About Us
About the U.S. Human Rights Fund
The U.S. Human Rights Fund is a partnership of donors who provide strategic field-building support to social justice organizations engaged in human rights work within the U.S. The Fund's mission is to promote dignity, equality, and opportunity for all people by advocating for the U.S. to uphold international human rights within its borders.
The Fund is housed at Public Interest Projects, a 501(c)(3) public charity.
History of the U.S. Human Rights Fund
Launched in 2005, the U.S. Human Rights Fund arose from a shared belief that human rights benefit the cause of progressive social justice. The past four years have proven that human rights can furnish greater protections than civil rights alone, and they encourage vulnerable people to define and lead their own struggles.
The Fund has raised more than $16 million dollars from 13 institutional and private donors since 2005. In 2010, it expects to provide over $5 million to support U.S. human rights initiatives.
U.S. Human Rights Fund Grantmaking Strategy
Human rights are now a proven method of effecting social and political change in the United States. But the domestic human rights movement faces serious challenges with respect to capacity and coordination. The Fund addresses these needs through four major areas of grantmaking:
Human Rights Training and Education
Multi-issue and Cross-Sectoral Networks
Coordinated Communications and Shared Messaging
Strategic Thinking and Advocacy
USHRF also supports donor education on effective US human rights grantmaking including research and reports. In Summer 2007 the Fund released Voices From the Field: Building Capacity in the Social Justice and Human Rights Movements in the United States, a strategic field report on the needs of domestic civil and human rights organizations.
Where We Work
The U.S. Human Rights Fund currently funds organizations in 15 states and the District of Columbia. For more information about our individual grantees, please see our Grantees page.
