What Humanity United does

Humanity United is a philanthropic organization founded by The Omidyar Group in 2007 that operates as a grantmaker and movement builder rather than a commercial enterprise. The organization focuses on transforming harmful systems into pathways for peace, freedom, and justice across four stated focus areas: Forced Labor & Human Trafficking, Peacebuilding, Public Engagement, and Racial Justice & Equity. It serves civil society organizations, survivor-led initiatives, and research institutions through direct grantmaking, participatory grantmaking processes, and platform amplification of partner perspectives. The organization does not sell products or services, generate commercial revenue, or develop proprietary technology.

The organization's product surface consists of research publications, programmatic support initiatives, and a digital platform. Notable outputs include the Harriet Tubman Fellowship (implemented by the Human Trafficking Legal Center with Humanity United's funding and platform amplification), multi-country shrimp export industry research covering India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, a 10-year retrospective on Thai seafood industry reform commissioned jointly with the Freedom Fund and PolicySolve, the Spotlight on Sudan publication series with the Sudanese American Community Development Organization, and survey research on racism and poverty in the anti-trafficking movement. Recent publications extend into disability inclusion in peace and security through a partnership with the International Disability Research Centre at University College London.

Humanity United is funded by The Omidyar Group and does not have disclosed revenue, pricing, or capital-raising mechanics. Its go-to-market is community-led, centered on cultivating relationships with grantees, peer donors, and movement ecosystems. The organization is currently recruiting a Chief Executive Officer, indicating an active leadership transition. Geographic reach spans the United States, Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia), India, and Sudan, with grantmaking and research engagements across global and domestic civil society.

Name

Humanity United

Legal name

Humanity United

Website

https://humanityunited.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Humanity United is a philanthropic organization founded by The Omidyar Group that distributes grants, commissions research, and partners with civil society organizations across forced labor, peacebuilding, public engagement, and racial justice initiatives globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Voluntary Health Organizations (813212), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Social Justice & Human Rights Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAN), Racial & Ethnic Justice Organizations (BPAGAFAC), Civil Society Strengthening & Civic Space (BPADAGAD)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grantmaking
• Human rights advocacy
• Anti-trafficking research
• Peacebuilding programs
• Social justice funding

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grantmaking Operations: As a philanthropic foundation founded by The Omidyar Group, Humanity United operates through grant distributions to advance their mission of peace, freedom, and justice. The organization does not generate commercial revenue but distributes funds to partners working on forced labor, peacebuilding, racial justice, and public engagement issues.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Humanity United is a philanthropic foundation that makes grants, commissions research, and supports advocacy and movement-building efforts aimed at ending forced labor and human trafficking, advancing peacebuilding, supporting public engagement on human rights, and promoting racial justice and equity. Its core activity is directing funding from The Omidyar Group to nonprofit partners, alongside producing published research and operating named fellowship-style programs such as the Harriet Tubman Fellowship.

Product overview

Humanity United is a philanthropic organization offering a public-facing platform for grantmaking and advocacy. The organization does not operate as a technology product company; instead, it provides access to research publications, fellowship programs, and perspective series focused on human rights issues including forced labor, human trafficking, peacebuilding, racial justice, and disability inclusion. Key offerings include the Harriet Tubman Fellowship for trafficking survivors, shrimp industry research reports covering India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Thai seafood sector, the Spotlight on Sudan publication series, and various surveys and research on racism and poverty in the anti-trafficking movement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forced Labor and Human Trafficking Grantmaking Program Philanthropic funding and programmatic support provided to organizations working to combat forced labor, modern slavery, and human trafficking worldwide. Targeted at nonprofit partners, field practitioners, and advocacy organizations operating anti-trafficking interventions.
• Peacebuilding Grantmaking Program Grant funding and movement-support work aimed at reducing violent conflict and building sustainable peace. Aimed at peacebuilding NGOs, conflict-resolution practitioners, and civil society actors in conflict-affected regions.
• Public Engagement Grantmaking Program Funding for initiatives that mobilize public awareness, media, and civic engagement on human rights and modern slavery issues. Targeted at nonprofits and campaigns seeking to shift public understanding and policy support.
• Racial Justice and Equity Grantmaking Program Grant support for organizations advancing racial justice and equity, with attention to intersections with anti-trafficking and human rights work. Targeted at racial justice nonprofits and equity-focused civil society organizations.
• Harriet Tubman Fellowship A named fellowship program associated with Humanity United's anti-trafficking and racial justice work that supports leaders and organizations advancing human rights and modern abolitionist efforts. Aimed at movement leaders, advocates, and practitioners in the anti-trafficking field.
• Shrimp Export Industry Research Report A commissioned research publication examining labor and trafficking risks in the shrimp export industry, intended to inform anti-trafficking practitioners, policymakers, and supply chain stakeholders.
• Thai Seafood Industry 10-Year Retrospective Study A retrospective research study reviewing a decade of efforts and conditions in the Thai seafood industry related to forced labor and trafficking. Targeted at researchers, advocates, and policymakers working on labor rights in seafood supply chains.
• Spotlight on Sudan Research Series A research series focused on conflict, peacebuilding, and human rights conditions in Sudan, supporting Humanity United's peacebuilding thematic area. Aimed at peacebuilding practitioners, Sudan-focused researchers, and policy audiences.
• Racism and Anti-Trafficking Movement Survey A survey-based research product examining how racism shapes the anti-trafficking movement, supporting Humanity United's racial justice and equity work. Intended for anti-trafficking and racial justice practitioners and researchers.
• Poverty and Human Trafficking Survey A survey examining the relationship between poverty and human trafficking, intended to inform anti-poverty and anti-trafficking interventions by NGOs and policymakers.
• Disability Inclusion in Peace and Security Research A research product examining disability inclusion within peace and security frameworks, supporting Humanity United's peacebuilding and equity agendas. Targeted at peacebuilding and disability rights practitioners and policy audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87 trafficking survivors participated in racism survey; 93% of those who reported racism increased vulnerability identified as People of Color
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Freedom FundcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024Joint commissioning of PolicySolve to conduct a 10-year retrospective study on systemic change in the Thai seafood industry addressing forced labor and human trafficking.
• PolicySolvemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2024Commissioned by Humanity United and The Freedom Fund to conduct a rigorous causal analysis of systemic change in Thailand's seafood industry over a 10-year period (2014-2024).
• Human Trafficking Legal CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2024Human Trafficking Legal Center implements the Harriet Tubman Fellowship investing in survivors of labor trafficking. Humanity United supports this initiative through funding and platform amplification.
• Sudanese American Community Development Organization (SACDO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2023SACDO is a diaspora group based in the greater Washington, D.C. area partnering with Humanity United on the Spotlight on Sudan series, lending their platform to share Sudanese perspectives on the conflict.
• The Sustainability IncubatorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducts primary research worldwide on modern slavery in fisheries and aquaculture. Led regional research synthesis and individual country reports for India, Vietnam, and regional analysis on the shrimp export industry.
• Corporate Accountability LabmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConducted three years of research on the Indian shrimp sector, highlighting forced labor, poor working conditions, environmental harm, and ineffectiveness of social auditing certification schemes.
• Akatiga (Center of Social Analysis)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndonesian center of social analysis that coordinated on-the-ground data collection and contributed to research design for Indonesia shrimp industry study.
• ELSAM (Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJakarta-based Indonesian institute contributing research design, analysis, and market insights to the shrimp industry study in partnership with Akatiga and Migunani.
• Migunani Research InstitutemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYogyakarta-based Indonesian institute that conceived and led the writing for Indonesia shrimp industry research, examining forced labor and human costs.
• Center for Development and Integration (CDI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVietnamese organization that conducted field-based research in Vietnam's shrimp sector from July 2023 through May 2024, including market component and analysis.
• International Disability Research Centre at University College LondonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest authors Elizabeth Murray, Professor Nora Groce, and Professor Maria Kett from UCL's International Disability Research Centre contributed perspectives on disability inclusion in peace and security.
• Rights and Dignity (RAD) Community of PracticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-organization community of practice within The Omidyar Group that Humanity United aligns its Racial Justice & Equity programmatic work with to facilitate learning and power building.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ford Foundation: Ford Foundation is a major global philanthropic foundation funding racial justice, migration, and inclusive economic participation—areas that overlap directly with Humanity United's Racial Justice & Equity and Forced Labor focus areas. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping programmatic priorities.
• Open Society Foundations: Open Society Foundations is one of the largest human-rights philanthropic organizations globally, funding work on migration, racial justice, and democratic governance that overlaps with all four Humanity United focus areas. It is a much larger incumbent operating across a broader portfolio but is comparable as a peer philanthropic foundation addressing similar systemic issues.
• MacArthur Foundation: MacArthur Foundation funds peace and international security, racial and ethnic equity, and human rights—directly overlapping Humanity United's peacebuilding and racial-justice pillars. Comparable as a large, established, broad-based philanthropic incumbent with related grantmaking programs.

Direct peers

• Omidyar Network: Omidyar Network is the sibling impact-investing and philanthropic entity within The Omidyar Group that funds governance, education, and emerging-tech initiatives. It is a direct sibling peer with shared funding source, complementary programmatic portfolio, and direct operational ties via the RAD Community of Practice.
• NoVo Foundation: NoVo Foundation is a private philanthropic foundation focused on social and emotional well-being, gender justice, and Indigenous communities—issues that intersect with Humanity United's peacebuilding and racial-justice portfolios. Directly comparable as a values-aligned, privately endowed human-rights funder of similar scale.
• Tides Foundation: Tides Foundation is a public charity and fiscal sponsor that channels philanthropic dollars to social-justice, human-rights, and movement-building initiatives. Comparable as a peer grantmaking intermediary and movement-supporting foundation serving similar nonprofit and advocacy partners.
• Wellspring Philanthropic Fund: Wellspring Philanthropic Fund is a private foundation supporting international human rights, peace, and economic justice initiatives. Directly comparable to Humanity United in mission, grantmaking approach, and private-foundation structure.
• Freedom Fund: The Freedom Fund is a private philanthropic fund dedicated solely to ending modern slavery, sharing Humanity United's forced-labor focus. It is a direct operational peer: the two organizations have jointly commissioned research (e.g., the PolicySolve Thai seafood retrospective) and fund overlapping survivor-led and worker-power initiatives.

Emerging players

• Human Trafficking Legal Center: Human Trafficking Legal Center is a specialist anti-trafficking nonprofit that implements the Harriet Tubman Fellowship funded by Humanity United. It is an emerging specialist peer serving the survivor-led anti-trafficking space that Humanity United supports and amplifies, with direct funding and programmatic ties.

Regional players

• Open Society Foundations – U.S. Programs: Open Society's U.S. Programs arm concentrates on racial justice, criminal justice reform, and migration in the United States—directly comparable to Humanity United's Public Engagement and Racial Justice & Equity domestic portfolios. Regionally focused within the US but overlaps heavily on grantee ecosystems and grantmaking themes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HumanityUnited
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humanity-united
• Facebookfacebook.com/humanityunited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments7 records

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Frequently asked questions about Humanity United