Internet Freedom Fund – Jul 1

Posted by Open Technology Fund on June 16, 2020

OTF Invites Applications to Internet Freedom Fund

An initiative of the Open Technology Fund, the Internet Freedom Fund strives to build the capacity of individuals, organizations, and companies working to advance technology-centered efforts designed to strengthen Internet freedom and promote human rights by circumventing repressive censorship and surveillance, improving related digital security capabilities, and contributing to the overall health of the Internet.

To that end, the fund welcomes applications focused on creating new open source circumvention technologies that fill a current need of target users; improve the security, usability, and adaptability of existing open source Internet freedom technologies; and/or provide new or deeper insight into the challenges of frontline communities that ultimately contribute to the improvement of technological solutions. The fund also supports applied research; research that focuses on real-time monitoring and analysis of both technical and political threats to Internet freedom; new content redistribution methods able to reintroduce content behind firewalls; and next-generation tools that move beyond traditional “cat-and-mouse” circumvention techniques.

Grants ranging between $10,000 and $900,000 will be awarded for a period of up to eighteen months. The fund’s target support ceiling is $300,000, and most grantees will receive between $50,000 and $200,000.

Eligible applicants include individuals of all ages irrespective of nationality, residency, creed, gender, or other factors (except for individuals in countries the United States has imposed trade restrictions or export sanctions on as determined by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control); nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations (including U.S.-based NGOs, PIOs, or foreign NGOs); nonprofit universities or research institutions (in any country); and for-profit organizations or businesses (in any country). Consortia of multiple people or organizations with a single lead are also eligible.

See the Open Technology Fund website for complete program guidelines, eligibility criteria, and application instructions.

Deadline: July 1, 2020

Learn more and apply: https://www.opentech.fund/funds/internet-freedom-fund/