Skip to content
Logo

Security grants

Among international organisations there are a number that provide rapid-response grants to individuals and organisations facing security challenges. These are listed below. Remember that the following organisations are just examples of organisations working to support human rights defenders’ security—it is important to check beforehand with each organisation whether updated information has been released on their current programmes and criteria for support of human rights defenders, as this information may change over time.

American Jewish World Service

Emergency support to existing partners in 36 countries in Africa, the Americas and Asia.

Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice

Astraea funds lesbian- and trans-led organisations and cultural media projects that directly address the depth and complexities of lesbian and trans issues. In addition, it supports lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) organisations, women’s organisations, and progressive organisations that have lesbians and trans people in leadership roles and in which lesbian and trans issues form an integral part of the work. Through the Emergency Fund for US and International Regions, Astraea provides rapid-response emergency grants to organisations confronting an unforeseeable organising opportunity or immediate political emergency

The Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (FEMDH)

Financial support is given to human rights defenders in difficult situation or under threat, with the specific objective of allowing them to continue their activities. In addition, it focuses on small structures and groups in order to reinforce their capacities to implement innovative actions in the region. The project applies to defenders who act on the human rights situations in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia and the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS).

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders,

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme created in 1997 by the FIDH and the OMCT, has the following objectives:

  1. To provide emergency protection to human rights defenders in the field (dissemination of urgent interventions, international fact-finding, solidarity or judicial observation or defence missions, material assistance to defenders).
  2. To cooperate with national, regional and international mechanisms, whether existing or to be created (submissions of information to those mechanisms and participation of human rights defenders in regional and international conferences).
  3. To mobilise public opinion, the international community and the media as protection agents for defenders (through press releases, annual reports, missions reports, urgent video appeals and video reporting).

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)

Front Line: International Foundation for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders

Grants to human rights defenders facing security challenges. Other types of support include: identification cards to fellowships, lobbying, training and a 24-hour hotline: +353 12100489

Fund for Global Human Rights (FGHR)

The FGHR is primarily a longer-term human rights grant-maker, but will consider supporting emergency situations on a case-by-case basis—it complements and works closely with other emergency donors on this list.

Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights (UAF) (also UAF–Africa and UAF–Latin America)

Urgent Action Fund, as part of women’s rights movements worldwide, supports human rights defenders working to create cultures of justice, equality and peace. We provide Rapid Response Grants (RRGs) that enable strategic interventions in three categories:  Situations of armed conflict, escalating violence or politically volatile  environments; Precedent-setting legal or legislative action; Protection and security of threatened women’s and LGBTIQ human rights defenders.

Grant requests are accepted 365 days per year, in any language and in any format.  Each request receives a response within 72 hours and funds can usually be wired within a week. While our sister funds UAF – Africa and UAF – Latin America manage RRG requests from the African continent and Spanish-speaking Latin America and the Caribbean respectively, UAF supports activists throughout the rest of the world.

Reporters without Borders

Rapid responses to the protection and assistance needs of journalists and bloggers who have been arrested or threatened, families of murdered journalists, and members of local media in difficulty.

Rory Peck Trust

Direct financial support to freelance news gatherers—cameramen and women, journalists, fixers, drivers and translators—and their families, who are in crisis. This may be because of death, injury, imprisonment, kidnapping or because the freelancer is in hiding or exile as a result of their work.

Offers safe places

There is a limited number of organizations that offer support in the form of safe spaces. Of particular note are:

  • The International Women’s Partnership for Peace and Justice in Thailand, which runs workshops, retreats and training courses for activists that centre on the integration of feminism, social action and spirituality to achieve sustainability and transformation at the personal, community and society level. See http://www.womenforpeaceandjustice.org/
  • FreeDimensional, which establishes ‘Creative Safe Havens for Activists in Distress’ at community art spaces around the world that offer residencies to activists. See http://freedimensional.ning.com/page/programs-1