The Shift Project is a nonprofit consulting group that advises corporations on how to abide by the United Nations‘ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, a set of guidelines intended to prevent businesses from harming human rights. ^{1 2}

The Shift Project supports left-of-center environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. In October 2023, the Shift Project published a report advising the United Nations on how to better recommend ESG policies to businesses. ³

Ideology

United Nations Guiding Principles

The Shift Project’s founding was inspired by the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, a set of guidelines established in 2011 to “prevent and address negative impacts on human rights by business.” Shift Project co-founders Caroline Rees and Rachel Davis contributed to the Guiding Principles. The Guiding Principles’ primary author, John Ruggie, was chairman of the Shift Project’s board for a decade after its establishment until his death in September 2021. ^{4 5}

The Guiding Principles have been criticized by left-leaning sources for having weak standards and insufficient enforcement mechanisms. Human Rights Watch business and human rights director Arvind Ganesan stated, “Guidance isn’t enough – we need a mechanism to scrutinize how companies and governments apply these principles.” ⁶

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The Shift Project is devoted to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). On its website, the Shift Project states, “When a company works to drive diversity and inclusion through its workplaces, it not only reduces risks of discrimination but can open opportunities for women, minorities and others and help change attitudes in society.” ⁷

Stakeholder Capitalism

The Shift Project supports “stakeholder capitalism,” the left-of-center concept that for-profit corporations should prioritize general societal wellbeing rather than just shareholder value. ⁸

Environment, Social, and Governance

The Shift Project supports left-of-center environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. In October 2023, the Shift Project published a report advising the United Nations on how to better recommend ESG policies to businesses. ⁹

Leadership

Caroline Rees is a co-founder and the president of the Shift Project. Rees previously worked at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office for 14 years as a diplomat. From 2009 to 2011, Rees was the director of the Governance and Accountability Program at the Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. From 2003 to 2006, she led the United Kingdom’s human rights negotiating team at the United Nations. ^{10 11}

Rachel Davis is a co-founder and the vice president of the Shift Project. Davis was previously the chair of FIFA’s independent human rights advisory board and has advised the International Olympic Committee on human rights since 2017. She is also a senior program fellow with the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. ¹²

Cynthia Burns is the chief operating officer of the Shift Project. Burns previously worked as vice president of operations at Human Rights First for 17 years. ¹³

Mark Hodge is the vice president of the Shift Project. Hodge co-founded and led the Global Business Initiative on Human Rights, and he worked as a senior advisor to the U.N. Human Rights Business, Human Rights and Technology project. ¹⁴

Funding

In 2024, the Shift Project received a $400,000 grant from the Ford Foundation for “Core support for its work on European and global corporate sustainability reporting and diligence standards.” ¹⁵

The Shift Project received a €1.1 million ($1.2 million) grant from the Laudes Foundation for “advancing effective mandatory due diligence and related standards.” ¹⁶

The Shift Project has received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the W.T. Grant Foundation. ¹⁷

From June 2021 to June 2022, the Shift Project reported $3.2 million in revenue, of which $358,000 came from government sources. ¹⁸

1. “UN Guiding Principles 101.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/resources/ungps101/.
2. “Who We Are.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/who-we-are/#Our-Team.
3. “Shift’s Response to the UN Working Group Consultation on Investors, ESG, and Human Rights.” Shift Project. October 2023. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/resource/shift-response-to-un-working-group-consultation-on-investors-esg-and-human-rights/.
4. “UN Guiding Principles 101.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/resources/ungps101/.
5. “Who We Are.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/who-we-are/#Our-Team.
6. “UN Human Rights Council: Weak Stance on Business Standards.” Human Rights Watch. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/06/16/un-human-rights-council-weak-stance-business-standards.
7. “UN Guiding Principles 101.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/resources/ungps101/.
8. Ruggie, John; David, Rachel; Rees, Caroline. “Making ‘Stakeholder Capitalism’ Work: Contributions from Business & Human Rights.” Shrift Project. November 2020. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/resource/stakeholder-capitalism-contributions-bhr/.
9. “Shift’s Response to the UN Working Group Consultation on Investors, ESG, and Human Rights.” Shift Project. October 2023. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/resource/shift-response-to-un-working-group-consultation-on-investors-esg-and-human-rights/.
10. “Caroline Rees.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/person/caroline-rees/.
11. “Caroline Rees.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-rees-0573368/.
12. “Rachel Davis.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/person/rachel-davis/.
13. “Cynthia Burns.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/person/cynthia-burns/.
14. “Mark Hodge.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/person/mark-hodge/.
15. “Shift Project Ltd.” Ford Foundation. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.fordfoundation.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/grants-database/shift-project-ltd-149889/.
16. “Funding transformational initiatives.” Laudes Foundation. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://www.laudesfoundation.org/grants.
17. Schneider, Daniel; Harknett, Kristen; Gaillot, Annette. “Unemployed without a Net.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shift.hks.harvard.edu/unemployed-without-a-net/.
18. “Financial Statement 2022.” Shift Project. Accessed April 24, 2024. https://shiftproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FY2022-Financial-Statements.pdf.