HRF Bitcoin Development Fund Supports 20+ Projects Worldwide

NEW YORK (April 1,2025) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) is pleased to announce 1 billion satoshis of gifts from its Bitcoin Development Fund. HRF’s latest batch of grants supports open-source development, educational initiatives, mining decentralization, and privacy tools for activists living under authoritarian regimes across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The gifts also further promote Internet freedom and decentralized communications, ensuring dissidents can connect, communicate, organize, and transact without censorship.

Quarter 1 2025 grantees include:

• NetBlocks

Authoritarian regimes weaponize Internet shutdowns to silence dissent, restrict information, and cut off financial lifelines. By blocking communication channels, they isolate individuals, suppress independent media, and disrupt financial flows. NetBlocks exposes these digital crackdowns in real time, ensuring the world sees and responds to digital repression. Through continuous monitoring, it equips activists, journalists, and civil society with the data needed to challenge censorship and advocate for an open internet. With HRF support, NetBlocks will expand its monitoring, documentation, and research — reinforcing internet and financial freedom as a critical human rights safeguard.

• TollGate

Authoritarian regimes exploit Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to monitor and suppress dissent, undermining online privacy essential for human rights defenders. TollGate, developed by c03rad0r, is software that transforms any WiFi router into a permissionless Internet Service Provider (ISP) using Bitcoin and ecash. By decentralizing Internet access and turning any WiFi router into part of a peer-to-peer, private, open internet network, Tollgate helps resist authoritarian surveillance and protect digital freedoms. With HRF support, TollGate is advancing an open, accessible, and censorship-proof internet for those who need it most.

• Vinteum

Across Latin America, authoritarian regimes restrict financial access to tighten their grip on power. But a growing network of developers is working to change that. Vinteum, a nonprofit Bitcoin research and development center led by executive director Lucas Ferreira, trains and funds developers to strengthen Bitcoin as a tool for financial freedom. Through education, development, and community building, Vinteum fosters local talent and expands regional Bitcoin accessibility. With HRF support, Vinteum will scale its programs and help more Latin Americans achieve financial independence.

• BTCPay Server

Dictators often block payment processors to cripple the work of nonprofits and dissidents. BTCPay Server, a self-hosted, open-source Bitcoin payment processor, now breaks this control. It provides individuals, nonprofits, and merchants with a censorship-resistant way to accept payments. Activists and nonprofits can now process global payments, launch crowdfunding campaigns, and build movements on Bitcoin — all without third parties or restrictions. With HRF support, BTCPay Server will expand access to self-custodial payments, enabling more organizations under dictatorships to transact freely.

• Africa Bitcoin Institute (ABI)

Across Africa, dictators manipulate financial institutions to retain control, while more than half the population remains unbanked. Bitcoin offers an alternative, but without proper research, education, and policy frameworks, adoption remains limited. The Africa Bitcoin Institute (ABI), supported by the Rwandan human rights activist Anaïse Kanimba, is launching to bridge this gap. Through evidence-based research and policy recommendations, ABI will equip policymakers with the knowledge and tools to integrate Bitcoin into African economies. With HRF support, ABI will promote financial autonomy and solidify Bitcoin’s role as a pillar of economic freedom.

• Bitcoin Core Graphical User Interface

Running a Bitcoin node (software that enables users to verify transitions and enforce the network’s rules) is key to financial sovereignty. But outdated and clunky interfaces make it difficult, especially on mobile devices. bitcoin-core/gui-qml, a project Go Qu will contribute to, modernizes Bitcoin Core’s interface to be more accessible and mobile-friendly. By lowering the barriers to node operation, this project empowers more people — especially under autocracies in Africa, where mobile phones dominate — to strengthen their financial sovereignty. With HRF support, bitcoin-core/gui-qml is expanding node access, supporting Bitcoin’s decentralization, and reinforcing its censorship resistance for the long term.

• Rkrux

As an open-source project, Bitcoin Core relies on free and open-source developers to maintain its integrity, security, and resilience against potential threats. Rkrux, a Bitcoin Core developer, plays a crucial role by reviewing code, testing releases, and improving documentation to keep Bitcoin Core robust, secure, and censorship-resistant. Rkurx’s work identifies vulnerabilities, refines changes, and strengthens Bitcoin’s long-term stability. With HRF support, Rkrux is deepening his contributions, reinforcing Bitcoin’s foundation, and ensuring it remains a financial lifeline for human rights defenders worldwide. 

• Elsat

As online censorship intensifies, free speech and financial freedom are under threat. Nostr developer Elsat is working to defend these freedoms by contributing to Damus, Nostrability, and Zap.store — projects that empower individuals to communicate and transact without centralized control. Damus enables private, censorship-resistant messaging; Nostrability improves app interoperability; and Zap.store helps free and open-source software (FOSS) developers distribute and monetize their work peer-to-peer. With HRF support, Elsat is strengthening tools that protect free speech for dissidents under oppressive environments.

• Relay Wizard

Nostr, a decentralized communication protocol, relies on a network of relays (servers that pass messages between users). But setting up relays can be complex and intimidating. Relay Wizard, a tool created by software developer J the Code Monkey, simplifies this process by automating relay setup. This allows anyone to run a relay, reduces reliance on intermediaries, and helps keep nostr resilient against online speech censorship. With HRF support, J the Code Monkey will expand development and operations, ensuring nostr remains a secure, uncensorable communication platform accessible to everyone.

• Waye

Censorship-resistant technology is essential to protecting global freedom. Yet open-source developers often operate like solo entrepreneurs — juggling engineering, project management, and community-building on their own. This leads to inefficiency, isolation, and burnout. Waye addresses this gap by providing psycho-social support for developers working on freedom tech. Led by Bitcoin Core developer Amiti Uttarwar and operational architect Anna Sides, Waye strengthens the human infrastructure of open source. With HRF support, Waye will support developers from global majority countries, empowering them to build the tools their fellow citizens need. 

• Hashpool

Centralization in Bitcoin mining threatens its censorship resistance and makes it harder for small-scale miners to compete. Hashpool, a self-hosted mining pool by developer vnprc, eliminates reliance on centralized entities while giving miners more control over their earnings. Instead of traditional mining pool payouts, Hashpool rewards participants with ecash tokens — digital cash that enables instant, private transactions. This ensures miners receive payouts instantly while preserving their financial privacy. It also helps keep mining open and decentralized. With HRF support, vnprc will further develop Hashpool and help resist mining centralization. 

• Cashu KVAC

As dictators ramp up financial surveillance to threaten dissidents, protecting financial privacy is more critical than ever. Cashu KVAC is a software upgrade for Cashu — a Chaumian ecash-based system that enables extremely strong financial privacy. Developed by lollerfirst, it improves privacy and efficiency by reducing wallet data storage and concealing transaction amounts from third parties. These improvements strengthen ecash functionality, safeguarding financial privacy for individuals and nonprofits alike. With HRF support, lollerfirst will develop Cashu KVAC and help protect digital and financial freedom for those living under the watchful eyes of dictators.

• Self-Custody Research

In unstable economies and under authoritarian regimes, self-custodial Bitcoin is a financial lifeline — portable money that cannot be seized, censored, or debased. While Bitcoin enables financial freedom, scaling self-custody remains a challenge. Bitcoin educator and developer Brandon Black (Rearden) is researching these limitations and exploring technical solutions to make self-custody more accessible. His work documents the obstacles users face today and provides insights into how Bitcoin can evolve. With HRF support, Black will expand self-custody education, equipping individuals under dictatorships with the knowledge and tools to secure their financial independence. 

• Stable Channels

For citizens living under authoritarian regimes and struggling economies, Bitcoin is a lifeline — but its volatility can threaten short-term financial security. Stable Channels, created by software engineer Tony Klausing, brings stabilized Bitcoin-backed balances to the Lightning Network (allowing users to peg Bitcoin to fiat currencies in a self-custodial way). This innovation enables individuals to transact freely without exposure to wild price swings or to centralized stablecoins. HRF’s support will help expand Stable Channels development, ecash integrations, and community outreach — helping more individuals harness Bitcoin’s power while maintaining financial stability.

• Bitsacco

In Kenya, Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (SACCOs) provide savings and lending services to their communities. But reliance on traditional banks limits their autonomy. Bitsacco, created by developer okjodom, reinvents SACCOs by leveraging Bitcoin and Fedimints (a community-based custody model in Bitcoin). In this way, Bitsacco offers a more open, inclusive, and self-sustaining financial option. By reducing dependence on banks, Bitsacco empowers communities to manage their savings and loans independently. With HRF support, Bitsacco will provide a secure, familiar path to sound money in a region where financial instability and restricted access are persistent challenges.  

• The Core

In Africa, where financial literacy gaps persist, hands-on Bitcoin education is crucial for adoption. The Core, founded by Kenyan Bitcoin educator Felix Mukungu, bridges this gap by equipping Africans with the knowledge and skills to use Bitcoin confidently. Through hands-on training in self-custody, Lightning wallets, and Bitcoin nodes, The Core empowers individuals to take control of their money and transact freely. This grant will help expand The Core’s monthly meetups, online courses, and student-support programs — bringing Bitcoin education to more individuals across Kenya and the wider African continent.

• Bitcoin Babies

Under many authoritarian regimes, infant malnutrition is exacerbated and puts countless children at risk. Bitcoin Babies, founded by Naomi Wambui, is a project that tackles this issue by combining infant nutrition education with Bitcoin-based financial literacy. Through weekly Bitcoin stipends, financial literacy training, and community support, mothers under authoritarian rule gain the tools needed to improve their children’s health while achieving long-term financial stability. With this grant, Bitcoin Babies will expand its impact, helping more at-risk communities with resources that are otherwise unavailable and inaccessible, empowering mothers to build brighter futures.

• East Asia Bitcoin Developer Apprenticeship Program

In East Asia, language barriers and limited mentorship have made open-source Bitcoin development inaccessible to many. The East Asia Bitcoin Developer Apprenticeship Program, led by Bitcoin developer Calvin Kim, is changing that by creating a pathway for Korean and Japanese developers to enter the field. Through hands-on training, mentees gain practical experience, contribute to open-source projects, and eventually become mentors — strengthening the region’s developer ecosystem. With this funding, the apprenticeship program will expand, diversify Bitcoin’s global developer base, make freedom technology more accessible across Asia, and forge links with North Korean defectors.

• Bitcoin Week at TalentLand 2025  

Across Latin America, government overreach threatens financial freedom. At TalentLand 2025, Latin America’s largest tech event, Bitcoin Week will demonstrate how Bitcoin empowers individuals to reclaim their financial sovereignty. Led by developer Super Testnet and the Bitcoin and Lightning Guadalajara community, this initiative educates Mexico’s tech community on Bitcoin’s role in fostering financial sovereignty. Through workshops, hackathons, and debates, it nurtures developer talent and engages future tech leaders. With this funding, Bitcoin Week will help expand awareness of Bitcoin’s power to resist financial oppression and accelerate Bitcoin adoption across Latin America.

• Base58

Learning Bitcoin’s technical aspects can feel overwhelming. Base58’s Bitcoin Live Action Role Play (LARP) simplifies this with a two-hour workshop where participants act out the Bitcoin network and see how transactions are made, how they get to miners, the work a Bitcoin node does, and how it helps secure the network. Created by Lisa Neigut (niftynei), a prolific Bitcoin developer, educator, and founder of Base58 and the  bitcoin++ conference, alongside David Rodriguez, this immersive experience makes Bitcoin education tangible and entertaining. Now expanding beyond North America, it will train new facilitators, prioritizing regions with limited Bitcoin education due to authoritarian restrictions. With this funding, Base58 Bitcoin LARP will equip more facilitators to teach and learn Bitcoin in an engaging, accessible way.

• BTCenEspañol

Across Latin America, financial repression and limited access to Bitcoin education leave many without the tools to navigate financial repression. BTCenEspañol has been a leader in Spanish-language Bitcoin education since 2014. With a goal of reaching one million learners and training 100 teachers, BTCenEspañol is expanding to make Bitcoin education more accessible across the region, especially in places like Nicaragua and Venezuela. HRF’s grant will support this growth, equipping individuals with the knowledge to secure their financial independence amid rising authoritarianism in the continent.   

• Increasing nonprofit Adoption of Bitcoin

Under dictatorships, non-governmental organizations face frozen bank accounts, surveillance, and financial censorship — limiting their ability to support vulnerable communities. Bitcoin researcher Daniel Batten is quantifying Bitcoin’s role as a financial lifeline to help nonprofits overcome these challenges. Through empirical research, his initiative will show how Bitcoin enables nonprofits under authoritarian regimes to operate more freely. With this grant, the project will equip nonprofits in closed societies with the knowledge and tools to integrate Bitcoin into their operations, strengthening their financial resilience and advancing global movements.

• Bitcoin for Good

When authoritarian regimes weaponize the financial system against dissent, nonprofits and charities are among the first to suffer. Bitcoin for Good is an educational initiative led by activist and Groundswell founder Hadiya Masieh. It helps organizations break free by teaching them how to accept and manage censorship-resistant funding. Through hands-on training and direct integration with Bitcoin for donations, nonprofits learn to operate outside the reach of financial gatekeepers and regimes. With this grant, Bitcoin for Good will help nonprofits stay funded, independent, and free to continue their work.

About BDF HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) supports individuals and projects that make Bitcoin and related freedom technologies more powerful tools for human rights defenders operating in challenging political and financial environments. Since launching in 2020, BDF has gifted $7.8 million in BTC to 284 projects across 62 countries worldwide. The next round of grants will be announced at the 17th annual Oslo Freedom Forum, taking place May 26-28, 2025, in Oslo, Norway.

Learn more about HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund on our website.

About BDF 

HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF) supports individuals and projects that make Bitcoin and related freedom technologies more powerful tools for human rights defenders operating in challenging political and financial environments. Since launching in 2020, BDF has gifted $7.8 million in BTC to 284 projects across 62 countries worldwide. The next round of grants will be announced at the 17th annual Oslo Freedom Forum, taking place May 26-28, 2025, in Oslo, Norway. 

Learn more about HRF’s Bitcoin Development Fund on our website.

HRF is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. Gifts can be made at HRF.org/DevFund, and proposals for support can be submitted to https://hrf.org/bdfapply.

Follow @HRF on X for more updates on this project and all of our other programs designed to promote freedom and human rights around the world.