to share strategies and priorities. 2 Since inception, HRFN claims to have a network of over 450 institutions across 70 countries tracking $3.7 billion in annual human rights funding. 3

    Operations

    Human Rights Funders Network does not directly provide grants or connect organizations to specific funders. 4  HRFN provides research, reports, publications, and guidance on resources available to grant-seekers. 4 HRFN’s resources include a human rights research hub, directory of emergency and rapid response grants, and grants available for NGOs. 4

    Human Rights Funders Network is fiscally sponsored by Panorama Global, a left-of-center pass-through funder of advocacy groups. 5

    Issues

    Human Rights Funders Network’s mission and values seeks to create funding to left-leaning movements that are “justice-oriented,” decolonial, and centers on “historically oppressed communities.” 6 Human Rights Funders Network supports all human rights through five priority areas of intersectionality, racial justice, global funding, climate justice, and civic spaces. 7

    HRFN calls for “open philanthropy” that seeks to shift money and power in human rights from wealthier nations to developing countries focusing on race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, climate, and migrant rights. 8 9 A week after Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, HRFN organized a special post-election conference call to discuss strategy moving forward. 10

    Human Rights Funders Network has highlighted work done on feminist humanitarianism produced by the Global Resilience Fund, a left-leaning feminist organization fighting patriarchy and perceived imperialist resource extraction and white supremacy. 11 HRFN has noted a report sponsored by the Ford Foundation that examines the intersectionality of global warming and digital rights that notes systemic racism in environmental justice. 12

    Human Rights Funders Network has highlighted research and publications on increasing funding for climate activists, fighting white collar authoritarianism in the United States, and harmful business practices in Asia-Pacific on human rights. 13

    HRFN conducts an annual conference, the Funding Future Festival, to strategize and implement coordinated policies. 14 Additionally, HRFN has working groups on various issues including intersectionality to impact funds across issues and movements; human rights defenders; centering racial justice and human rights in organizations and funding; global funding ecosystems to shift power and money to the Global South and East; and climate justice and climate crisis in all areas of human rights. 15

    Leadership

    Kellea Miller is executive director at Human Rights Funders Network and is a self-described feminist researcher and activist. 16 Miller previously worked as a manager at Association for Women’s Rights in Development. 17 Prior, Miller was a manager at Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice and led its LGBT Global Development Partnership with USAID. 16 Miller has authored articles and reports supporting racial justice and gender equality. 16 Miller has a Ph.D. in sociology from University of Wisconsin and B.A. in Feminist Studies from Stanford University. 17

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    References

    1. “Focus Areas to Transform the World.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 27, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/about-hrfn/#; “Attend an Event!” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 27, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/events-hub/.
    2. “Our Story.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/our-vision-mission/#.
    3. “Our Story.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/our-vision-mission/#; “Membership.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/membership/#.
    4. “Grantseekers Resources.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/our-work/#communities-practice.
    5. “Our Story.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/our-vision-mission/#; “Panorama Global.” Influence Watch. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/panorama-global/.
    6. [1] “Three Decades of Transforming Human Rights Philanthropy.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/about-hrfn/#.
    7. “Focus Areas to Transform the World.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/about-hrfn/.
    8. “Open Philanthropy: Shifting Resources and Power.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 27, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/open-philanthropy/.
    9. “Our Vision & Mission.” Human Rights Funders Network, March 29, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/our-vision-mission/.
    10. Fine, Melinda, Steven Lawrence, Molly Schultz Hafid. “(Re)thinking Funder Networks and Collaboratives.” Stanford Social Innovation Review. April 9, 2018. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://ssir.org/articles/entry/rethinking_funder_networks_and_collaboratives#.
    11. “Beyond Crisis: A Feminist Humanitarianism Response That Centers Girls and Young People.” Human Rights Funders Network. August 19, 2022. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/resources/beyond-crisis-a-feminist-humanitarian-response-that-centers-girls-and-young-people/; “Why We Launched the Fund?” Global Resilience Fund. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.theglobalresiliencefund.org/our-story.
    12. “Funding at the Intersection of Climate and Tech.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/resources/funding-at-the-intersection-of-climate-and-tech/; “At the Confluence of Digital Rights and Climate & Environmental Justice.” The Engine Room. July 7, 2022. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.fordfoundation.org/media/7356/ter-final-report-07-07-22.pdf.
    13. “Publications.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/content_type/publications/.
    14. “HRFN’s Global Conference.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/hrfn-conference/#.
    15. “Communities of Practice.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022.
    16. “Meet the Team Behind HRFN.” Human Rights Funders Network. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.hrfn.org/about-hrfn/#our-people.
    17. [1] “Kellea Miller.” LinkedIn. Accessed October 14, 2022. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellea-shay-miller-b7213018/.