Humanity United

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Humanity United?

Humanity United is an independent grant-making organization committed to building a world where modern-day slavery and mass atrocities are no longer possible. Humanity United invests in the power of ideas and individuals, bringing together the best in research, policy, and advocacy to activate local and global solutions to alleviate human suffering on a broad scale. We support efforts that empower affected communities and address the root causes of conflict and modern-day slavery to build lasting peace.

Humanity United was founded with the belief that mass atrocities and slavery are two of the worst ways that humans inflict suffering on one another and that both are unacceptable and preventable. Far from a relic of the past, there are an estimated 27 million enslaved people around the globe - more than at any other time in history. Genocide, which is the most severe form of mass atrocity, accounted for the deaths of an estimated 30 million people in the last 100 years alone. And mass atrocities are not a thing of the past; the massive government-sponsored ethnic cleansing campaigns in Sudan's western region of Darfur continue to this day.

What are Humanity United's strategic investment priorities?

With respect to mass atrocities, Humanity United seeks to alleviate suffering, prevent mass violence, and establish the conditions for long-term peace and stability. Our mass atrocities strategy prioritizes interventions that support rule of law and good governance, that build the capacity of civil society and independent media to ensure citizen voice and transparency of information, and that push for international engagement and intervention when necessary.

Humanity United supports structural interventions that change the underlying dynamics allowing slavery to exist. We believe that a comprehensive approach - improving public policy and strengthening legal infrastructures, raising awareness, and investing in research to advance our understanding of the underlying causes and to uncover innovative solutions - is the best way to eliminate slavery for good.

Does Humanity United have a geographic focus?

Humanity United supports an ambitious global advocacy and awareness-raising agenda to address both modern-day slavery and mass atrocities.

With intentions to expand our geographic focus over time, we are currently focused on preventing and ending mass atrocities in two regions in Africa: the Manu River region in the west, with an emphasis on post-conflict stabilization efforts in Liberia; and eastern Africa, with the primary focus on the conflicts in Sudan as our focal point for regional stability.

What is Humanity United trying to do?

Today some of the worst kinds of human suffering imaginable are still being perpetrated. At Humanity United we believe that we are at the brink of a critical moment in human history, when the tools exist to eradicate the worst kinds of human injustice. The tide is turning and the unconscionable is no longer inevitable.

By converging the highest levels of visionary thinking in policy, academics, technology, research, economics, and activism, we can change the political climate. By focusing resources to pioneers in the field and in the grassroots, we can better protect victims and raise the global consciousness. By combining conventional and creative solutions, we can ensure that these barbaric acts can never happen again. By partnering with organizations around the globe, we aim to unleash solutions, inspiring the unimagined and activating the will. With unified purpose, pressure, and effort, we are creating the conditions under which mass atrocities and modern-day slavery are no longer possible.

Who is Pam Omidyar?

Pam Omidyar is founder and chair of the Board of Humanity United, which she established in 2005. As Humanity United's guiding visionary, Pam was integral in developing the organization's mission and values and is actively engaged in steering its course as Board Chair. Pam is also the chair and founder of HopeLab, a nonprofit organization that combines rigorous research with innovative solutions to improve the health and quality of young people with chronic illness. Pam also co-founded Omidyar Network with her husband, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm committed to helping people realize their potential.

A mother of three and an enthusiastic new surfer, Pam also serves as a board member of Tufts University's Tisch College of Public Service. She earned a bachelor of science degree in biology from Tufts University and a master's degree in molecular genetics from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

How are Humanity United and Omidyar Network related?

Pam Omidyar founded Humanity United in 2005 as an independent initiative of Omidyar Network. On July 1, 2008, Humanity United incorporated as a separate entity, and now operates as an independent grant-making organization.

How does Humanity United distribute its funds?

Humanity United is structured as a philanthropic, sector-blind institution. We invest in for-profit ventures, non-profit organizations, and public agencies that advance Humanity United's mission. Humanity United is dedicated to deepening the collective awareness of mass atrocities and slavery, helping to build organizational capacity, and broadening the scope and effectiveness of people working to bring an end to these practices. By strengthening the efforts of partners and supporting new initiatives, we seek to focus our support where it will have the most powerful impact.

How do I apply for a grant?

Humanity United advances promising programs and leverages resources exclusively within its two focus areas. Invariably, there are far more valuable projects than Humanity United is able to support, which limits resources to a finite number of specific initiatives. Our investment team actively seeks opportunities that fall into the parameters described above. As a result, we do not accept unsolicited proposals.