The following table contains alternate funding sources which support efforts relevant to the fields of Internet freedom, software development, journalism, and human rights, broadly speaking. Sources are organized by general subject matter. We're always seeking to grow this resource and make it as useful and inclusive as possible, so if you know of a funding source that should be on here, please let us know by contacting us at [email protected]
Note: This list is shared for information purposes only. OTF cannot assist with fundraising efforts of individual projects or refer projects to specific funders. Inclusion of a funding entity on this list does not represent an endorsement by OTF.
You can stay up to date on all OTF submission deadlines and open submissions windows for other alternative funders by joining the OTF-announce mailing list, where we send a monthly update on upcoming application deadlines. Click here to join the OTF-announce mailing list.
​Privacy and Security​
​Digital Rights​
​ICT4D​
​Fellowships​
​Research​
​Policy & Advocacy​
​Community​
​Gender & LGBTQ​
​Journalism & Media​
​Capacity Building​
​Region-Specific​
​Middle East​
​Asia-Pacific​
​South and Latin America​
​Africa​
Organization | Fund |
Access Now | |
The Social Science Research Council | ​Rapid-Response Grants on Covid-19 and the Social Sciences​ |
Internet Society Foundation | |
FOSS Responders | ​COVID-19 Emergency Funds​ |
Digital Defenders Partnership | ​Emergency Grants​ |
United Nations (OCHA) | |
Agir Ensemble pour les Droits de l'Homme (AEDH) | ​Emergency Fund​ |
University of York Centre for Applied Human Rights | |
International Media Support | ​Safety Fund​ |
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) | ​Grants for HRDs at Risk​ |
Freedom House | |
​ | |
​ | |
​ | ​LGBTI Assistance Program​ |
Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights | ​Rapid Response Grant​ |
​ | ​RR - Africa​ |
Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF) | ​Urgent Grants​ |
Justice and Peace Netherlands | ​Shelter City​ |
Frontline Defenders | ​Protection Grants​ |
ProtectDefenders.eu | ​Emergency Support​ |
World Organisation Against Torture | ​Emergency HRD Support​ |
Joopea Foundation | ​JAssist​ |
Security Without Borders | ​Security Assistance ​ |
Renewable Freedom Foundation | ​Digital Rights Fund​ |
Defend Defenders | ​East and Horn of Africa​ |
The Guatemala Human Rights Commission (GHRC) |
Organization | Fund |
Free Press Unlimited | ​Reporters Respond​ |
International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) | ​IFJ Safety Fund​ |
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE) | |
International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) | ​IWMF Emergency Fund​ |
La Maison Des Journalistes | ​Assistance​ |
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) | ​Individual Support​ |
​ | |
Rory Peck Trust | ​Assistance Grants​ |
Media Legal Defence Initiative (MLDI) | ​Legal Assistance​ |
Scholars at Risk Network | |
Cara | |
International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN) | ​Writers/Artists at Risk​ |
Institute of International Education |
Organization | Fund |
eQualit.ie | ​Deflect​ |
​Project Shield​ | |
CloudFlare | ​Project Galileo​ |
Amazon | |
Twilio | ​Twilio.org​ |
Organization | Fund |
Department of State | |
ISC Project | |
National Science Foundation (NSF) | |
​ | |
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) |
Organization | Fund |
Mozilla Foundation | |
​ | |
​ | ​MOSS - Mission Partners​ |
​ | ​MOSS - Secure Open Source ​ |
NLNet Foundation | |
​ | ​Internet Hardening Fund​ |
​ | |
​ | ​DNSSEC Fund​ |
Prototype Fund | |
​Research Awards​ | |
Cisco | |
Next Generation Internet (NGI) | ​NGI Open Calls​ |
Core Infrastructure Initiative | ​Grants​ |
Open Source Technology Improvement Fund (OSTIF) | ​Grants​ |
AirVPN | ​Project Support​ |
Library Freedom Project |
Organization | Fund |
Reset | ​reset.tech​ |
Mozilla | ​Grants​ |
Digital Defenders Partnership | |
​ | |
Freedom House | ​Various Programs​ |
Access Now | ​Grants​ |
Sigrid Rausing Trust | ​Grants​ |
Hivos | ​Freedom and Accountability ​ |
Ford Foundation | ​Internet Freedom​ |
Media Democracy Fund | ​Grants​ |
Democracy Council | ​About​ |
American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) | ​Digital Extension Grants​ |
Renewable Freedom Foundation | ​Funding Sources List​ |
Digital Freedom Fund | ​Grants​ |
Organization | Fund |
International Development Research Center (IDRC) | ​Funding​ |
Microsoft | ​Grants​ |
​ | ​Airband Initiative​ |
Association for Progressive Communications (APC) | ​Access​ |
Comcast | ​Innovation Fund​ |
Internet Society | ​Grants & Awards​ |
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) | |
​ | |
OpenCellular | ​OpenCellular Grants​ |
Catholic Relief Services | ​ICT4D​ |
CRDF Global | ​Grants​ |
Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) | ​ICT​ |
USAID Development Innovations | ​Grants​ |
Peace Corps Small Grants Program | ​Grants​ |
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation | ​Global Grand Challenges​ |
​Impact Challenge​ | |
Inveneo | ​Advice​ |
Mercy Corps | ​Grants​ |
SPIDER | ​Grants​ |
International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS) | ​Grants​ |
Wehubit | ​Grants​ |
Comic Relief | ​Tech For Good​ |
GSM Association | ​Connected Society Innovation Fund for Rural Connectivity​ |
Motorola | |
NetHope | ​Devices for Impact​ |
Digital Frontiers | ​Grants​ |
European Commission | |
Microsoft | |
Microsoft | ​AI for Accessibility​ |
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK) | ​Research Grants​ |
Newton Fund | ​Grants​ |
World Wide Web Foundation | ​Web We Want​ |
Nonprofit Technology Network | |
Internet Society | ​Beyond the Net Funding​ |
TechSoup | ​TechSoup Global Network​ |
UNICEF | ​Innovation Fund​ |
Organization | Fund |
Garage 48 | ​About​ |
Mach37 | ​About​ |
iHub | |
Hackers/Founders | |
United For Iran | ​IranCubator​ |
3fs | ​About​ |
National Science Foundation (NSF) | |
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) | |
Global Innovation Fund | ​About​ |
​Google for Startups​ | |
PeaceTech Accelerator | ​About​ |
MIT | |
DevLabs | ​About​ |
Coinbase | ​Coinbase Ventures​ |
Snap, Inc. | ​Yellow​ |
The Thiel Foundation | ​The Thiel Fellowship​ |
Samsung | ​Samsung Next​ |
Comcast NBCUniversal | ​LIFT Labs​ |
Organization | Fund |
The Social Science Research Council | |
National Science Foundation (NSF) | |
​ | |
University of Illinois Fellowship Finder | |
The Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy | |
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation | |
Tinker Foundation Incorporated | ​Field Research Grants​ |
Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) | |
Harvard Library Innovation Lab | ​Summer Fellowship​ |
Berkman Klein Center & MIT Media Lab | ​Assembly​ |
Stanford PACS Digital Civil Society Lab | ​Non-Resident Fellowship​ |
Venture for America (VFA) | ​VFA Fellowship​ |
Azavea | ​Summer of Maps​ |
Organization | Fund |
Ford Foundation/Mozilla | ​Open Web Fellowship​ |
Open Society Foundations | ​Open Society Fellowship​ |
CIPE/NDI/CIMA | |
Shuttleworth Foundation | ​Fellowship​ |
Human Rights Watch | ​Fellowships (pdf)​ |
​Public Policy Fellowship​ | |
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) | ​Fellowships​ |
Echoing Green | ​Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship and Leadership Development Programs​ |
Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society | ​Fellowship Program​ |
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | |
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, Harvard Kennedy School | |
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (RCFP) | ​Legal Fellowships​ |
Eisenhower Fellowships | ​Global Programs​ |
Data & Society | ​Fellows Program​ |
Internet Law & Policy Foundry | ​Fellowships​ |
Voqal | ​Fellowships​ |
Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) | ​EPIC Law Fellowship​ |
International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) | ​Westin Fellows​ |
Free Press | |
Mozilla | ​Fellowships​ |
TechCongress | |
Kairos Fellowship | ​Fellowship​ |
Organization | Fund |
Python Software Foundation (PSF) | ​PSF Grants Program​ |
​Faculty Research Awards​ | |
Mozilla | ​Research Grants​ |
SAGE | ​Concept Grants​ |
Protocol Labs | ​Research Grants​ |
Outreachy | |
Rails Girls | ​Summer of Code​ |
​Summer of Code​ | |
General Assembly | ​Social Impact​ |
Coding it Forward | ​Civic Digital Fellowship​ |
Cybersecurity Tech Accord/UN Office of Disarmament Affairs | ​Apps 4 Digital Peace​ |
Organization | Fund |
Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) | ​Grants​ |
Omidyar Network | ​About​ |
Knight Foundation | ​Technology Innovation​ |
​ | ​Governance, Norms and Values - Research on the Future Internet​ |
The Reva & David Logan Foundation | ​Social Justice, Scholarship, the Arts and Investigative Journalism​ |
Siegel Family Endowment | ​About​ |
Bond | ​Funding Opportunities​ |
Ariadne: European Funders for Social Change and Human Rights | ​About​ |
National Endowment for Democracy (NED) | ​Grants​ |
Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) | |
European Commission | |
Open Society Foundations | ​Information Program​ |
​ | ​Grants​ |
Finland Ministry of Foreign Affairs | ​INGO Support​ |
Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) | ​Grants​ |
Enabel (Belgian Development Agency) | ​Grants​ |
Cisco | ​Cisco Foundation​ |
​ | |
Dropbox | ​Dropbox Foundation​ |
Humanity United | ​Grants​ |
Oak Foundation | |
Open Society Foundations | ​Human Rights Initiative​ |
Overbrook Foundation | ​Human Rights Defenders​ |
Hewlett Foundation | ​About​ |
Fund for Global Human Rights | ​Grants​ |
Human Rights First | ​Human Rights Defenders​ |
Oak Foundation | ​Grants​ |
FIDH | ​Support for Local HRDs ​ |
Protection International | ​About​ |
Human Rights Foundation (HRF) | ​About​ |
European Endowment for Democracy (EED) | ​Grants​ |
UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) | ​Grants​ |
Ashoka | ​Changemakers​ |
Counterpart International | ​Business Opportunities​ |
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation | ​Grants​ |
European Commission, Democracy and Human Rights | ​Calls for Proposals​ |
MIT | ​Solve​ |
Skoll Global Threats Fund | ​About​ |
Human Rights Funders Network | |
The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law |
Organization | Fund |
American Refugee Committee | |
Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice | ​Grants​ |
Coalition of African Lesbians | ​About​ |
Governments of Indonesia and Australia | ​Komnas Perempuan (Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women)​ |
Mediterranean Women's Fund | |
Third Wave Fund | ​Mobilize Power Fund​ |
Women Living Under Muslim Laws | ​About​ |
Women's Rehabilitation Center (Nepal) | ​About​ |
Women Development Advocacy Center (Nepal) | |
Freedom House | |
Womanity Foundation | ​About​ |
Mama Cash | ​Grants​ |
International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF) | ​Emergency Fund​ |
​ | |
​ | |
​ | ​Kim Wall Memorial Fund​ |
GiveOut | |
FRIDA | ​The Young Feminist Fund​ |
Organization | Fund |
MacArthur Foundation | ​Grants​ |
Scripps Howard Foundation | ​Grants​ |
Ethics & Excellence Journalism Foundation | ​Grants​ |
Free Press Unlimited | ​About​ |
Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) | ​About​ |
Open Society Foundations | |
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) | ​About​ |
Rory Peck Trust | |
Social Science Research Council/Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership | |
University of Toronto | |
Moment Magazine | ​Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative (DPIJI)​ |
Mother Jones | |
Open Society Foundation | ​Moving Walls Fellowship​ |
University of Oxford | |
World Press Institute (WPI) | ​WPI Fellowship​ |
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) | |
Dutch Journalism Fund | ​About​ |
International Media Support | ​About​ |
The Walkley Foundation | ​Grants​ |
French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development (CFI) | ​Media Development​ |
UNESCO | ​International Programme for the Development of Communication​ |
Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting | ​Grants​ |
Thomson Foundation | |
Poynter | |
Stanford University | |
DW Akademie | ​Media Development​ |
Journalists for Human Rights | ​About​ |
BBC Media Action | ​About​ |
Organization | Fund |
Creative Commons | |
​ | |
Open Knowledge International | ​About​ |
Internet Freedom Festival (IFF) | |
Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) | |
​ | |
Arcadia Fund | ​Open Access Grants​ |
Linux Foundation | ​CommunityBridge​ |
Software Freedom Conservancy | ​Project Funding​ |
RIPE NCC | ​Community Projects Fund​ |
Organization | Fund |
Arab Human Rights Fund (AHRF) | ​Grants​ |
Euro-Mediterranean Foundation of Support to Human Rights Defenders (EMHRF) | ​Standard grants​ |
Department of State |
Organization | Fund |
Indela (Initiative for digital rights in Latin America) | ​About​ |
Open Society Foundation | ​Latin America Program​ |
Fund for Internet Strengthening in Latin America and the Caribbean | ​FRIDA Funds​ |