Country Programs

» List of Grants, 2008

The human rights situation in the Philippines has worsened dramatically in the past few years. Political killings and abductions of members of opposition political parties, human rights activists, trade unionists, indigenous leaders, land rights activists, journalists and outspoken religious leaders, began in earnest in 2001 and intensified in 2006. Critics of the government are often labeled “enemies of the state,” and torture is chillingly commonplace.

The Fund supports dynamic human rights groups working on critical human rights issues, including documenting torture, forced disappearances, and extra-judicial killings and arbitrary detentions; pursuing impact litigation for victims of human rights abuses, and challenging violations of the rights to land and livelihood.  The Fund also seeks to identify and support efforts to stop gender-based violence, as well as to protect and promote the rights of particularly vulnerable populations, including migrants, the poor, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender people, and indigenous communities. 

The Fund aims to provide sustaining support for human rights organizations.  To that end, we maintain a long-term focus on specific countries and regions where we believe strategic grant-making can make a difference in advancing human rights protections over time.  The Fund has had a grants program in the Philippines since 2008.