Oak Foundation: Grant making for International Human Rights

The Oak Foundation commits its resources to address issues of global social and environmental concern, particularly those that have a major impact on the lives of the disadvantaged.

The Oak Foundation helps in protecting the fundamental rights of the individual, supporting those who champion that struggle, and ensuring that perpetrators of gross abuses are held to account.

Focus Areas

Child Abuse
Environment
Housing and Homelessness
International Human Rights
Issues Affecting Women
Learning Differences

Objectives of Human Rights programme

End impunity for gross violations of human rights by upholding victims’ rights to truth, justice and redress, and by preserving public memory to prevent the recurrence of abuses;
Uphold fundamental guarantees in international law prohibiting arbitrary detention and torture and assuring due process guarantees;
Protect human rights defenders at risk and strengthen their capacity to be effective; and
Multiply and amplify influential voices, especially from the Global South, on IHRP global priorities.

Main Funding Principles

Target root causes of problems
Are replicable either within a sector or across geographical locations
Include plans for long-term sustainability
Have secured co-funding
Strive to collaborate with like-minded organisations
Value the participation of people (including children) and communities
Funding Restrictions

Application process

The Foundation accepts unsolicited requests through letters of enquiry.
Oak Foundation has a continuous approval process so letters of enquiry may be submitted at any time.
Before submitting a letter of enquiry, please follow these steps:
1. Step 1: Review Oak Foundation’s Grant-making Criteria
2. Step 2: Read Programme Requirements
3. Step 3: Submit a Letter of Enquiry with Concept Note
To expedite the process, please ensure that the concept note includes the following information:
1. A summary of the goals and budget of your organization.
2. A description of the duration, goals and activities of the project for which you seek funding.
3. Location of the project and description of the target population.
4. Amount of the grant requested and total cost of the project.
5. Actual or potential co-funders.
All letters of enquiry should be sent to the appropriate Oak Foundation programme.
After approval of a project concept through a letter of enquiry, programme staff will invite an organization to submit a full proposal.