The John Merck Fund - Human Rights Grants 2007

Latin America's move from authoritarian to democratic rule over the past two decades clearly has improved the outlook for human rights in the region. Whether personal freedoms become an enduring part of the Latin American landscape, however, remains very much in doubt. In some countries, political violence continues. In others, elected governments have displayed troubling authoritarian tendencies. In still others, undeniable human rights gains on the ground have yet to engender much-needed legislative and judicial reforms.

To assist individuals and groups working on these critical issues, The John Merck Fund concentrates its International Human Rights Program on the defense and promotion of human rights in Latin America. Approximately 70 percent of the program's budget goes to human rights organizations based in six countries in the region: Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The remaining 30 percent of program resources supports activities of key US human rights organizations. The Fund also makes selective emergency grants to ensure the safety of threatened foreign activists working with U.S.-based human rights organizations.

The Fund has established three broad categories for its human rights grant-making in Latin America:

In each of the six countries, The Fund assists one or two leading organizations with relatively large grants. It also supports selected projects of US-based groups that focus on Latin America.

2007 Grants

Grants in or Related to Latin America

Asociacion Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia	$50,000
To redress the human rights violations faced by Argentina's urban poor.
Asociacion Pro Derechos Humanos	$90,000
To ensure access to justice and reparation for victims of human rights violations in Peru.
Asociacion por los Derechos Civiles	$50,000
To reverse discrimination in constitutionally mandated access to public education in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Tucumán, Argentina.
Center for Justice and International Law	$100,000
To promote and defend human rights in Latin America using legal mechanisms.
Center for the Study of Law, Justice and Society	$85,000
To promote human rights and the rule of law in Colombia using research, analysis, advocacy, training and dissemination.
Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales	$90,000
To promote and protect human rights in Argentina using litigation and advocacy.
Columbia University Center for the Study of Human Rights	$40,000
To enable Mexican human rights advocates to participate in a skills-building program and related internships.
Comision Colombiana de Juristas	$90,000
To promote and defend human rights in Colombia using legal mechanisms.
Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos	$50,000
To promote human rights in Peru through litigation, training, documentation and education.
Due Process of Law Foundation	$45,000
To build capacity within small and remote human rights organizations in Chiapas, Mexico.
Equipo Argentino de Antropologia Forense	$75,000
To use forensic science techniques to promote human rights in Latin America, and to train scientists to conduct forensic human rights investigations.
Equipo Colombiano de Trabajo Forense y Asistencia Psicosocial	$50,000
To investigate human rights violations in Colombia using forensic science techniques and provide psychological services to victims' family members.
Global Justice Center	$40,000
To provide legal expertise to human rights organizations in Colombia working to insure the Peace and Justice Law complies with international laws requiring gender equity in judicial proceedings and the right to redress for gender crimes.
Global Rights	$75,000
To combat racial discrimination and promote human rights for African descendants in Latin America.
Memoria Abierta	$40,000
To educate Argentineans about the human rights violations of the last military dictatorship by producing and disseminating material in several media.
Mental Disability Rights International	$50,000
To protect the rights of people with mental disabilities in Argentina.
National Security Archive Fund	$25,000
To assist Latin American human rights organizations in accessing documents relating to human rights violations using freedom of information mechanisms.
Programa Venezolano de Educacion-Accion en Derechos Humanos	$83,500
To promote human rights in Venezuela through investigation, documentation and education.
Tlachinollan Centro de Derechos Humanos de la Montana	$50,000
To defend and promote the human rights of indigenous people in Guerrero, Mexico.
Universidad de Chile Centro de Derechos Humanos	$90,000
To strengthen human rights and democracy in Latin America by providing training and practical skills to nongovernmental, governmental, and inter-governmental professionals who are in a position to influence that process.
Universidad Diego Portales	$40,000
To publish, disseminate and publicize the sixth annual report on human rights in Chile.
Washington Office on Latin America	$75,000
To promote human rights and democracy in Latin America, with a particular emphasis on improving US policy in the region.

Core Grantees

Human Rights First	$150,000
To promote human rights around the world, emphasizing US civil liberties, refugee protection, international justice, anti-discrimination and protection of human rights defenders.
Human Rights Watch	$100,000
To expose and curb human rights violations in Latin America and the United States.
Physicians for Human Rights	$150,000
To promote health by protecting human rights around the world.

Protecting Threatened Activists

Human Rights Watch	$25,000
To assist threatened human rights activists around the world.

Grants in or Related to Latin America

$50,000

$90,000

$50,000

$100,000

$85,000

$90,000

$40,000

$90,000

$50,000

$45,000

$75,000

Equipo Colombiano de Trabajo Forense y Asistencia Psicosocial

$50,000

$40,000

$75,000

$40,000

$50,000

$25,000

$83,500

$50,000

$90,000

$40,000

$75,000

Core Grantees

$150,000

$100,000

$150,000

Protecting Threatened Activists

$25,000