Today, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) announced its most recent round of Bitcoin Development Fund grants, according to a press release sent to Bitcoin Magazine.
800 million satoshis (8 BTC) currently worth over $874,000 at the time of writing, is being granted across 22 different projects around the world focusing on open-source development, educational initiatives, Bitcoin mining decentralization, and privacy tools for human rights advocates living under authoritarian regimes. The main areas of focus for these grants center around Latin America, Africa, and Asia
While the HRF did not disclose how much money each project is receiving specifically, the following 22 projects are the recipients of today’s round of grants worth 8 BTC, or 800 billion satoshis, in total:
Mostro
In authoritarian regimes, centralized exchanges enforce strict identity verification and frequently freeze user accounts. In these environments, Mostro, a peer-to-peer exchange built on the decentralized nostr protocol, provides a private and censorship-resistant way to access Bitcoin. It enables human rights defenders and ordinary citizens to transact freely. With HRF support, developer Catrya will improve Mostro’s usability to better serve dissidents seeking financial freedom.
SudaBit
As war and hyperinflation devastate Sudan, traditional banks and remittance systems have collapsed. Millions of Sudanese are left without reliable ways to save, send, or receive money. SudaBit, under development by Sudan Hodl, is the country’s first private Bitcoin on- and off-ramp, providing a critical financial lifeline where few options remain. With HRF support, SudaBit will allow everyday Sudanese to access permissionless, self-custodial Bitcoin directly from their local currency while at the same time building a vital financial infrastructure amid a humanitarian and monetary crisis.
Stringer News
Authoritarian regimes silence independent media to control public narratives and suppress dissent. Stringer News, an open media platform founded by war reporter and author Anjan Sundaram, uses Bitcoin and nostr to help reporters and human rights defenders publish without fear of censorship. By bypassing traditional publishing gatekeepers, it ensures critical reporting reaches global audiences — even from the depths of autocratic regimes. With HRF support, Stringer News is amplifying the voices of frontline journalists and protecting the flow of truth under dictatorship.
Prices Today
As Vladimir Putin wages war against Ukraine, it hides the economic pain at home. Prices Today is a project launched by the Anti-Corruption Foundation that tracks rising prices across essential goods and services in the country and publishes the data on an open, accessible website. The project helps Russians see through state propaganda and confront the hidden financial toll of Putin’s war. With this grant, Prices Today will expand its tools and research to expose the true cost of war and challenge the Kremlin’s narrative.
Instamouse for Bitcoin and Lightning
Contributing to Bitcoin’s codebase may require specialized tools and complex setup — barriers for developers in resource-limited environments. Instamouse, created by software developer Bryan Bishop (kanzure), is breaking down those barriers with a browser-based environment for open-source Bitcoin development. By reducing hardware requirements and simplifying access, it opens the door to a more inclusive environment that allows more people around the world to contribute to Bitcoin. With this grant, Instamouse will help keep Bitcoin’s development truly permissionless.
Seedsigner
Most commercial hardware wallets can be expensive, proprietary, and traceable. This poses barriers to self-custody for dissidents in weak economies or surveillant regimes. Seedsigner is a fully customizable, DIY Bitcoin hardware wallet that anyone can build using affordable, off-the-shelf components. It offers dissidents a discreet, low-cost way to secure their Bitcoin. HRF funding for lead developer Keith Mukai will expand language support across Europe, Asia, and beyond, as well as ongoing feature development and mentoring of new contributors.
Spacebear’s Contributions to Payjoin
Bitcoin enables human rights defenders to receive unstoppable payments. But making those payments private is the next critical step. Payjoin is a technique that lets senders and receivers batch Bitcoin transactions, breaking common chain analysis heuristics and improving default privacy. This is vital for activists in surveillance states who urgently need financial privacy without drawing attention. With HRF support, developer spacebear is advancing Payjoin to make privacy the default on Bitcoin and protect civil societies under tyranny.
Padawan Wallet
When authoritarian regimes devalue currencies or impose capital controls, people often turn to Bitcoin. But without experience, many struggle to use it safely. Padawan Wallet, a free, open-source mobile app by developer thunderbiscuit, helps bridge that gap. It uses Bitcoin test network coins to simulate real payments in a risk-free environment. It lets users practice making transactions, secure their wallets, and explore saving without risking real funds. With HRF support, Padawan will launch on iOS, expanding access to safe, hands-on Bitcoin learning for millions facing financial uncertainty.
Brink
Without ongoing support for Bitcoin development and its contributors, the network risks slower innovation, greater centralization, and long-term security challenges. Brink, a nonprofit organization led by Executive Director Mike Schmidt, addresses this by funding and mentoring open-source developers working on Bitcoin’s software infrastructure. Through grants and fellowships, Brink helps keep the protocol secure, decentralized, and freely accessible. With this grant, Brink will further strengthen the foundation that makes Bitcoin a tool for financial freedom.
Coin Center
As dictators increasingly treat code as a crime, open-source developers face sanctions, lawsuits, and mounting legal threats. Coin Center, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization led by Director of Research Peter Van Valkenburgh, defends the right to build and use open digital asset networks like Bitcoin. It advances policy analysis, supports strategic litigation, and educates lawmakers to protect freedom-preserving technologies. With HRF support, Coin Center will continue shaping a global legal environment where vital tools can be built for human rights defenders at risk.
Bitcoin Design Foundation
Poor user experience is a major barrier to Bitcoin adoption. Inconsistent wallet experiences and steep learning curves can deter new users, especially in high-risk environments. The Bitcoin Design Foundation is a nonprofit founded by UI designers Christoph Ono, Mogashni Naidoo, and Daniel Nordh that addresses this by funding open-source design, UX research, and community initiatives to make Bitcoin products more intuitive. With HRF support, the foundation will expand its grant and education programs to keep usability a priority and ensure Bitcoin remains open to all.
EmberOne
Bitcoin mining is dominated by a few companies producing closed, proprietary hardware — threatening the network’s resilience and accessibility. The 256 Foundation is a nonprofit working to change that. Building on the open-source Bitaxe project, EmberOne produces modular, open-source mining hardware that is simple, affordable, and open to anyone — especially those living under repressive regimes. With HRF support, EmberOne will lower entry barriers and help disrupt the proprietary ecosystem, making Bitcoin mining more accessible for those in closed societies.
2025 FROST Developer Support
For nonprofits operating under authoritarian rule, securing Bitcoin is critical for survival. If private keys (which control access to bitcoin) are compromised, funds can be seized and movements dismantled. Blockchain Commons is a nonprofit supporting the development of FROST (Flexible Round-Optimized Schnorr Threshold Signature), a protocol that strengthens multisignature wallets (bitcoin wallets with multiple private keys) by making them more secure, private, and flexible for shared custody. With this grant, Blockchain Commons will help build critical infrastructure to keep civil society groups operational and financially resilient under dictatorships.
Ecash UX Improvement Project
Ecash enables fast, private payments resistant to surveillance. But a relatively poor user experience limits adoption — especially for human rights advocates who need it most. The ecash UX improvement project, led by UX designer Erik Cativo, is making clients built on protocols like Cashu and Fedimint more intuitive and accessible. When integrated with decentralized platforms like Nostr, these tools allow dissidents to transact and communicate privately, beyond the reach of dictators. With this grant, the project will help transform ecash into a user-friendly solution for those navigating financial repression.
Summer of Bitcoin
For students living under tyranny, contributing to open-source Bitcoin development can feel out of reach due to limited access, mentorship, and opportunity. Summer of Bitcoin, a program founded by Adi Shankara, connects university students with open-source Bitcoin projects. It offers mentorship, training, and paid internships. With students from 74 countries, it’s fostering a new generation of contributors committed to privacy, freedom, and financial sovereignty. With this grant, the program will continue helping students in repressive environments gain the skills to build the tools their communities need.
Entropy | Bitcoin Education
Around the world, those who need Bitcoin most often lack access to clear, engaging education on how to use it safely. Entropy is an educational initiative led by open-source developer D++ that addresses this through gamified workshops, bootcamps, and hands-on learning focused on financial inclusion and personal sovereignty. These programs equip students with the knowledge to take control of their money. With HRF support, D++ will document and refine this educational model to make it replicable and accessible to communities most at risk of financial repression.
Evento
In authoritarian regimes, organizing in person can be dangerous (especially when dictators want to restrict the flow of information and money). Evento, an events platform created by Brianna Honkawa d’Estries, is designed to help individuals and communities gather and collaborate securely. By integrating freedom technologies like Bitcoin — and soon, nostr — it embeds accessibility and censorship resistance at its core. With HRF support, Evento will provide activists, nonprofits, and grassroots movements a reliable way to assemble, even where freedom of assembly is under attack.
Brandon Odiwuor’s Contributions to Bitcoin Core
Bitcoin’s security and reliability depend on developers who review, test, and maintain its code — work that is both demanding and often underfunded. Brandon Odiwuor is a proven contributor to Bitcoin Core, regularly reviewing key code changes and submitting improvements to Bitcoin’s main software implementation. His work helps ensure Bitcoin remains stable, robust, and censorship-resistant for people living under authoritarian regimes. With this support, Brandon is strengthening the foundation that makes Bitcoin a means to achieve individual liberty and a free society.
Satoshi Sister Circle
Despite growing global adoption, women, especially across Africa and the Global Majority, remain underrepresented in the Bitcoin ecosystem. The Satoshi Sister Circle, founded by Charlene Fairepo, the CEO of Mango Digital Strategies and author of “The Bitcoin Leap: How Bitcoin Is Transforming Africa,” is closing this gap by supporting African women pursuing careers in Bitcoin. Through mentorship, networking, and wellness support, the initiative is building a pipeline of women leaders across the space. With HRF funding, Satoshi Sister Circle will expand its reach and help shape a more inclusive future for Bitcoin.
Bitcoin Month: Empowering Young People in the Global South and Authoritarian Regimes
In many authoritarian regimes, young people bear the brunt of economic mismanagement and financial repression. Students For Liberty’s Bitcoin Month is a global education campaign that teaches youth how to use Bitcoin for uncensorable payments and inflation-resistant savings. The project blends in-person and virtual learning through a network of coordinators across 110+ countries. With HRF support, the initiative can expand its reach, train more volunteers, and equip young people with freedom technologies — even in the most economically unstable regions.
Bitcoin Pidgin & Bitcoin Anambra
In Nigeria, the lack of Bitcoin education in local languages remains a major barrier to Bitcoin adoption, leaving many excluded from tools that could offer financial freedom. Bitcoin Pidgin & Bitcoin Anambra, led by entrepreneur Kester Ejikeme, are teaching Bitcoin in Nigerian Pidgin English. The initiative delivers practical Bitcoin education through community events, merchant partnerships, and by building a circular economy in Anambra State. With HRF support, it will expand access to educational materials and grow grassroots financial literacy across the country.
Bitcoin Boma
In Malawi, persistent inflation, currency devaluations, and high poverty rates leave many without stable financial security. Bitcoin Boma, led by co-executive director Grant Gombwa, addresses this by using Bitcoin education to promote financial resilience. With online courses, community meetups, and local outreach, the nonprofit helps Malawians understand and use decentralized tools to build financial independence amidst economic hardship. With HRF support, Bitcoin Boma will scale its programs across one of the world’s most economically vulnerable regions.
The HRF is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and protects human rights globally, with a focus on closed societies. The HRF continues to raise support for the Bitcoin Development Fund, and interested donors can find more info on how to donate bitcoin here. The BDF has donated $8.5 million in Bitcoin to 298 projects across 62 countries worldwide since launching in 2020.
Applications for grant support by the HRF can be submitted here.
