The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has announced a new round of grants totaling 1.5 billion satoshis (approximately 15 BTC) through its Bitcoin Development Fund (BDF), supporting 26 projects focused on Bitcoin infrastructure, privacy, and education. The funding targets open-source developers, researchers, and educational initiatives that strengthen financial privacy and censorship resistance. According to HRF, these grants advance Bitcoin-based technologies that can support dissidents and human rights defenders operating under authoritarian regimes. The organization estimates its efforts ultimately serve billions of people living under restrictive political systems where access to open financial networks and uncensorable payment rails is limited or surveilled. Supported projects span software development, Bitcoin research, and grassroots education programs across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Bitcoin Privacy
Bitcoin Core P2P Privacy Enhancements: Bitcoin Core developer Naiyoma is developing improvements to make it harder to track nodes running across multiple networks, strengthening privacy for Bitcoin's most widely used software. HRF's grant will enable Naiyoma to work full-time on these enhancements, helping activists and everyday users run Bitcoin infrastructure more safely in monitored environments.
JoinMarket-NG: Bitcoin's public ledger makes transactions traceable. JoinMarket-NG is a new implementation of the CoinJoin privacy technique that uses a peer-to-peer liquidity market where users provide liquidity for fees while others pay for increased privacy. This grant supports development and the external security audits needed to fully launch JoinMarket-NG as an open-source tool for those who need financial privacy most.
Bitcoin Payments
Banxaas: In heavily-authoritarian West Africa, many lack simple ways to convert local currency to Bitcoin without banks or custodial services. Banxaas, created by Bitcoin developer Nourou, allows instant exchange between CFA franc and Bitcoin without requiring accounts. HRF's grant will help finalize Banxaas's mobile app and integrate more mobile money providers to expand bitcoin payments across the region.
ChapSmart: Tanzanians face some of the highest remittance fees globally. ChapSmart, built by Brian Mosha, bridges Lightning Network directly to M-Pesa, enabling instant, affordable remittances, bill payments, and bitcoin access. HRF's grant will support development, outreach, and education to help Tanzanians preserve savings and transact more freely under an increasingly authoritarian regime.
Minmo: Centralized exchanges require sensitive user data, creating surveillance risks for human rights defenders. Minmo connects users with trusted local agents for fiat-to-bitcoin exchanges without centralized platforms. HRF's grant will support Minmo's operational growth and infrastructure to expand bitcoin access for dissidents facing financial repression.
Tando: In Kenya, most merchants rely on M-PESA. Tando, co-founded by Sabina Waithira Gitau, lets anyone pay merchants with bitcoin while merchants receive Kenyan shillings via M-PESA integration. HRF's funding will support Tando's expansion into new countries, enabling more people to transact with bitcoin as everyday money.
Tapnob: Across much of Africa, using bitcoin for everyday payments requires high fees or complex withdrawal processes. Tapnob allows users to buy bitcoin via local bank transfers and convert only needed amounts to local currency, covering daily expenses while preserving savings in bitcoin. HRF's grant supports Tapnob's continental expansion and educational resources.
Bitcoin Development
rawBit: Building secure Bitcoin applications requires understanding protocol-level transactions and scripts. rawBit lowers the barrier with a free, open-source visual editor using drag-and-drop tools to build and inspect raw transactions. The platform already includes 14 interactive lessons; HRF's grant will support new modules on Taproot and Lightning Network.
doblon8: Air-gapped signing is crucial for users who want to avoid exposing sensitive data to the internet. Sparrow Wallet supports this via webcam QR code scanning. Bitcoin developer doblon8 is improving the scanning code to make it faster and more reliable. HRF's grant will strengthen this feature, making Sparrow Wallet safer and easier for human rights defenders.
Bitcoin Community
Bitcoin Benin: Benin remains tied to the colonial-era CFA franc, limiting economic sovereignty. Bitcoin Benin is building a Bitcoin Knowledge Hub, a physical learning center and co-working space. HRF's grant will support the hub's infrastructure and the 2026 Bitcoin Mastermind conference, funding workshops expected to reach over 1,000 participants.
Bitcoin for Good: Refugees, asylum seekers, and those under authoritarian rule are often excluded from banking. The Groundswell Project's Bitcoin for Good program provides hands-on training for using Bitcoin for remittances, savings, and direct donations. HRF's grant will fund community outreach and documentation to replicate the program in new communities.
Bitcoin House Malaysia: In Malaysia's evolving political environment, Bitcoin House Malaysia offers hands-on learning for students to explore Bitcoin and open-source technologies that promote free expression and financial autonomy. HRF's grant will support operations and technical workshops.
Summer of Bitcoin: Students worldwide — especially those under dictatorships — lack pathways to contribute to Bitcoin's open-source development. Summer of Bitcoin provides a global internship pairing students with experienced mentors through developer and designer tracks. HRF's funding will support student stipends and mentor compensation.
Yes Bitcoin Haiti: Haiti's persistent currency instability makes it hard to preserve value. Yes Bitcoin Haiti is building a circular economy where individuals and merchants can earn, spend, and save in bitcoin. HRF's grant will support Bitcoin adoption and leadership development.
Freedom Tech
The Activist Atlas: Activists often lose contact after conferences. Nick Anthony and Paco de la India created an interactive digital platform that allows changemakers to stay connected year-round and coordinate using freedom technologies like Bitcoin for donations and Nostr for communication. HRF's grant will support the platform's launch.
Krux: Secure Bitcoin signing devices often rely on proprietary components, making them costly or hard to obtain. Krux is open-source software that transforms widely available devices into secure signing devices, supporting offline transactions in 10 languages. HRF's grant will help developer Odudex refine the project for people under authoritarian regimes.
LearnNostr: Despite its potential as a censorship-resistant communication protocol, Nostr is difficult for newcomers. LearnNostr provides a beginner-focused curriculum breaking the protocol into practical lessons. HRF's funding will support the platform's development to help people under censorship communicate safely.
NetBlocks Internet Observatory: Authoritarian regimes increasingly shut down the internet to silence dissent and obscure human rights abuses. NetBlocks tracks and documents these disruptions in real time. HRF's support will sustain monitoring so activists can expose digital repression as it happens.
Bitcoin Research & Education
AmityAge: Activists in authoritarian countries face currency instability and surveillance. AmityAge launched the Bitcoin Educators Academy to prepare local educators to teach financial sovereignty under repression. HRF's grant will fund five academies training 75 educators.
Base58: To understand whether funding influences Bitcoin development independence, Base58 will publish a research report analyzing how funding sources shape open-source contributions. HRF's grant will fund personnel and equipment for this two-month study.
Bitcoin Policy Norway: Norway is considering a Bitcoin mining ban that could set a precedent for Nordic democracies. Bitcoin Policy Norway launched Bitcoin Education for Norwegian Policymakers, providing evidence-based research and dissident testimonials. HRF's grant will support operations, travel, and outreach.
BTC Shule: In Burundi, state control over financial access leaves little room for independent alternatives. BTC Shule will launch an eight-month accelerator program to train developers to build open-source Bitcoin tools for local realities. HRF's grant will support a hackathon, stipends, and operational costs.
Daniel Batten: Bitcoin researcher Daniel Batten will examine how authoritarian regulation affects Bitcoin use through data-driven research and educational outreach in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt. HRF's grant will fund research, production, and outreach.
DIYbitcoin: In repressive environments, access to Bitcoin tools can be costly or monitored. DIYbitcoin teaches individuals to build their own hardware using open-source software and affordable components. The project will create a multilingual library of visual DIY guides for Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
Economic Inclusion Group: Jorge Jraissati leads a research initiative documenting 100 cases of dissidents cut off from financial systems. Stories will be shared through articles, podcasts, and social media to reach over three million people. HRF's grant will support researchers and operational costs.
SeedSigner User Guide: Hardware wallets are safe but expensive and technically challenging. SeedSigner is an open-source hardware wallet built from inexpensive components, but its limited documentation makes setup difficult. Contributor Easy is creating a step-by-step user guide to help human rights defenders with limited resources securely store their bitcoin.