- Program Civil Society
- Program Area Strengthening Civic Space
- Grant Amount $300,000
- Grant Period January 1, 2021–December 31, 2022
- Location Brooklyn, NY, United States
- Geographic Focus World
About this grant
The program goal is to increase the awareness, understanding and engagement of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector with respect to digital policies and practices that impact the space for civic engagement. To this end, Access Now—a nonprofit registered in the United States and working globally—will empower and support nonprofits and other civil society actors through direct technical support, comprehensive policy engagement, advocacy, grassroots grantmaking and convenings. During 2019-2020, the grantee monitored and reported on the pandemic’s impact on digital rights and civil society, mobilized a network of more than 200 nonprofits globally to push against internet shutdowns, advocated to protect the .org domain, responded to more than 6,000 requests for digital security assistance via its dedicated helpline and published a major report on threats to freedom of assembly online. The grantee also organized its premier networking event, RightsCon, in Tunisia in 2019 and online in 2020. Based in New York City, Access Now is a leading global resource and advocate for digital policies that impact individual users and civil society organizations.