Within each of the below Internet Freedom funding themes, The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces a Request for Statements of Interest (RSOI) from organizations interested in submitting Statements of Interest (SOI) for programs that support Internet Freedom.
Donor Name: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
Country: Global
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/25/2023
Details:
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.
Priority Regions
- SOIs focused globally or focused on any region 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.
Funding Theme
- 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;
- Splintering of the Internet;
- The repressive use of spyware, especially when used against civil society, human rights defenders, or independent media.
- 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, marginalized, or vulnerable populations.
- Serve a clear human rights use case in their application.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of adversarial efforts that may impact the use of a proposed technology, and provide a strategy for addressing them.
- Clearly justify and support specific technical claims and justify their contribution to outcomes related to the Goal(s) of identified Funding Theme(s) (e.g. what specific technologies, protocols, etc. are being used; why a specific technology is being used instead of others; how the technology works to address specific identified threats; etc.)
- Submit technologies to an independent third-party security audit, according to DRL guidelines.
- Funding Theme #2: Digital Safety:
- Goal(s): Conduct programs that enable at-risk, vulnerable, and marginalized populations, 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, or independent media.
- Denial of service (DoS) attacks targeting human rights defenders, independent media and civil society, impacting freedom of expression.
- Digital transnational repression.
- 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.
- Address acute repressive threats faced by the populations served.
- Exhibit a clear understanding of the operational risks of operating in local contexts.
- Clearly demonstrate strong internal capacity and deep expertise in risk management and operational security, with a history of successful implementation of similar programs in high-risk environments.
- 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.
- Policy or legal measures that restrict human rights and fundamental freedoms online in the guise of promoting cybersecurity or countering cybercrime, disinformation, defamation, hate speech.
- Digital transnational repression.
- 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.
- Articulate a clear understanding of the local policy advocacy context.
- Exhibit a clear understanding of the operational risks for operating in local contexts.
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.
- Applicants may form consortia and submit a combined SOI. However, one organization should be designated as the lead applicant with the other members as sub-award partners.
- DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited. Applications submitted by for-profit entities may be subject to additional review following the panel selection process. Additionally, the Department of State prohibits profit to for-profit or commercial organizations under its assistance awards. Profit is defined as any amount in excess of allowable direct and indirect costs. The allowability of costs incurred by commercial organizations is determined in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at 48 CFR 30, Cost Accounting Standards Administration, and 48 CFR 31 Contract Cost Principles and Procedures.
- DRL is committed to an anti-discrimination policy in all of its programs and activities. DRL welcomes SOI submissions irrespective of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, marital status, parental status, political affiliation, veteran’s status, or other status. DRL requires all programs to be non-discriminatory and expects implementers to include strategies for nondiscrimination of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries.
For more information, visit Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
