Rafto Foundation for Human Rights

What Rafto Foundation for Human Rights does

The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights (Raftostiftelsen for menneskerettigheter) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1987 in Bergen, Norway, in memory of Professor Thorolf Rafto. It promotes human rights through three interconnected program lines: (1) the annual Rafto Prize — awarded to individuals or organizations defending human rights and democracy, accompanied by a USD 20,000 award and diploma, with past laureates including Nobel Peace Prize recipients Shirin Ebadi and José Ramos-Horta; (2) direct support programs for human rights defenders worldwide, including a network of women human rights defenders and grassroots activists in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and North Africa; and (3) free human rights and democracy education delivered directly to schools in Western Norway (Vestlandet), covering topics such as identity and prejudice, democracy, extremism and terrorism, migration, racism, and sustainable societies.

The foundation also operates a Business and Human Rights program with three distinct sub-products: the FUTURE-PROOF collaboration platform co-founded with Bergen Næringsråd to help businesses meet human rights responsibilities in operations and supply chains; the Thorolf Rafto Challenge annual lecture at the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH); and a part-time English-language Master Course in Business and Human Rights (SAMPOL610, 15 credits) launching Autumn 2026 with the University of Bergen and the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB). The Master Course is the foundation's only paid offering at 35,000 NOK tuition plus a 650 NOK semester fee, with capacity for 60 students.

Rafto's underlying technology is a pedagogical platform for democracy and human rights education, supported by an in-house Head of Education with a PhD in history didactics and participation in the Dembra program. The foundation operates from Rafto House (Raftohuset) at Menneskerettighetenes plass 1 in Bergen, part of the Human Rights House Network and co-located with Amnesty International's local offices. Funding comes primarily from Norad institutional grants, the dedicated Rafto Fund (est. 2008), and individual/organizational donations; revenue is not publicly disclosed. With approximately 15-20 staff, the foundation is one of seven National Peace and Human Rights Centers in Norway and serves a global pool of human rights defenders alongside a regional base of Norwegian schools and business partners.

Name

Rafto Foundation for Human Rights

Legal name

Raftostiftelsen for menneskerettigheter

Website

https://rafto.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Rafto Foundation for Human Rights is a Bergen-based non-profit founded in 1987 that promotes human rights globally through the annual Rafto Prize, direct support programs for human rights defenders, and free democracy education for schools in Western Norway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Human rights advocacy
• Democracy education
• Human rights prize
• Business human rights
• Civil society organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Bergen

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Grants: Primary funding from Norwegian government agencies, primarily Norad, for human rights defender support programs and educational initiatives.
2. Donations: Individual and organizational donations to support the foundation's work and Rafto Prize activities.
3. Master Course Tuition: Revenue from the Business and Human Rights Master Course at University of Bergen - 35,000 NOK tuition plus 650 NOK semester fee.
4. Rafto Prize Fund: The Rafto Fund (established 2008) provides funds for the annual Rafto Prize, with board consisting of Tom O. Kleppestø (chairman), Elin Bull Stokke, Siri P. Strandenes and Alexander Cappelen.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rafto Foundation for Human Rights awards the annual Rafto Prize to human rights defenders, provides free democracy and human rights education to schools in Western Norway, supports a global network of human rights defenders, and runs business and human rights programs including a master course and the FUTURE-PROOF collaboration platform. The foundation operates from Rafto House in Bergen, Norway, and is one of seven National Peace and Human Rights Centers in Norway.

Product overview

The Rafto Foundation operates as a non-profit human rights organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs: the annual Raftoprisen (Rafto Prize) as its flagship recognition product for human rights defenders; support programs for human rights defenders worldwide; and education programs for democracy and human rights. Additionally, the Foundation offers business-related programs including the FUTURE-PROOF collaboration platform, Master Course in Business and Human Rights, and Thorolf Rafto Challenge lecture series. All education offerings for schools are provided free of charge.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rafto Prize (Raftoprisen)
• Human Rights Defenders Support Program
• Human Rights and Democracy Education
• Business and Human Rights Program
• FUTURE-PROOF Platform
• Master Course in Business and Human Rights (SAMPOL610)
• Thorolf Rafto Challenge
• School Education Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ human rights defenders awarded the Rafto Prize since 1987

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Egil Rafto House FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1999Owns the Rafto House building. Rafto Foundation staff manage day-to-day administration. Board consists of Jan Ramstad and Dag Astrup Stiegler.
• Bergen Næringsråd (Bergen Business Council)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founder of FUTURE-PROOF platform with Raftostiftelsen. FUTURE-PROOF is a collaboration platform to help businesses fulfill their human rights responsibilities in their own operations and supply chains. Established on initiative from the Resource Group International at Bergen Business Council.
• University of Bergen (UiB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Master Course in Business and Human Rights (SAMPOL610), 15 credits, part-time. Provides venue (digital and hybrid) for the master course with international experts from academia and business.
• Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Master Course in Business and Human Rights, contributing international expertise on business and human rights topics.
• FUTURE-PROOF Working Group Members (Equinor, DOF, DNB, Grieg Star, Bergen Kommune)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking group providing input to platform activities and content development. Partners include major Norwegian companies and Bergen municipality.
• Human Rights House NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRafto House is part of the Human Rights House Network, connecting human rights organizations across regions.
• Norwegian Church AidminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious employer of Executive Director Jostein Hole Kobbeltvedt. Collaboration in human rights advocacy and democracy promotion.
• Dembra ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on democracy education in schools in Western Norway. Rafto Foundation participates in Dembra project leadership and coordination.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Human Rights Watch: Large international human rights organization with global research and advocacy; shares Rafto's human rights advocacy mission but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Amnesty International Norway: Largest Norwegian human rights NGO with broad global advocacy mandate; co-located in Rafto House in Bergen and shares human rights education and defender support missions, making it the closest domestic incumbent peer.
• Norwegian People's Aid (Norsk Folkehjelp): Larger Norwegian solidarity and humanitarian organization with human rights programming, supported by Norwegian government funding; comparable funder mix and Norwegian non-profit profile, though broader mandate.
• Save the Children Norway: Major Norwegian humanitarian and child rights organization; shares human rights advocacy mission, Norwegian donor base, and Norad-style institutional funding model, though with a narrower child-rights focus.

Direct peers

• Norwegian Helsinki Committee: Norwegian human rights organization focused on monitoring compliance with OSCE human dimension commitments, supporting dissidents and HRDs in Eastern Europe and Central Asia — directly comparable mission, size, and donor base to Rafto.
• Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB): International think tank working on business and human rights — Rafto's academic partner in the Master Course and directly comparable to the BHR program and FUTURE-PROOF offering.
• Front Line Defenders: International NGO dedicated to the protection of human rights defenders, providing grants, security support and advocacy — directly comparable to Rafto's HRD support program and laureate network.
• Martin Ennals Award (Human Rights Defenders): Award for human rights defenders awarded by a coalition of major NGOs; directly comparable annual prize format to the Rafto Prize, with shared mission of recognizing HRDs.
• Norwegian PEN (Norsk PEN): Norwegian writers' organization focused on freedom of expression and persecuted writers — directly comparable in supporting individual human rights defenders and operating a Norwegian advocacy profile.
• Dignity (formerly Norwegian Centre for Human Rights): Norwegian human rights organization working on economic and social rights, with related programming on corporate accountability and education; comparable scale, Norwegian base, and human rights education focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RaftoFoundation
• Facebookfacebook.com/RaftoFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/raftofoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/raftostiftelsen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Rafto Foundation for Human Rights