The Internet Freedom Fund is OTF's primary way to support projects and people working on open and accessible technology-centric projects that promote human rights, internet freedom, open societies, and help advance inclusive and safe access to global communications networks for at-risk users including journalists, human rights defenders, civil society activists, and every-day people living within repressive environments who wish to speak freely online.
DEADLINE: JAN 1, 2018.
Setting the stage
Through the Internet Freedom Fund, OTF strives to uphold and increase capacity for individuals, organizations, and companies who support technology-centered efforts that aim 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.
Ideal Internet Freedom Fund applicants are:
- Open in nature and collaborative;
- From within communities affected by censorship or are co-designing and co-developing with them;
- Promoting a deeper understanding of internet freedom challenges and limitations;
- Solving a currently unaddressed challenge or preempting an emerging one; and/or
- Are actively maintaining technologies demanded and utilized by people on the front lines of the world’s most repressive environments.
Ideal applications for this fund are focused on:
- Creating new open source circumvention technologies that fill a current need of targeted users;
- Improving the security, usability, and adoptability of existing open source internet freedom technologies;
- Providing new or deeper insights into the challenges of front-line communities that ultimately contribute to the improvement of technological solutions;
- Projects that emphasize applied research;
- Research that focuses on real-time monitoring and analysis of both technical and political threats to internet freedom, including network interference and shutdowns;
- New content redistribution methods able to reintroduce content behind firewalls, or similar services;
- Making targeted communities more resilient to digital attacks via customized solutions;
- Creating new open source circumvention technologies that fill a current need of targeted users;
- Next-generation tools that move beyond traditional “cat-and-mouse” circumvention techniques;
Ideal applications adhere to the following:
- Candidates can apply for up to $900,000 and no less than $10,000 for a year long contract. Note, however, that OTF’s target support ceiling is $300,000, with most supported efforts receiving between $50,000 and $200,000. More information on OTF’s previous levels of support can be found in our Annual Reports.
- Preference is given to organizations and individuals without a history of prior support, and who have a deep understanding of the surveillance, censorship and security issues affecting communities from the Global South living in repressive environments.
- Strong priority goes to projects with the potential for immediate impact and long-term sustainability, and that make intellectual property publicly available via open licensing and open source code.
- OTF highly values projects that incorporate collaborative partnerships with other organizations and/or individuals within the internet freedom community or their respective area of focus.
Criteria and the application process
Criteria
Quality of project idea: Applications should exhibit originality, substance, precision, and relevance to the mission of promoting freedoms of expression, assembly, and association online.
Ability to achieve objectives: A relevant work plan should demonstrate substantive undertakings and logistical capacity of the organization. The work plan should adhere to the overview and guidelines described above. Objectives should be ambitious, yet measurable and achievable. After this application, OTF will request a full proposal, where applicants will have to provide a monthly timeline of project activities.
Cost effectiveness: Any overhead and administrative components included in the application should be kept as low as possible. All items should be necessary and appropriate. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged and is viewed favorably by OTF.
Multiplier effect/sustainability: Applications should address how the expected results will contribute to improving internet freedom goals. Applications should address how the effort will be sustained in the long-term.
Applicants’ record and capacity: OTF will consider the past performance of prior recipients and the demonstrated potential of new applicants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve the project’s objectives.
Application Process
Submitting a concept note is always the first step to getting the process started. If your concept note is accepted, you will be invited to submit a full proposal.
For a full rundown of desired project criteria and the application process, head here.
When are requests for applications made?
Internet Freedom Fund concept notes are accepted on a rolling basis, with submission rounds closing every two months. For the next upcoming batch deadline, see the header at the top of this page. Please note that concept notes must be submitted via the OTF website no later than 23:59 (11:59PM) GMT on the deadline date listed at the top of this page in order to be considered for that round.
To stay up to date on this and other OTF funding opportunities,sign up to join the OTF-announce mailing list.
Review panel
All concept notes and proposals are reviewed by the OTF team. Proposals are also reviewed by an independent Advisory Councilcomprised of global experts who are well-known free expression defenders, technologists, academics, and other types of experts who have a deep knowledge of the intersection between human rights and technology. Advisory Council members voluntarily review and provide feedback to the OTF team on all proposals accepted for OTF funding.
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