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Non-profit

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF)

Website:

hrf.org
Location:

New York, NY
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Formation:

2005
Type:

Non-Profit
CEO:

Thor Halvorssen
CEO's Salary:

$77,269 1

References

  1. Human Rights Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019, Part VII, Section A, Line 1a.

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The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that intends to promote and protect human rights internationally. HRF focuses its efforts on countries ruled by authoritarian regimes while raising awareness about threats to freedom worldwide. 1

Activities

The Human Rights Foundation supports activists in closed societies to promote liberal democracy. HRF supports the liberal democratic values outlined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which include every individual’s right to free speech, equal treatment, property ownership, free worship, and participation in government. 2

The Human Rights Foundation aims to shed light on the struggle for freedom, democracy, and human rights in countries ruled by authoritarian regimes. HRF’s programs provide education about free societies, the importance of freedom, and how freedom is developed and sustained. The Human Rights Foundation intends to influence institutions, policymakers, and the public about protecting individual rights through its international legal reports and op-eds. 3

The Human Rights Foundation produces the Oslo Freedom Forum, a global conference series featuring human rights advocates, world leaders, journalists, and technology entrepreneurs. The Forum focuses on expanding freedom worldwide by exposing the abuses of authoritarian regimes, prioritizing human rights on a global scale, and strengthening activist and journalist networks. 4

Funding

The Human Rights Foundation is funded by donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. While HRF does not disclose its donors, tax filings confirm donations from Donors Capital Fund ($500,000 in 2016),  5 the John Templeton Foundation ($400,000 in 2016), 6 and the Sarah Scaife Foundation ($200,000 in 2020). 7

People

Senior Staff

Thor Halvorssen is the founder and CEO of the Human Rights Foundation. Halvorssen is also the founder of the Oslo Freedom Forum and the Moving Picture Institute, and the former founding CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. 8

Céline Boustani is the president of HRF. 9

Alex Gladstein is the chief strategy officer at HRF and the former vice president of strategy for the Oslo Freedom Forum. 10

Board of Directors

Chairman Garry Kasparov is a Russian pro-democracy leader, is a senior visiting fellow at the Oxford-Martin School, and sits on the executive advisory board of the Foundation for Responsible Robotics. 11

Diego Arria is a former assistant secretary general of the United Nations, a former Venezuelan ambassador to the United Nations, a former chair of the United Nations Security Council, and a former diplomatic fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. 12

George Ayittey is a distinguished economist in residence at the American University. Ayittey is a former fellow at the Hoover Institution, a former Bradley resident scholar at the Heritage Foundation, and a former associate scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. 13

Abdel Ould Ethmane is a Mauritanian activist seeking the abolition and elimination of contemporary slavery and the co-founder of SOS Slaves. 14

Mart Laar is a founding member of the Foundation for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and a former prime minister of Estonia. 15

Jacqueline Moudeina is a member of the Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights. 16

Marina Nemat sits on the board of the Canadian Center for Victims of Torture. 17

Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector, a media fellow at Freedom Factory, and an ambassador of the Teach North Korean Refugees project. 18

Park Sang Hak is North Korean defector and the chair of Fighters for a Free North Korea. 19

Mutabar Tadjibaeva is an Uzbekistani human rights activist, the founder and chair of the Fiery Hearts Club, and a founder of the national movement Civil Society. 20

Álvaro Vargas Llosa is a senior fellow at the Center on Global Prosperity at the Independent Institute. 21

Other board members include Cameron Colby Thomson, Dan Grossman, Ron Jacobs, Alexander Lloyd, W. Brad Stephens, and Konstantina Yaneva.

References

  1. “Our Mission.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://hrf.org/about/mission/.
  2. “Our Mission.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://hrf.org/about/mission/.
  3. “Our Mission.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://hrf.org/about/mission/.
  4. “About.” Oslo Freedom Forum. Accessed April 11, 2022. https://oslofreedomforum.com/about/.
  5. Donors Capital Fund, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2016, Schedule I, Part II.
  6. John Templeton Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2016, Part XV, Line 3a.
  7.  Sarah Scaife Foundation, Return of Private Foundation (Form 990-PF), 2020, Part XV, Line 3a.
  8. “Thor Halvorssen.” Independent Institute, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=2698.
  9. “Céline Assaf Boustani.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/team/celine-assaf-boustani/.
  10. “Alex Gladstein.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/team/alex-gladstein/.
  11. “Biography.” Garry Kasparov, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.kasparov.com/biography/.
  12. “Diego Arria.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/diego-arria/.
  13. “George Ayittey.” Foreign Policy Research Institute, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.fpri.org/contributor/george-ayittey/.
  14. “Abdel Nasser Ould Ethmane.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/abdel-nasser-ould-ethmane/.
  15. “Mart Laar.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/mart-laar/.
  16. “Jacqueline Moudeina.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/jacqueline-moudeina/.
  17. “Marina Nemat.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/marina-nemat/.
  18. “Yeonmi Park.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/yeonmi-park/.
  19. “Park Sang Hak.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/park-sang-hak/.
  20. [1] “Mutabar Tadjibaeva.” Human Rights Foundation, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://hrf.org/speakers/mutabar-tadjibaeva/.
  21. “Alvaro Vargas Llosa.” Independent Institute, 2022. Accessed April 6, 2022. https://www.independent.org/aboutus/person_detail.asp?id=494.
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The Human Rights Foundation (HRF)


New York, NY