$10,000 to $900,000 for open-source internet freedom tools
A fund supporting open-source technology that helps people in repressive environments access information and communicate safely.
Use when
You build open-source tools around censorship circumvention, anti-surveillance, secure communication or access to suppressed information.
Skip when
Your product is general-purpose software with no internet-freedom framing - thematic fit, not eligibility, is what rejects applications here.
Status (8 Sep 2026): rolling, apply any time. Award: US$10,000 to US$900,000, with a typical ceiling around US$300,000; OTF says ideal requests are US$50,000 to US$200,000 over 6 to 12 months. Individuals and organisations of any nationality and any for-profit or non-profit status may apply, excluding US-sanctioned countries, and OTF gives preference to first-time applicants from the Global South. Note OTF depends on annual US congressional appropriations, which have been contested - treat timelines as uncertain.
Alternatives
Equity-free acceleration plus up to $500,000 follow-on in Morocco
Kigali's venture studio and early-stage investor
Mini-MBA and seed prizes for Cameroonian women entrepreneurs
