Show me the money: where's the sustainable funding for public interest technology? | 9 June, RightsCon 2022

"Free, open source software underpins our digital age – but it isn’t free to build. Internet freedom tools have kept countless activists safe online; digital public goods (DPGs) have impacts such as saving 2 billion days of lost working time in Bangladesh; the civic tech community has connected citizens and governments globally. Despite impressive results, sustainability for such public interest technology is largely a mirage – and therefore most initiatives are doomed to failure. Though they share common money problems, these different free, open source initiatives are siloed by different funders, communication spaces, and even vocabulary. In this conversation, practitioners across these spaces will come together to discuss real-world case studies of the challenges they have faced financing projects in civic tech, internet freedom, and digital public goods. The spotlight will then pivot to the audience; the core goal is to solicit the lessons from failures and successes of sustainably maintaining public interest technology over the long haul. New funding architectures are required to support replicable digital platforms that can be adapted and used at scale by governments, civil society, and activists alike. This panel, in active engagement with the audience, would discuss possible frameworks for which these disparate communities can jointly advocate. (Note to evaluators: we considered the community lab format for this, but thought that brief case studies from the panelists would be valuable for grounding the conversation. Please let us know if you think there is a more appropriate format.)..."

Speakers: Chris Doten of National Democratic Institute, Allison Price of New America, Nonso Jideofor of Code for All, Martha Tudon of Article 19