HRF Awards 1 Billion Satoshis to Support Global Human Rights Initiatives

18 Sept

The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) announced that its Bitcoin Development Fund has granted 1 billion satoshis to support 20 projects worldwide, aimed at advancing Bitcoin-related development and education, especially in regions affected by authoritarian regimes. The grants target technical education, Bitcoin conferences, decentralized mining efforts, and the provision of private financial solutions to human rights organizations across Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

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One of the recipients, African Bitcoiners, focuses on onboarding individuals in Africa to Bitcoin through educational materials and tools. They offer a "Bitcoin for Beginners" course, as well as enabling the purchase of airtime and data using Bitcoin. The project addresses financial sovereignty for Africans facing political and economic instability.

Another recipient, Stratospher, a Bitcoin Core developer, works on enhancing privacy in the Bitcoin protocol, focusing on peer-to-peer (P2P) privacy and mentoring new talent. The grant will allow full-time development efforts in these areas, crucial for resisting financial surveillance by authoritarian governments.

Coracle, a Nostr-based social media platform developed by hodlbod, will use its funding to enhance privacy features and build encrypted communities. The platform offers a censorship-resistant space for activists, with plans to hire a full-time developer.

The fund also supported Harbor, an open-source privacy-focused Bitcoin wallet, led by Ben Carman and Paul Miller. Harbor provides a high level of privacy using multiple mints and Tor-only routing. The grant will help fund the release of Harbor’s 1.0 version, aimed at enhancing privacy for activists in surveillance-heavy environments.

In a push towards decentralized mining, The 256 Foundation received support for its Bitaxe initiative, which aims to make Bitcoin mining more accessible, especially for those under authoritarian regimes. Bitaxe enables home mining, protecting individuals from surveillance while contributing to Bitcoin’s decentralization.

Other noteworthy initiatives include Kiveclair in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which educates individuals about Bitcoin through meetups and conferences; BTC Shule in Burundi, which promotes uncensorable payments through education in local languages; and EttaWallet, a mobile Lightning wallet aimed at empowering users in the Global South with self-custody features.

The grants also extend to the organization of global Bitcoin conferences, including Bitcoin++, Satsconf, Baltic Honeybadger the world’s first non-profit, Bitcoin-only conference hosted by Hodl Hodl and LaBitconf, all of which bring together developers, educators, and activists from across the globe. These events provide valuable platforms for knowledge-sharing, particularly for those from regions with restrictive regimes.

HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund plays a crucial role in promoting privacy, financial freedom, and decentralization, especially for individuals living under oppressive governments. This latest batch of grants supports a wide array of efforts focused on strengthening Bitcoin’s role as a tool for human rights.

HRF encourages further donations to its Bitcoin Development Fund through its website, with a continuous open call for proposals to support innovative projects worldwide.

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