Human Rights Watch Charitable Trust

Human Rights Watch Charitable Trust is a UK-registered charity established to support the mission of Human Rights Watch (HRW), founded in 1978 as Helsinki Watch to monitor human rights compliance and now a global leader in defending rights based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its core mission advances education in human rights through impartial research, teaching, educational materials, public awareness, and advocacy for enforcing domestic and international law. Rooted in values of justice, dignity, compassion, equality, rigorous investigation, and independence—rejecting all government funding—the Trust uniquely channels resources to HRW's evidence-based exposés of abuses, driving systemic policy change and accountability.

It funds HRW's broad thematic priorities, including combating torture, violence against women and children, free expression restrictions, discrimination by race, gender, sexual orientation or disability, criminal justice abuses, civilian protection in conflicts, and rights for marginalized groups. Supported activities encompass global research, reports, public events, lectures, awards, media engagement, and awareness campaigns benefiting victims, educators, activists, policymakers, and civil society worldwide, with a UK focus enabling international impact.

Unsolicited applications are not accepted; funding is invite-only and directed exclusively to HRW's core operational and programmatic costs, with no open eligibility for external entities, income/size rules, or geographic restrictions beyond alignment with HRW's global remit. There are no deadlines, application processes, or published grant rounds—decisions are adhoc by trustees. Typical internal expenditures range from hundreds of thousands to over £1 million annually, excluding project, capital, or capacity-building grants to outsiders.

Distinctively, the Trust avoids service delivery, generalist work, or non-human rights initiatives, prioritizing long-term, flexible advocacy over short-term aid, setting it apart through unwavering HRW alignment, governmental independence, and proven impact on treaties like the Mine Ban Treaty.