About Freedom House
Freedom House is founded on the core conviction that freedom flourishes in democratic nations where governments are accountable to their people.
Focus Areas
Democracy supportHuman rights defendersEmergency assistance for at-risk activistsMedia and internet freedomResearch and analysis on political rights and civil libertiesTransnational repressionPolitical prisoners
Who They Fund
civil society organizations / NGOshuman rights defenders and activistscitizens in countries undergoing democratic transition or governance challenges
Funding Style
About Freedom House
Freedom House’s recent grantmaking is dominated by large, repeated awards for human rights, democratic initiatives, and rule of law work, with several recipients funded in consecutive years and at very different scales. The largest grants in the file go to Pact Inc, including $17,001,891 in 2023 and $16,503,050 in 2024, alongside similar multiyear support for Search for Common Ground and the American Bar Association. Those awards sit alongside a second tier of smaller grants to organizations working on civil liberties, legal reform, and advocacy infrastructure. The pattern points to a funder that backs both implementation partners and specialist nonprofits. Internews Network received $8,318,186 in 2025 after prior grants of $5,774,784 in 2024 and $2,859,872 in 2023, while Civicus World Alliance for Citizen Participation appears across multiple years as well. In the recent-grants file, the foundation’s support is not limited to direct advocacy; it also reaches research, legal support, and civil society capacity through groups such as the International Center for Not-for-profit Law, Outright Action International, and the Graduate Center Foundation. The overall picture is of a funder using sizable operating support and program support to sustain democracy and human rights work over time.
What Freedom House Funds
Freedom House backs a mix of democracy support, human rights protection, legal reform, and civic participation. In human rights and democratic governance work, it gave $7,502,882 in 2024 to the American Bar Association and $6,056,038 in 2023 for supporting human rights, democratic initiatives, and/or rule of law. For civil society infrastructure, it awarded $469,044 in 2025 to the International Center for Not-for-profit Law Inc and $357,564 in 2024 to International Center for Not-for-profit Law for the same broad purpose. It also funds civic participation organizations: Civicus World Alliance for Citizen Participation received $397,550 in 2023, $375,000 in 2024, and $237,518 in 2025. On media and internet freedom, Internews Network received $8,318,186 in 2025, following prior awards in 2024 and 2023, showing sustained support for that field.
How Freedom House Gives
Typical grant size is mid-sized but highly uneven: the 25th percentile is $61,647, the median is $267,918, and the 75th percentile is $4,556,678. That spread shows a model that mixes many smaller awards with a much smaller number of very large ones. The recipient list also shows repeat funding across multiple years for several organizations, indicating ongoing relationships rather than one-off gifts. Freedom House is a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are accepted in some active programs, including the Emergency Assistance Program and Security & Resiliency Grants.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$16.3M
Total Assets
$34.2M
Total Revenue
$69.4M
Total Expenses
$71.6M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $62K and $4.6M, with a median of $268K.
25th Percentile
$62K
Median
$268K
75th Percentile
$4.6M
Geographic Reach
National7 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
ANNE BOYAJIAN
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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