Fundraising Opportunities

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This page has three sections: 1) Funding opportunities with specific deadlines 2) Funding opportunities received on a rolling basis 3) Emergency Grants and Relocation and Resettlement Support Specifically for HRDs at Risk

Funding Opportunities with Specific Deadline

Common Wealth Grants Now Open

• Deadline: October 23

• https://commonwealthfoundation.com/grants/annual/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Breakout Fund

• Deadline: October 31
• https://splintercon.net/breakout

Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

• November 18th, 2025.
• https://grants.mfa.no/#call/4421/main

ACLS Digital Justice Grants

• November 20, 2025

• https://www.acls.org/programs/acls-digital-justice-grants

BIRN Journalists Grants for Investigative Stories

• Deadline: October 31st, 2025

• https://birn.eu.com/news-and-events/birn-invites-journalists-apply-for-grants-for-investigative-stories/

WSA Young Innovators Award 2025

• Deadline: October 31, 2025

• https://wsa-global.org/wsa_categories/wsa-young-innovators/

NLnet Zero Commons Fund

• Deadline: December 1
• https://nlnet.nl/commonsfund/

NLnet Fediversity Programme

• Deadline: December 1
• https://nlnet.nl/fediversity/

John S. Knight Journalism Fellowship

• Deadline: December 3
• https://jsk.stanford.edu/become-a-fellow#why-apply

AI Reporting Grant Program

• December 31, 2025
• https://pulitzercenter.org/grants-fellowships/opportunities-journalists/ai-reporting-grants

InDiCo-Global. Deadline

• Deadline: June 30, 2026
• https://indico-global-grants.eu/indico-global-third-open-call

Past Funding Opportunities with deadlines (Archive)

Funding Opportunities Received on a Rolling Basis

AI Security Institute Challenge Fund

• Deadline: Rolling
• https://www.aisi.gov.uk/grants#challenge-fund

Global Fund for Community Foundations

• Deadline: Rolling
• https://globalfundcommunityfoundations.org/what-we-do/grants/apply-for-a-grant/

Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation Funding Opportunity

• Deadline: Rolling
• https://www.drkfoundation.org/apply-for-funding/

The Bitcoin Development Fund

• Deadline: Rolling
• Human Rights Foundation
• https://hrf.org/program/financial-freedom/bitcoin-development-fund/

Digital Rights Fund for WANA Region

• SMEX
• Deadline: Rolling Basis

• https://smex.org/digital-rights-fund/

FOSS United

• Deadline: Rolling Basis
• https://fossunited.org/grants

Digital Impact Alliance Fellowship

• Deadline: Rolling
• https://dial.global/apply-to-our-fellows-program/

Sovereign Tech Fund

• Deadline: Rolling

• https://sovereigntechfund.de/en/applications/

Incident Emergency Fund

• Digital Defenders Partnership

• Deadline: Rolling Basis

• https://www.digitaldefenders.org/incident-emergency-fund/  

Safety Net Fund

• Deadline: Ongoing

• https://wphfund.org/whrds-safety-net/

Rapid Response Fund

• Derechos Digitales

• Deadline: Rolling Basis

• https://www.derechosdigitales.org/sobre-el-fondo-de-respuesta-rapida/    

Urgent Action Fund for Feminist Activism

• Deadline: Rolling Basis

• https://urgentactionfund.org/  

Urgent Action Fund - Asia & Pacific

• Deadline: Rolling

• https://www.uafanp.org/our_grants  

Apoyos de Respuesta Rápida

• Fondo Acción Urgente
• Deadline: Rolling
• https://fondoaccionurgente.org.co/es/que-hacemos/apoyos-de-respuesta-rapida/

Open Briefing’s Responsive Assistance

• Deadline: Rolling Basis

• https://www.openbriefing.org/support/referral/

Emergency Grants and Relocation and Resettlement Support Specifically for HRDs at Risk

Emergency Grants

Lifeline (an initiative by Freedom House and Front Line Defenders) provides small, short-term emergency grants to CSOs threatened because of their human rights work. Lifeline grants can address security, medical expenses, legal representation, prison visits, trial monitoring, temporary relocation, equipment replacement, and other urgently needed expenses.

Front Line Defenders Protection Grants can pay for provisions (grants are for amounts up to a maximum of €7,500) to improve the security and protection of human rights defenders and their organizations including, but not limited to:

• improving physical security of an organization or individual, digital security and communication security;
• supporting legal fees for HRDs who are being judicially harassed;
• paying for medical fees for HRDs who have been attacked or who have suffered a medical condition as a result of their peaceful human rights activities;
• providing family assistance for imprisoned HRDs or family members who are at risk because of a HRD's activities.

Urgent Action Fund’s Rapid Response Grants resource the resilience of human rights and gender justice movements by supporting the security and advocacy interventions of activists when a swift response is needed. Specifically, Rapid Response Grants offer quick, flexible funding to respond to security threats or unexpected advocacy opportunities experienced by women, transgender, or gender non-conforming, activists and human rights defenders.

CIVICUS Crisis Response Fund welcomes applications from formal or informal civil society actors & consortia, including social movements. Grants must be for a 3-6 month period. Amount: US$10,000 - US$20,000 for Advocacy Grants or Resiliency Grants.

The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund provides rapid, flexible funding and direct logistical support to women HRDs from/working in crisis and conflict-affected areas, working at community, national, regional or international levels. For individuals they have an Advocacy Support Stream and a Safety Net Stream.

McCain Institute's Human Rights Defender Program (under the Democracy Program) provides temporary, transitional support to activists who are forced to work underground or flee their countries so they can continue to fight in the human rights arena.

The Dignity for All: LGBTQI+ Assistance Program is a consortium of six leading human rights and LGBTQI+ organizations that provides emergency assistance, advocacy funding, and security support to human rights defenders and civil society organizations under threat or attack due to their work for LGBTQI+ rights.

ProtectDefenders.eu provides a range of services to human rights defenders at risk, including an emergency helpline (run by Front Line Defenders), emergency grants, and temporary relocation.

Relocation and Resettlement support specifically for HRDs at risk

Human Rights Defenders Program, McCain Institute - Through the Human Rights Defenders program, the McCain Institute provides funding, logistical assistance and referrals to human rights defenders in distress, helping them to:

• Settle into a safe environment
• Receive training involving extra security precautions, networking, and career development if unable to return home any time soon
• Find sustainable employment as a means to continue their human rights work throughout the time they are unable to return to their home countries

Canada Global Refugee Stream for Human Rights Defenders - The Canadian government has established a dedicated refugee stream for human rights defenders for resettlement to Canada.

Rainbow Railroad is a global not-for-profit organization that helps at-risk LGBTQI+ people get to safety worldwide.

Journalists in Distress Network resources for journalists who have received serious threats or are in distress in relation to their work, and may need emergency relocation