Open Technology Fund
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Open Technology Fund

A more open internet
A brighter tomorrow

We support technical solutions that ensure secure access to the free and open internet for people facing repressive censorship and surveillance.

Apply for funding See our transparency

Facing a clear, time-sensitive digital emergency? The Rapid Response Fund reviews applications as they arrive.

Technology for a more open world

People
Ideas
Technology
Freedom

A demonstrator in a crowd holds up a phone beside a hand-lettered placard reading A free and open internet for all

Real people
Real change

Connected communities
Stronger together

Get support

Find a funding opportunity

Four funds, three labs and one research program. Filter by what you need and see at a glance which are accepting applications today.

Compare every opportunity in detail
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From ideas
to impact

Open tech
stronger
people

How it works

A two-stage process, open to anyone

Our funds use an open, transparent, and competitive application process. Most start with a short Concept Note; the Rapid Response Fund and the Labs use a single online form.

  1. Read the Applicant Guidebook

    Funding guidelines, platform guidance, the Concept Note and Proposal guides and the evaluation worksheet are all published in one place.

    Open the guidebook

  2. Submit a Concept Note

    Tell us about your project idea through a short form on the online application system. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

    Go to the application system

  3. Invited to submit a Proposal

    Applicants whose Concept Notes are deemed highly competitive are invited to expand on their idea. Expect to hear back within approximately 6 to 8 weeks.

  4. Advisory Council review

    An independent voluntary group of subject-matter experts conducts a final review of competitive Proposals and provides strategic guidance to OTF.

    Meet the Advisory Council

Impact

450+projects supported to date

We have supported pioneering open source internet freedom technologies that counter authoritarian information controls and enhance digital security and privacy.

2+ billion

people worldwide use OTF-supported technologies to safely access the uncensored internet

5,000+

applications for support received and reviewed

200+

countries where OTF supports censorship measurement and monitoring efforts

100+

security audits supported, resulting in over 2,000 security patches

40+

countries receiving rapid response assistance for digital emergencies

450+

projects supported to date

Figures as published on opentech.fund. Detailed metrics are reported each year in the annual report.

New projects

Browse all supported projects

Polymorphic

Automated censorship circumvention toolkit

Deep Packet Resistance with AI-driven Deflect & Ceno

Enhancing Deflect's and Ceno's resilience against censors in highly repressive contexts

Zeroth Cloud

Automated digital threat detection, response, and intelligence sharing

News

Latest from OTF

All news and updates

Transparency

Open about where our funding comes from and what it achieves

Greater transparency
A stronger internet

OTF receives the majority of its funding from the U.S. government via the U.S. Agency for Global Media, and reports on its work to Congress every year. Every annual report since 2012 is public.

Open the report library How OTF is funded

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