Human Rights & Liberties

 

An interest in supporting human and civil rights in the U.S. and around the world dates back to the Foundation’s earliest work.



The Scherman Foundation has supported an exceptional group of anchor institutions that have, throughout the decades, been stalwarts in fielding attacks on human rights and liberties across the country. Through this program area, we have supported efforts to protect refugees and immigrants, combat torture and sexual and gender-based violence, defend persecuted communities, challenge the post-9/11 national security state, end corporate human rights abuses, defend and expand voting rights, end mass incarceration, and address economic justice issues. Grantees have utilized advocacy, litigation, and strategic communications to uphold rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law, and to push the U.S. to leverage its leadership in support of upholding human rights globally.