Open Technology Fund

Quick Stats

Annual Budget: $43.5 million (FY2024)
Success Rate: Highly competitive (3,500+ applications reviewed since 2012 for $450M total requested)
Decision Time: 6-8 weeks for Internet Freedom Fund concept notes; 5 days for Rapid Response Fund
Grant Range: $1 - $900,000
Geographic Focus: Global (excluding countries under U.S. OFAC sanctions)

Contact Details

Address: 1015 7th St NW #300, Washington, DC 20001-5867 Phone: 202-983-0471 Website: https://www.opentech.fund/ Application Portal: https://apply.opentech.fund/

Overview

The Open Technology Fund (OTF) was established in 2012 and became an independent nonprofit corporation in November 2019 as a grantee of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). With an annual budget of $43.5 million (FY2024), OTF's mission is to "support open technologies and communities that increase free expression, circumvent censorship, and obstruct repressive surveillance as a way to promote human rights and open societies." OTF is sustained by annual grants from USAGM, which originate from yearly U.S. Congressional appropriations. The organization has funded high-profile digital privacy and security technologies including The Tor Project (over $3 million), Signal ($3 million to Open Whisper Systems since 2012), F-Droid, and Mailvelope. Since 2012, OTF has reviewed over 3,500 funding requests totaling nearly $450 million, making the application process increasingly competitive.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Internet Freedom Fund (Primary program)

Amount: $10,000 - $900,000 (up to 24 months)
Ideal Range: $50,000 - $200,000 (6-12 months)
Application Method: Rolling basis, two-stage process (concept note then full proposal)
Description: Supports innovative global internet freedom projects focused on technology development, applied research, digital security projects, and community events
Priorities: Projects from first-time applicants, underrepresented groups, and efforts under $300,000 for less than 12 months

Rapid Response Fund

Amount: $1 - $50,000 (up to 6 months, larger amounts considered)
Application Method: Rolling basis, reviewed within 48 hours
Decision Time: Within 5 days
Description: Provides emergency support to independent media outlets, journalists, and human rights defenders facing digital attacks, helping them stay safe in repressive environments, regain online access, mitigate future attacks, and combat sudden censorship events

Surge and Sustain Fund (Technology at Scale)

Payment Model: Performance-based, approximately $0.07 per user per month (under $1/user/year)
Amount: Funded with $17.7 million from U.S. State Department bureaus
Description: Supports large-scale circumvention technology solutions providing uncensored internet access to tens of millions in information-restricted environments
Decision Time: 6-8 weeks for concept notes

Additional Programs:

Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) Sustainability Fund
Information Controls Fellowship Program

Priority Areas

OTF evaluates applications based on five key questions:

Does the proposal fit within our remit?
What is the real-world applicability?
Is it cost effective?
Will the project endure beyond the life of OTF's support?
Is the proposed project complementary to existing efforts?

Preferred Project Types:

Technology development from prototype to deployment phase, plus core infrastructure projects
Applied research identifying where and how censorship occurs, methods to counteract it, and advancing knowledge around targeted content
Digital security projects
Community events and convenings to identify needs, share resources, and gain insights about censorship and surveillance issues
Open-source tools freely available to download and use
Projects with collaborative partnerships within the internet freedom community
Projects with potential for immediate impact and long-term sustainability
Efforts that make intellectual property publicly available via open licensing and open source code

What They Don't Fund

Explicitly Ineligible Areas:

Internet connectivity or basic connectivity (except in limited cases around politically instigated internet shutdowns)
Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D)
Legal analysis or policy advocacy
Standalone costs not directly associated with completion of contractually stated objectives
Projects duplicating efforts supported by other U.S. government funding programs
Applicants within countries under U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) trade restrictions or export sanctions
Projects supporting members, affiliates, or representatives of designated terrorist organizations
Overhead costs greater than 10% of overall project cost

Financial Restrictions:

Applications requesting more than $900,000 or less than $10,000 are deemed technically ineligible

Governance and Leadership

Board

Board Chair: Zack Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and Co-Director of the Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund
Board Members: Pablo Chavez; Michael W. Kempner (Founder, President, and CEO of MWW public relations firm)

Executive Leadership

President: Laura Cunningham - Responsible for OTF's strategic development, long-term planning, and day-to-day operations. She has over a decade of experience working on internet freedom across donor, nonprofit, and government organizations. Prior to OTF, she served as Senior Advisor for Internet Freedom in the U.S. State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and before that was Program Manager of ICT Policy and Programs at Internews. She holds an M.A. in comparative politics and a B.A. in political science with a minor in computer science from Stanford University.

Advisory Council

The Advisory Council provides strategic guidance and evaluates prospective projects through technical peer-like review. Members include:

Amanda Casari (engineer and researcher)
Fieke Jansen (postdoc researcher at the Data Justice Lab, Cardiff University)
Cheekay Cinco (strategic technology activist since 1998)
David Huerta (senior digital security trainer at Freedom of the Press Foundation)
Rodrigue Hajjar (VP of Engineering at Cohere)
Additional subject matter experts in internet freedom and related fields

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Internet Freedom Fund (primary application pathway):

Stage 1: Concept Note

Submit through OTF's online application system at https://apply.opentech.fund/
Short form describing your project idea
Reviewed monthly at the start of each month by OTF staff for initial alignment with mission priorities
Applications accepted on rolling basis
Timeline: Receive determination notice within 6-8 weeks of submission

Stage 2: Full Proposal (by invitation only)

Highly competitive concept notes receive invitations to submit full proposals
Expand upon project idea with detailed budgets and timelines
Evaluated by OTF's Advisory Council for technical peer-like review assessing feasibility, novelty, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and complementarity with existing efforts

Resources:

OTF Applicant Guidebook available at https://docs.opentech.fund/otf-application-guidebook
Provides comprehensive application guidance

Rapid Response Fund:

Submit concept note through online system
Reviews assigned and conducted within 48 hours
Decision typically within 5 days of application submission

Payment Structure:

Funding dispersed upon completion of stated objectives, activities, and deliverables per schedule outlined in contract
All payments made in U.S. dollars
Successful applicants paired with OTF program manager who oversees project monitoring and evaluation

Decision Timeline

Internet Freedom Fund: 6-8 weeks from concept note submission
Rapid Response Fund: Within 5 days (reviews begin within 48 hours)
Technology at Scale Fund: 6-8 weeks from concept note submission

Success Rates

The application process is highly competitive. Since 2012, OTF has reviewed and responded to over 3,500 requests for support totaling nearly $450 million. With an annual budget of approximately $43.5 million, the acceptance rate is limited. According to OTF, they are "forced to turn down dozens of concept notes, often simply because they fall outside of our remit in some way."

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policies for unsuccessful applicants were not found in available documentation. Applicants should consult the OTF Applicant Guidebook or contact OTF directly for information about resubmission policies.

Application Success Factors

Eligibility Requirements

Who Can Apply:

Individuals or organizations (for-profit or nonprofit) of all ages, irrespective of nationality, creed, or sex
U.S.-based NGOs and foreign NGOs
Non-profit universities or research institutions in any country
For-profit organizations or businesses in any country
Consortia of multiple people or organizations

Language: English is the language of record for all applications. Those submitted in other languages may not be reviewed as competitively as those submitted in English.

Priority Characteristics

OTF prioritizes projects that:

Come from individuals/organizations new to the internet freedom community
Request less than $300,000 for efforts under 12 months duration
Come from first-time applicants to OTF
Come from applicants who identify as under-represented within the field
Address areas that are underfunded

What Makes Applications Stand Out

Strong Alignment with Mission:

Projects must solve an existing problem or preempt a rising problem
Must have clear real-world applicability
Must demonstrate how they support internet freedom, counter censorship, or obstruct repressive surveillance

Cost Effectiveness: Applications are evaluated on cost-effectiveness. Proposed budgets should be justified and reasonable for the scope of work.

Sustainability Beyond OTF Support: Projects should demonstrate plans for continuation after OTF funding ends. OTF values long-term sustainability.

Complementary to Existing Efforts: Projects should not duplicate existing work but should complement and strengthen the internet freedom ecosystem.

Open Source Commitment: OTF places high priority on funding tools that are open-source and freely available to download and use, ensuring low barrier to user adoption.

Collaborative Approach: 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.

Demonstrated Capacity: OTF considers past performance of prior recipients and demonstrated potential of new applicants. Proposed personnel and institutional resources should be adequate and appropriate to achieve project objectives.

Common Rejection Reasons

Out of Scope:

Projects focused on basic internet connectivity (except political shutdowns)
ICT4D initiatives
Legal analysis or policy advocacy work
Projects duplicating other U.S. government-funded efforts

Budget Issues:

Requests over $900,000 or under $10,000
Overhead costs exceeding 10% of total project cost
Standalone costs not directly tied to deliverables

Ineligible Applicants:

Organizations in countries under U.S. OFAC sanctions
Any affiliation with designated terrorist organizations

Limited Resources: With a specific remit and limited budget, OTF cannot support all applications even when they have merit. Many viable projects are declined because they fall outside OTF's specific focus areas.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

Apply early and be patient: Rolling applications are reviewed monthly for the Internet Freedom Fund; expect 6-8 weeks for a decision
Open source is essential: Projects must commit to open licensing and making intellectual property publicly available
Stay focused on internet freedom: Ensure your project directly addresses censorship circumvention, surveillance resistance, or secure communications—not general connectivity or ICT4D
Budget wisely: Keep overhead under 10%, request between $50,000-$200,000 for 6-12 months for ideal competitiveness, and ensure all costs directly support deliverables
Demonstrate sustainability: Show how your project will continue after OTF funding ends and avoid duplicating existing efforts
Build partnerships: Collaborative projects within the internet freedom community are highly valued
English required: Submit applications in English for competitive review
Review the evaluation criteria: Your proposal should clearly address all five evaluation questions, particularly real-world applicability, cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and complementarity

References

Accessed: December 2024