Call for Proposals |
The Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA) is pleased to issue the sixth call for proposals to the Africa Digital Rights Fund (ADRF), which supports digital rights work across the continent through flexible and rapid response grants.
Grant amounts for this round will range between USD 1,000 and USD 10,000, depending on the need and scope of the proposed intervention. The ADRF strongly encourages cost-sharing. The grant period will not exceed six months.
Launched in April 2019, the ADRF supports organisations and networks to implement activities that promote digital rights, including advocacy, litigation, research, policy analysis, skills development and movement building. As at August 2021, the ADRF had supported 45 initiatives with a total sum of USD 564,000.
Grantees have advanced learning on the intersection of technology, society and the economy across the continent. Notable efforts include studying the role of technology in human trafficking, promoting data protection in digital financial services, digital rights coalition building, confronting online abuse against women, capacity development in digital literacy and security for refugees and pushing back against barriers to digital accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Furthermore, the Fund has provided technical and institutional support in impact communications and data-driven advocacy to further enhance grantees’ capacity and ensure sustainability of their work.
Application Guidelines
Geographical Coverage
The ADRF is open to organisations/networks based and/or operational in Africa and with interventions covering any country on the continent.
Size of Grants
Grant size shall range from US$1,000 to US$10,000. Cost sharing is strongly encouraged.
Eligible Activities
The activities that are eligible for funding are those that protect and advance digital rights. These may include but are not limited to research, advocacy, engagement in policy processes, litigation, digital literacy and digital security skills building. The current call is particularly interested in proposals for work related to:
- Data governance including aspects of data localisation, biometric databases and digital ID
- Digital resilience
- Digital economy
- Digital inclusion
- Misinformation/disinformation
Duration
The grant funding shall be for a period not exceeding six months.
Eligibility Requirements
- The Fund is open to organisations and coalitions working to advance digital rights in Africa. This includes but is not limited to human rights defenders, media, activists, think tanks, legal aid groups, and tech hubs. Entities working on women’s rights, or with youth, sexual minorities, refugees, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
- The initiatives to be funded will preferably have formal registration in an African country, but in some circumstances organisations and coalitions that do not have formal registration may be considered. Such organisations need to show evidence that they are operational in a particular African country or countries.
- The activities to be funded must be in/on an African country or countries.
Ineligible Activities
- The Fund shall not fund any activity that does not directly advance digital rights.
- The Fund will not support travel to attend conferences or workshops, except in exceptional circumstances where such travel is directly linked to an activity that is eligible.
- Costs that have already been incurred are ineligible.
- The Fund shall not provide scholarships.
Administration
The Fund is administered by CIPESA. An internal and external panel of experts will make decisions on beneficiaries based on the following criteria:
- If the proposed intervention fits within the Fund’s digital rights priorities.
- The relevance to the given context/country.
- Commitment and experience of the applicant in advancing digital rights.
- Potential impact of the intervention on digital rights policies or practices.
The deadline for submissions is Friday April 15, 2022. The application form can be accessed here.