DRL Internet Freedom Annual Program

• Eligibility Criteria
  To be eligible for the Internet Freedom Annual Program:
  – Organisations submitting SOIs must be a U.S.- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organisation (NGO), or a public international organisation; or;
  – Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education; or;
  – Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partner and NGOs;
  – Technology programs must be based on existing and proven open-source technologies, which have matured to the point where they can be responsibly used in relevant repressive, fragile, or conflict affected environments and with identified at-risk, marginalised, or vulnerable populations;
  – Serve a clear human rights use case in their application;
  – Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar programs. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organisations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards.
• Type of Funding: Programmatic
• Target Region: Global
• Application Language: English

The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Proposals from interested organisations for programs that support Internet Freedom.

Goals

• Anticipate and prevent digital repression online.
• Lessen the impact of digital repression online when it occurs.
• Provide support and remedy for those who suffer from digital repression online.
• Ensure accountability for those who enact and enable digital repression online

Themes

• Funding Theme 1: Directly Circumvent or Defeat Internet Censorship (Technology)
  Goal(s): Develop, improve, and implement technologies to support uncensored and secure access to the global Internet.
• Funding Theme 2: Prevent and Remedy Online Attacks (Digital Security)
  Goal(s): Conduct programs that enable at-risk, vulnerable, and marginalised populations, or those who protect them, to prepare for, prevent, identify, investigate, and/or obtain remedy for repressive digital attacks; or other types of repression (including online surveillance and censorship) designed to prevent these populations from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms online.
• Funding Theme 3: Advocate Against Repressive Internet Laws, Policies, and Regulations (Advocacy)
  Goal(s): Conducting or enabling policy advocacy to counter laws, judicial actions, regulations, standards, company policies, and protocols that restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms online; enabling the goals of the Digital Safety or Technology funding themes; and/or otherwise promote and expand Internet freedom.
• Funding Theme 4: Research and Document Key Threats to Internet Freedom (Research)
  Goal(s): Research efforts to inform and benefit Internet freedom globally as outlined in the Goal(s) of the above Funding Themes, or to otherwise better understand and counter threats to Internet freedom.

Funding Information

• Award Ceiling: $3,000,000
• Award Floor:   $500,000

See here to learn more and apply.

Access the Fundraising Guide for expert advice on how to improve your fundraising applications and to identify prospective donors.