Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The Open Technology Fund (OTF) is seeking applications for the Internet Freedom Fund to support projects and people working on open and accessible technology-focused projects that promote human rights, Internet freedom, open societies.
OTF aims to support technologists and activists bring to life ideas that advance inclusive and safe access to global communications networks, counteract censorship and surveillance, and mitigate digital security threats to Internet freedom specifically for at-risk-users, journalists, human rights defenders, civil society activists and others living in repressive environments. OTF prioritizes projects coming from individuals or organizations who are applying for the first time, identify as under-represented within the field, and address areas that are underfunded.
Areas of Interests
- Technology Development
- In this category they support the development of innovative Internet freedom technology, prototypes, and projects as well as core infrastructure projects that serve the Internet freedom and human rights communities. OTF seeks to support technology-focused interventions with clear human-centred benefits for Internet freedom.
- Applications for this fund could include:
- Creating new open source circumvention technologies
- Improving the security, usability, and adaptability of existing open source Internet freedom technologies, as well as maintenance and upgrades
- New content redistribution methods able to reintroduce content behind firewalls, or similar services;
- Next-generation tools that move beyond traditional “cat-and-mouse” circumvention techniques;
- Improving security standards, quality assurance, and best practices within core infrastructure projects;
- Efforts that make existing projects more accessible and easier to contribute to (ex. documentation, tool migration, refactoring code, testing)
- Applied Research
- Applied research efforts supported through the Internet Freedom Fund should be applied – that is, with direct feedback, insight, or applicability to the technology development process. This research may include identifying how, why, or where censorship is happening, studying specific Internet freedom tools and ways to improve them, advancing knowledge around what types of content censors target, or assessing threats to Internet freedom in a specific geographic context.
- Applications for this fund could include:
- Research that focuses on real-time monitoring and analysis of both technical and political threats to Internet freedom, including network interference and shutdowns;
- Research exploring new methods of circumvention that would improve the resiliency of widely utilized tools;
- Efforts that increase the understanding and awareness of relevant actors in this space, their roles, and how they contribute to maintaining the Internet’s core ecosystem
- User research that identifies Internet Freedom needs for people living under repressive surveillance and censorship, how current and future technologies and tools can help address those needs better, and research into how these tools can introduce usability and localization improvements within the context of the afore-mentioned people.
- Digital Security
- OTF supports efforts that meaningfully empower digital security practitioners to do their work. As a technology and community-focused funder, they believe that helping to build up the digital security ecosystem will ultimately help internet users to access and understand the tools and workflows that allow them to securely circumvent censorship and surveillance.
- OTF aims to support the digital security ecosystem by meeting practitioners at various points in their journey. Applications for this fund could include:
- Programs focused on technical upskilling new and existing practitioners, preferably working against a community-driven set of technical priorities
- Research efforts looking to map digital threats that affect internet users and high-risk users living in countries with restrictive information controls
- Programs focused on setting up or growing regional or local digital security help-desks
- Programs focused on sharing threat intelligence information
- Community Convenings
- OTF provides funding that empowers Internet freedom communities to become stronger and vibrant by focusing on cultivating deeper trust relationships, improving knowledge share and collaboration, and supporting and diversifying the next generation of leaders. The efforts they support bring in new voices not well represented in current conversations and help create collaboration and intersectionality.
- Applications for this fund could include:
- Targeted research and development gatherings designed to improve collaboration and knowledge sharing between projects in the areas of privacy, circumvention technology, and digital security;
- Community organized events to identify needs, share resources, and gain new insights about censorship, surveillance and digital security issues.
Funding Information
- Minimum of $10,000 and maximum of $900,000 for a year-long contract. Note, however, that OTF’s target support ceiling is $300,000; most supported efforts receive between $50,000 and $200,000.
Award Details
- OTF awards are performance-based contracts signed directly with the applicant. Payment is issued on completion of stated objectives, activities, and deliverable per a schedule outlined in the contract. OTF reserves the right to award less or more than the funds requested as deemed in the best interest of OTF’s priorities.
- Successful applicants selected by OTF are paired with an OTF program manager who oversees all project monitoring and evaluation for the duration of the awarded contract life-cycle. Monitoring and evaluation assessments are largely based on predetermined and agreed upon metrics, deliverable, and goals as laid out by the applicant in the project proposal work-plan.
What types of efforts does OTF support?
OTF supports research, development, and implementation efforts focused on increasing:
- Access to the internet, including circumvention tools;
- Awareness of access, privacy, or security threats, including research, censorship detection, measurement platforms, and increasing digital security know-how among targeted groups;
- Privacy for at-risk users; and
- Security against threats to internet access and safety.
Common Ineligible Areas of Focus
- Providing Internet Connectivity
- Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D)
- Legal Analysis and Policy Advocacy
For more information, visit Open Technology Fund.