Each month, OTF sends an announcement of upcoming funding deadlines relevant to Internet freedom to our OTF-announce mailing list. The announcement includes funding opportunities from both OTF and alternative funding sources. Below you can find the February 2019 edition.
If you’d like to receive this announcement directly in your inbox, you can sign up for our low traffic OTF-announce mailing list here. In addition, you can find our compiled list of alternative funding sources here. The opportunities listed below are only for those with approaching deadlines, while a number of funders accept applications on a rolling basis.
OTF Funding
OTF – Information Controls Fellowship Program
Deadline: February 24, 2019
The Information Controls Fellowship Program (ICFP) cultivates research, outputs, and creative collaboration on topics related to repressive Internet censorship and surveillance. Fellows embed with a host organization of their choice for the duration of their fellowship, which may last three, six, nine, or 12 months in duration. ICFP fellows receive a monthly stipend of $4,200 and a travel stipend of $1,250 to $5,000 depending on the fellowship length.
More information: https://www.opentech.fund/funds/icfp/
OTF – Internet Freedom Fund
Next deadline: March 1, 2019
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. Successful applicants are awarded monetary support up to $900,000 and no less than $10,000, with preference given to projects and people who are new to the Internet freedom community, directly serving those living within repressive environments, and are requesting less than $300,000 for a duration of 12 months or less.
Apply: https://www.opentech.fund/requests/internet-freedom-fund
OTF – Core Infrastructure Fund
Next deadline: March 1, 2019
The Core Infrastructure Fund supports the development, improvement, and increased adoption of foundational ‘building block’ technologies that are relied upon by digital security and circumvention projects. This may include efforts focused on sustaining or improving PGP, SSL, SSH, Tor, OTR, pluggable transports, code libraries, or other technologies, infrastructures, and standards that make up the core building blocks of everyday Internet freedom technologies and which are used by people throughout the world to increase their access, privacy, and security online.
Apply: https://www.opentech.fund/requests/core-infrastructure-fund
OTF – Rapid Response Fund
Deadline: Ongoing
The Rapid Response Fund is part of a broader OTF initiative which aims to facilitate the development of a strong digital emergency response community that can work together to resolve threats in a timely and comprehensive manner. OTF offers both direct financial support as well as technical services from trusted service partners to resolve digital emergencies experienced by high-risk Internet users and organizations, such as bloggers, activists, journalists. and human rights defenders.
Apply: https://www.opentech.fund/requests/rapid-response-fund
OTF – Labs
Deadline: Ongoing
For more specific, one-off support needs and services, check out OTF’s Labs: Localization, Community, Engineering, Usability, Red Team, Learning, and Legal.
Learn more about OTF’s Labs here: https://www.opentech.fund/labs
Alternative Funding
Library Freedom Project – Library Freedom Institute 2019
Deadline: February 15, 2019
Designed for public librarians, this six-month program will allow participants to better prioritize privacy for users through a “combination of readings, webinars, exercises, class discussion, and assignments.” Intended outcomes for participants include learning how to do things like “install, configure, and troubleshoot privacy software like Tor Browser,” increase your library’s digital security, and better “educate and train your community on privacy best practices.” The program consists of a free online course and one in-person weekend session in New York City.
More information: https://libraryfreedomproject.org/lfi/details/
SAGE – Concept Grants Program
Deadline: February 15, 2019
SAGE Publishing is offering funding for “innovative proposals for software solutions that will tackle some of the challenges currently facing social scientists and enable more researchers to engage with computational methods and big data research.” The program funds “early stage software ideas, particularly those that include a plan for sustainability and/or that have future commercial potential within the academic market.” Funding up to $35k is available.
More information: https://ocean.sagepub.com/concept-grants/
State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) – Internet Freedom Annual Program Statement
Deadline: March 11, 2019
The State Department’s Internet Freedom program has issued its annual program statement detailing its desired criteria for applicants interested in submitting a Statement of Interest (SOI). There are four funding themes: 1) “Technology: Uncensored and Secure Access to the Global Internet,” 2) “Digital Safety,” 3) “Policy and Advocacy,” and 4) “Applied Research,” with preference given to open source technologies and projects that include a long-term sustainability model, feature collaborative partnerships, and which benefit at-risk and marginalized populations. In order to remain eligible, SOIs should not request “less than $500,000” or “more than $3,000,000.” Organizations may submit up to two SOIs per deadline.
More information: https://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/288385.htm
State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) – Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Secure and Sustainable Human Rights Documentation Solutions
Deadline: March 11, 2019
The State Department’s DRL bureau is soliciting applications for “projects that support the research, development, and implementation of secure human rights (HR) documentation solutions…DRL is seeking proposals for multi-year research, development, and training programs for human rights documentation technologies that can be utilized in a variety of contexts around the world.” Proposed efforts should include “needs assessment research,” “solution development and deployment,” and “training and U/X feedback research.” Preference is given to open source technologies and projects that include a long-term sustainability model, feature collaborative partnerships, and which benefit at-risk and marginalized populations. “DRL anticipates having approximately $1,000,000 of FY 2018 funds available to support approximately one successful application” as a result of this solicitation.
More information: https://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/288386.htm
Facebook – Content Policy Research on Social Media Platforms request for proposals
Deadline: March 15, 2019
Facebook is seeking proposals for projects “designed to examine online content and ways to reduce harmful content.” Awardees are eligible for $50K – $100K USD each for efforts up to 12 months in duration. Specific areas of focus include “hate speech and harmful speech” and “preventing offline harm.” Applications are welcome from both “academic and/or research institutions” and individual researchers.
More information: https://research.fb.com/programs/research-awards/proposals/content-policy-research-on-social-media-platforms-request-for-proposals/
State Department Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) – Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Assessing the Human Rights Impact of Emerging Technologies
Deadline: March 29, 2019
The State Department’s DRL bureau is soliciting applications for research analyzing “the impact of emerging technologies on human rights.” Per the solicitation, “DRL seeks to support research initiatives that explore and assess the potential human rights impacts, opportunities, and threats of emerging technological innovations globally. DRL invites organizations interested in potential funding to submit proposals outlining program concepts that reflect this goal.” Research should focus on two topics: 1) blockchain and 2) a second topic chosen by the applicant, which may include “IOT; targeted advertising technology; biometrically-enabled smart appliances; emerging financial analysis technology; and social credit systems.” DRL anticipates awarding one $350,000 grant as a result of this solicitation.
More information: https://www.state.gov/j/drl/p/288817.htm
NLNet Foundation – Next Generation Search and Discovery
Deadline: April 1, 2019
NLNet is seeking proposals requesting between €5,000 and €50,000 for projects looking to improve online search and discovery functionality. Specifically, projects should focus on ways “to put powerful new technology in the hands of future generations as building blocks for a fair and democratic society and an open economy that benefits all.” This effort is part of the EU’s Next Generation Initiative (NGI), which seeks to “re-imagine and re-engineer the internet for the third millennium and beyond to shape a value-centric, human and inclusive society for all.”
More information: https://nlnet.nl/discovery/
NLNet Foundation – Privacy & Trust Enhancing Technologies
Deadline: April 1, 2019
NLNet is seeking proposals requesting between €5,000 and €50,000 for projects for Privacy and Trust projects “aimed at providing people with new instruments that allow them more agency – and assist us with fulfilling the human need of keeping some private and confidential context and information private and confidential.” This effort is part of the EU’s Next Generation Initiative (NGI), which seeks to “re-imagine and re-engineer the internet for the third millennium and beyond to shape a value-centric, human and inclusive society for all.”
More information: https://nlnet.nl/PET/
National Science Foundation (NSF) – Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace (SaTC) FY19 Solicitation
Application opens: October 1, 2018
Deadline: September 30, 2019
NSF’s SaTC program “welcomes proposals that address cybersecurity and privacy,” with preference given to “proposals that advance the field of cybersecurity and privacy within a single discipline or interdisciplinary efforts that span multiple disciplines.” NSF estimates that there will be $68 million available for project funding, with 93 awards in total expected. Funding is available for small (up to $500k, up to three years) and medium (from $500,001 to $1.2 million, up to four years) projects across three designations (CORE, Education, and Transition to Practice). Note that per NSF guidelines, applicants must be U.S.-based. This year, NSF is accepting SaTC submissions on a rolling basis over the course of a year, from October 2018 until September 2019. There are a number of other notable changes made from past NSF SaTC solicitations, which can be found in the posting linked to below.
More information: https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2018/nsf18572/nsf18572.htm
Protocol Labs – RFPs and Grants
Deadline: Varies
Protocol Labs is “a research, development, and deployment institution for improving Internet technology” through open source, decentralized tools. Current projects include IPFS, libp2p, and Filecoin. There are currently three active RFPs open; two with rolling application deadlines and one with a deadline of March 13, 2019. Funding up to $200,000 is available for each RFP.
More information: https://github.com/protocol/research-RFPs
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