HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund Announces Support for 26 Projects Worldwide
The Human Rights FoundationIn many authoritarian countries, activists and civil society groups face currency instability, financial restrictions, and surveillance. To alleviate these pain points, Bitcoin initiative AmityAge launched the Bitcoin Educators Academy, a program that prepares local educators to teach financial sovereignty under repression. HRF’s support will fund event costs for five academies, training 75 educators in essential soft and communication skills to teach self-custody and the use of permissionless financial tools in their regions in a clear and understandable way.
For Bitcoin to function as freedom money, its development must remain neutral and independent. To better understand whether funding influences that independence, Base58, a technical Bitcoin education school, will publish “Funding and Open Source Contributions to Bitcoin,” a research report analyzing how funding sources shape open-source contributions using quantitative and visual data. HRF’s support will fund the personnel and equipment needed to complete this two-month study.
Norway is considering a Bitcoin mining ban that could set a precedent across Nordic and European democracies if policymakers misunderstand Bitcoin’s broader role in financial freedom. This could provide cover for authoritarian regimes to implement more repressive policies. To address this risk, the Bitcoin Policy Norway launched Bitcoin Education for Norwegian Policymakers. This initiative will provide officials, aid organizations, and media with evidence-based research and testimonials from dissidents resisting authoritarian regimes on Bitcoin’s human rights applications. HRF’s grant will support operations, travel, and outreach to ensure decision-makers understand Bitcoin’s value and avoid policies that could restrict access to this technology.
In Burundi, state control over financial access leaves little room for independent alternatives. BTC Shule, a local Bitcoin community founded by social entrepreneur ₿elyï, will launch an eight-month accelerator program to train developers to build open-source Bitcoin tools suited for this specific environment. The program will offer meetups and mentorship for participants. HRF funding will support a hackathon, stipends, and operational costs to build freedom tech tailored to Burundi’s local financial realities under an authoritarian regime.
Authoritarian regulation often determines whether people can legally use Bitcoin, shaping its potential as a tool for financial freedom in the places where it is most needed. Bitcoin researcher Daniel Batten will examine this issue through data-driven research and educational outreach. His work will focus on informing and training activists and civil society in countries such as Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt. HRF’s grant will help fund the research, production, and outreach that enable individuals to use Bitcoin more freely.
In repressive environments, access to Bitcoin tools can be costly, restricted, or monitored. DIYbitcoin is a resource that helps individuals bypass these barriers by teaching them how to build and operate their own hardware using open-source software and affordable, off-the-shelf components. The project will create a multilingual library of visual do-it-yourself guides tailored to communities across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. This grant will fund workshops and educator training to help local communities adopt self-custody and run their own Bitcoin infrastructure.
Financial exclusion is increasingly used by dictators to silence civil society and restrict democratic participation. To document and expose this growing pattern, Jorge Jraissati, president of the Economic Inclusion Group, is leading a research initiative titled Documenting, Communicating, and Protecting Victims of Financial Exclusion. The project will document 100 cases of dissidents cut off from financial systems worldwide. It will share these stories through articles, podcasts, and social media to reach more than three million people. HRF’s grant will support researchers and operational costs to publish these cases.
Hardware wallets are one of the safest ways to store Bitcoin, but they can be expensive and technically challenging, especially for those new to self-custody. SeedSigner, an open-source hardware wallet, allows users to build their own signing devices from inexpensive, widely available components. However, its limited documentation can make the setup process more challenging for newcomers. Easy, a contributor to the SeedSigner project, is creating a step-by-step user guide to simplify the process. HRF’s funding will support the development of this resource, helping human rights defenders with limited resources securely store and manage their bitcoin.
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