Open Information Policy
Under the Open Information Policy component, OSI aims to “to broaden communications access in the most disadvantaged countries and to protect the freedom to communicate in the digital environment.” Under the component, the focus areas and grants include Free Expression and Privacy Online and Affordable Communications Access. The Free Expression and Privacy Online is to support “watchdog groups that respond to threats to basic freedoms emerging from repressive use of new communications technologies.” The Affordable Communications Access aims “to broaden sustainable Internet access for key open society constituencies in the most disadvantaged countries by supporting policy interventions and the staging of new models.”
The Information Program supports NGOs and civil society groups in countries of Africa, Central Asia and Caucasus, Central/Easter Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South-East Europe, Western CIS and the Latin America. The Program does not accept unsolicited proposals; therefore, it is best for applicants to first query about the possibility of funding support by sending a small 1-2 page concept note to the appropriate Program Officer under different components, mentioned above. The Program is able to support mostly with grant amounts less than $50,000 but in very rare cases, it can support projects with grants more than $200,000.
It is very important for applicants to carefully read the guidelines and information given under different sections of the Program before applying for the needed support. According to the OSI, “The OSI Information Program is keen to make grants to NGOs and civil society groups not yet in its extended network. However, processing unsolicited grant applications can take a substantial amount of Program Managers’ time and like everyone, our resources are limited. Over the years that we have been funding interventions in the Information space, we have developed a keen sense of what does and does not work, and of the sorts of projects we can fund most successfully. So the best approach is to email one of our program managers with a short description of your project, and let them guide you through the process from there.”
For more information, visit this link.
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