grants.watch
Registry loaded August 16, 2026 · 414 organizations
RegistryOrganizationsInternet Freedom & Digital RightsFree and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund
Org profile: sourced & linked
Organization Profile

Free and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund

aka Open Technology Fund, Open Tech Fund, OTF, open technology
NonprofitInternet Freedom & Digital Rights, Sovereign Tech & Public-Interest Digital InfrastructureActivewww.opentech.fund/funds/free-and-open-source-software-sustainability-fundX ↗
The Free and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund is run by the Open Technology Fund (OTF), a Washington DC-based 501(c)(3) supporting internet freedom technology worldwide. The fund makes targeted awards (from $7k/month up to $400k over 24 months) for maintenance, interoperability, security, and resilience of internet-freedom FOSS tools, via a two-stage competitive process (concept notes to proposals, advisory council review, performance contracts) with complementary lab support. OTF administers deliverable-based contracts rather than lump-sum grants; a March-May 2026 application round ran recently, and OTF's broader funds (such as the Internet Freedom Fund) accept concept notes on a rolling basis.1,2,3,4

Programs

3 programs on file
Apply ↗
Free and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund
6 grants tracked
March-May 2026 round: closed, closes 2026-05-07
Internet Freedom Fund
46 grants tracked
No cadence on file
Rapid Response Fund
0 grants tracked
No cadence on file

Awards

58 on file
Showing 1-25 of 58, newest dated evidence first
  1. Amigo: Secure, Shutdown-Resilient Group Messaging
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $172,270 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  2. Anti-Censorship IXP
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $50,000
    Date–
    Source ↗
  3. Bitpart
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $614,456 (most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  4. Connection Labs
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $137,474 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  5. Countering Digital Censorship in Pakistan
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $212,540 (most recent grant 2024)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  6. dComms
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $416,434 (most recent grant 2024)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  7. Decentralized and private DNS lookup with Quad9
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $556,730 (most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  8. Deep Packet Resistance with AI-driven Deflect & Ceno
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $510,393 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  9. Defending and Documenting Digital Threats in Taiwan
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    Amount$563,785 (2023, 30 months, Internet Freedom Fund)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  10. DEfO Sustainability
    ProgramFree and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund
    AmountFunding to date $721,958 (most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  11. Design from the Margins
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $673,232 (most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  12. Developing Test Lists for Censored Online Content
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $360,529 (most recent grant 2024)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  13. Documenting and preventing information controls during the electoral period in the DRC
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $345,946 (most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  14. Enabling secure Signal workflows in Tails via Flatpak integration
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $399,733 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  15. F-Droid Sustainability
    ProgramFree and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund
    AmountFunding to date $396,044 (most recent grant 2025)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  16. Fake Antenna Detection Project
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $424,144 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  17. Global Gathering
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $305,443 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  18. Increasing Internet Security Through Shorter-Lived TLS Certificates
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $800,000 (most recent grant 2024)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  19. Internet Architecture in the Public Interest
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $469,713 (most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  20. InterSecLab
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $699,988 (most recent grant 2024)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  21. Investigating Protocol-Agnostic Methods to Fingerprint Obfuscated Circumvention Traffic
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $298,113 (most recent grant 2024)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  22. IRBlock: A Large-Scale Measurement Study of the Great Firewall of Iran
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $150,000 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  23. Lantern
    ProgramSurge and Sustain Fund
    AmountFunding to date $14,160,286 (cumulative across multiple Surge and Sustain Fund rounds; most recent 2025)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  24. Mailvelope Sustainability
    ProgramFree and Open Source Software Sustainability Fund
    AmountFunding to date $829,330 (cumulative; most recent grant 2023)
    Date–
    Source ↗
  25. Mapping China's Capabilities in Police Cloud Platforms to Improve Protection of Vulnerable Populations
    ProgramInternet Freedom Fund
    AmountFunding to date $54,333 (most recent grant 2026)
    Date–
    Source ↗
3
Programs
58
Awards
58
Grantees
$97.4M
Known USD
0
Live rounds
no open or announced rounds on file
Active
Status
Focus Areas

internet freedom, censorship circumvention, digital security, privacy, anti-surveillance, secure communications, applied research, human rights tech.

Typical size$10,000-$900,000 (most requests $50,000-$200,000)
CadenceRolling -- concept notes accepted on an ongoing basis for the Internet Freedom Fund; Rapid Response Fund reviewed within ~5 days.
Sources
  1. www.opentech.fund/funds/free-and-open-source-software-sustainability-fund
  2. apply.opentech.fund
  3. www.opentech.fund/projects-we-support/supported-projects/f-droid-sustainability
  4. www.opentech.fund/projects-we-support/supported-projects/lantern