HRF donates 2 billion satoshis to 10 global bitcoin projects

Various projects to support the censorship resistance and the Bitcoin-Reconnaissance were financed by the HRF.

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has awarded 2 billion satoshis, about $475,000, from the Bitcoin Development Fund to 10 global projects. The funding will support areas such as censorship-resistant communications, bitcoin education in authoritarian regimes, core development and local community building, and education with a focus on Africa and Southeast Asia. The grants include $100,000 for Qala, a grant program supporting the next generation of African bitcoin and Lightning-trains developers, enables the program to continue its 13-week scholarship, and sponsors six Qala Scholars to attend the Oslo Freedom Forum.

HRF has also awarded $75,000 to the Africa Bitcoin Conference, the largest Bitcoin-focused conference in Africa, and $50,000 to Wilhelm Casarin for his work on Nostr, a censorship-resistant, open-source, and decentralized social networking platform. Additionally, $50,000 went to Bitcoin for Fairness, which focuses on raising awareness of Bitcoin in disadvantaged communities and in authoritarian states. Another $50,000 went to Vasil Dimov, one of Bitcoin Core’s top 20 contributors, to ensure the continued development and stability of the Bitcoin protocol.

The remaining grants of $25,000 went to Emmanuel Bronshtein for his contributions Wallet Scrutiny, Exomunia for expanding Bitcoin education resources, Ekenimoh Elyan for EasePay, and Bitcoin Myanmar for financial freedom education. HRF has provided over $2.2 million in BTC and USD to more than 70 developers, educators, and open source initiatives worldwide since early 2020. The organization continues to rally support for the Bitcoin Development Fund, with the next round of donations being announced in May 2023.

“Bitcoin is a powerful tool for human rights defenders around the world,” and these grants support their belief that “financial freedom is a human right,” said Alex Gladstein, HRF’s chief strategy officer. “We are proud to support the amazing work of these individuals and organizations using Bitcoin to fight for human rights and freedoms, especially in regions where it is needed most.”

HRF is a 501(c)(3) registered non-profit organization and donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent permitted by law. Proposals for funding can be submitted to dev.fund@hrf.org, see HRF’s website for more information.