Request for Applications: DRL Internet Freedom Annual Program Statement

In support of the U.S. International Strategy for Cyberspace, DRL’s goal is to protect the open, interoperable, secure, and reliable Internet by promoting fundamental freedoms, human rights, and the free flow of information online through integrated support to civil society for technology, digital safety, policy and advocacy, and applied research programs. DRL invites organizations interested in potential funding to submit SOI applications outlining program concepts that reflect this goal.

Funding Themes

• Funding Theme 1: Technology
  • Goal(s): Develop, improve, and implement technologies to support uncensored and secure access to the global Internet and/or to support the goals of other Funding Themes outlined below.
  • Current Problems of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • Advanced surveillance, censorship, filtering, or blocking of websites or online services.
    • Internet shutdowns, degradation of access.
  • To be eligible programs must:
    • Be based on existing and proven open-source technologies, which have matured to the point where they can be responsibly used in relevant repressive, fragile, or conflict-affected environments and with identified at-risk populations, or those experiencing vulnerability, marginalization, or exclusion.
    • Serve a clear human rights use case in their application.
  • To be eligible programs must not:
    • Be a closed-source technology project (published under proprietary licenses prohibiting code reuse or adaptation).
    • Propose the development of conceptual or aspirational technology without an existing user base or clear application for protecting human rights online.
  • Activities that are not typically considered competitive include, but are not limited to:
    • Technology aiming to support uncensored and secure access to the global Internet that does not address specific repressive threats faced by the populations served, and lacking detail describing how the technology will address them.
    • Core or surge server infrastructure and/or bandwidth resources for anti-censorship technology.
• Funding Theme 2: Digital Safety
  • Goal(s): Conduct programs that enable at-risk populations, those experiencing vulnerability, marginalization, or exclusion, or those who protect them, to prepare for, prevent, identify, investigate, and/or obtain remedy for repressive digital attacks; or other types of repression (including online surveillance and censorship) designed to prevent these populations from exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms online.
  • Current Problems of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • The repressive use of spyware, especially when used against civil society, human rights defenders, and/or independent media.
    • Denial of service (DoS) attacks targeting human rights defenders, independent media, and/or civil society, impacting freedom of expression.
  • To be eligible programs must:
    • Have a clear focus on protecting human rights online.
    • Demonstrate a clear understanding of adversarial efforts and a strategy for addressing them.
  • To be eligible programs must not:
    • Recommend or implement technology that cannot be safely and responsibly used in relevant repressive, fragile, or conflict-affected environments and with identified at-risk populations or those experiencing vulnerability, marginalization or exclusion.
    • Conduct generalized “digital literacy” training without clear impact for improved security for beneficiaries.
  • Activities that are not typically considered competitive include, but are not limited to:
    • Projects broadly aimed at countering efforts to restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms that are not clearly focused on the online exercise of those rights or freedoms.
    • Digital security education or capacity-building programs not in response to a) a clearly articulated and real threat; b) a specific recent or predicted upcoming change in threat landscape for the target population; or c) an unserved, at-risk community.
• Funding Theme 3: Policy and Advocacy
  • Goal(s): Conducting or enabling policy advocacy to counter laws, judicial actions, regulations, standards, company policies, and protocols that restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms online; enabling the Goals of the Digital Safety or Technology Funding Themes; and/or otherwise promote and expand Internet freedom.
  • Current Problems of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • Internet shutdowns, including degradation of access.
    • Splintering of the Internet.
  • To be eligible programs must:
    • Clearly identify and articulate a specific Internet freedom policy focus area for advocacy.
    • Demonstrate a clear advocacy strategy, clearly enumerating activities, and setting concrete goals and outcomes for policy change.
  • To be eligible programs must not:
    • Address digital technology policies or regulations that are not focused on, or without clear direct implications for, the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms on the global Internet.
  • Activities that are not typically considered competitive include, but are not limited to:
    • Projects focused on digital technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence, block-chain, virtual reality) without a clear strategic reason and focus on protecting human rights online.
    • Core support for advocacy capacity development that does not facilitate or support locally-appropriate and locally-led advocacy benefiting local members of civil society or marginalized, vulnerable, and at-risk communities.
• Funding Theme 4: Applied Research
  • Goal(s): Research efforts to inform and benefit Internet freedom globally as outlined in the Goal(s) of the above Funding Themes, or to otherwise better understand and counter threats to Internet freedom.
  • Current Problems of Interest include, but are not limited to:
    • The repressive use of spyware, especially for surveillance, censorship, or repression of civil society, human rights defenders, and/or independent media.
    • Internet shutdowns, degradation of access, and splintering of the Internet.
  • To be eligible, Applied Research programs must:
    • Have a clear and immediate Internet freedom Policy and Advocacy, Digital Safety, or Technology application.
    • Exhibit a clear understanding of the operational risks for operating in local contexts.
  • To be eligible, Applied Research programs must not:
    • Conduct purely academic research with no immediate application to protect Internet freedom for specific marginalized, vulnerable, or at-risk populations.
    • Conduct theoretical exploration of technology and/or security issues that does not clearly address a specific articulated threat to Internet Freedom.
  • Activities that are not typically considered competitive include, but are not limited to:
    • Research scopes that do not indicate a strong baseline understanding of the issue areas.
    • Data/information collection, monitoring, or mapping activities that cannot clearly articulate how the research under their project is complementary to, and/or different from, existing data/information collection, mapping, and tracking projects, and are not contributing, collaborating, and/or partnering with those existing projects.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding:
  • Award Ceiling: $3,000,000
  • Award Floor: $500,000

Priority Regions

• SOIs focused globally, cross-regionally, or with a specific regional focus will be considered. Applications should prioritize work in Internet-repressive environments.
• SOIs regarding technology development should have clear regional human rights use-cases and deployment strategies for the target region(s). SOIs focused on digital safety, advocacy, and research should also have region- or population-specific goals and priorities that are informed by clear field knowledge and expertise.

Eligibility Criteria

• Organizations submitting SOIs must meet the following criteria:
  • Be a U.S.- or foreign-based non-profit/non-governmental organization (NGO), or a public international organization; or
  • Be a private, public, or state institution of higher education; or
  • Be a for-profit organization or business (noting there are restrictions on payment of fees and/or profits under grants and cooperative agreements, including those outlined in 48 CFR 30, “Cost Accounting Standards Administration”, and 48 CFR 31, “Contract Cost Principles and Procedures”);
  • Have existing, or the capacity to develop, active partnerships with thematic or in-country partners, entities, and relevant stakeholders including private sector partner and NGOs; and,
  • Have demonstrable experience administering successful and preferably similar programs. DRL reserves the right to request additional background information on organizations that do not have previous experience administering federal awards. These applicants may be subject to limited funding on a pilot basis.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.