The International Justice Clinic (“IJC”) at UC Irvine School of Law is calling for proposals for its Africa Spyware and Digital Surveillance Project. Successful applicants will receive a subgrant from the IJC, funded by the Ford Foundation’s Spyware Accountability Initiative. We invite proposals for research or policy advocacy projects aimed at documenting or responding to the use and/or procurement of spyware and/or other digital surveillance in Africa, as well as capacity-building projects that support the generation of such research or actions. Proposals are welcomed from stakeholders focusing on Central, East, Southern, or West Africa, with a priority given to those based within these sub-regions.
The IJC produces research and conducts advocacy promoting compliance with international human rights law and, inter alia, United Nations human rights mechanisms. Since its founding in 2012, under the direction of Professor David Kaye, a former UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the Clinic has researched and advocated for freedom of expression and privacy, particularly at the intersection of technology and human rights.
Background
Spyware is a type of malicious software that enables attackers to secretly infect a targeted individual’s device. It can then access information on the device, or even take full control of the device without authorization. Given its extraordinarily intrusive nature, a growing number of human rights bodies and experts’ have expressed concerns about the technology’s (in)compatibility with international human rights law. Many advocates suggest regulating or creating a moratorium on the sale and use of such spyware.
Many civil society stakeholders in Africa share the understanding that targeted surveillance through spyware has promoted fear and self-censorship, leading to strong condemnation of governments and spyware vendors. To support and translate this alarm into action, IJC has organized forums to strategize on collective actions against intrusive spyware use, supported by Ford Foundation Spyware Accountability Initiative and collaborations with key civil society organizations, independent journalists, human rights activists, lawyers, technologists, academic institutions, and Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
With a renewed grant from Ford Foundation’s Spyware Accountability Initiative, IJC is providing subgrants to programs that generate civil society research and action against the procurement and use of spyware and digital surveillance in Africa. We will also convene partners in 2026.
Scope
We accept proposals for projects that fall under either:
- Category A: Specific research or policy advocacy focusing on spyware procurement or its use in a specific country or sub-region; or
- Category B: Capacity-building programs designed to generate specific research or policy advocacy, which focuses on spyware procurement or use of spyware in a specific country or sub-region.
In the application, you will be asked to select which category best describes your proposal.
How to submit the application
To submit your application, please fill out this form OR email us with the following information strictly in accordance with the instructions below. During the review process, we may request interviews or ask applicants to provide additional information or documents.
Submission instructions if you apply via email:
Please include the following information in the email and send it to Hinako Sugiyama, Digital Rights Fellow and Senior Counsel at IJC (sugiyamahinako@proton.me), and Andrew Hallak, IJC advanced student (andrewhallak@proton.me). Please do not include any more information than what is specified below.
- Your name
- Your email address
- The name of your organization (if applicable)
- Where the organization is based (if applicable)
- Your organization’s website URL (if applicable)
- (Up to 250 words) Tell us about your organization and how the proposed work relates to its mission or strategy. This may include: your mission statement, your geographic focus, your experience in this field, your proximity to impacted communities, or other areas of work you focus on.
- Which category your proposed work fall under between Category A (Specific research or policy advocacy which focuses on the spyware procurement or use in a specific country or sub-region) OR Category B (The capacity-building programs designed to generate specific research or policy advocacy which focuses on the spyware procurement or use in a specific country or sub-region).
- (Up to 500 words) Tell us about your funding request. Tell us about the activities, approaches, and work you plan to do should you receive this grant. How does your proposed work relate to the scope of this call for applications? Please indicate the timeline you envision for each work you plan to do. The program start date should be no later than June 1, 2025, and the end date should be May 31, 2026.
- (Up to 250 words) How would you describe success with this grant, and what are some of the indicators you would like to see by the end of it? Note that these can be programmatic goals, such as influencing policy or convening other actors in this field, operational goals, such as increasing your organization’s capabilities for this work, or both.
- (Up to 250 words) What are the primary challenges or limitations your organization could face should you receive this grant? For example, are there areas of work in which you need to further develop expertise? Are there challenges in hiring staff to do this work? How do you anticipate managing these challenges?
- (Up to 250 words) What is the total grant amount, with a minimum of $2,000 and up to $50,000, and timeframe you are seeking? We may request a detailed budget as a part of the review process.
- (Optional) Additional files: You are welcome to share supplemental information about your organization or your proposed work. This is not necessary and we do not guarantee all supplemental material will be reviewed.
Priority will be given to proposals that engage with the following:
- Civil society groups, such as: (i) journalists; (ii) local, grassroots organizations and activists working on human rights issues (e.g., media freedom, environmental, women’s rights, LGBTQI+ rights); and (iii) public interest lawyers.
- Interdisciplinary collaboration with local organizations or stakeholders: (i) who are the individuals and organizations you will work with?; (ii) What is the content/program for this work?; and (iii) how may IJC and its partners provide substantive support for this work?
- Focused and practical outcomes that motivate and/or create opportunities for concrete next steps related to curbing abuse of spyware or other digital surveillance. This could include:
- Documenting previously unknown cases of spyware or digital surveillance use in a specific African country or sub-region.
- Building social consciousness and legal capacity to (i) understand the issues of spyware and digital surveillance and (ii) integrate those issues into local contexts, fostering an effective local narrative and strategy to document and combat spyware and digital surveillance.
- Building local cybersecurity/threat lab capacity.
- Encouraging communities to conduct periodic forensic analysis of their devices, in connection with trusted threat labs.
Key Considerations in the Review of Applications
Though this is not a comprehensive list of factors, we consider, for example:
- The proposed project’s responsiveness and effectiveness;
- The potential for expansion and strengthening of collaboration within civil society that the proposed project can achieve; and
- The diversity of proposals, as a whole, across subregions (Central, East, Southern, and West Africa) and languages among Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone countries, with an emphasis on gender diversity.
Timeline
The application deadline is March 15, 2025, and approvals will be communicated on a rolling basis no later than April 30, 2025. IJC welcomes any questions applicants may have and appreciates the timely submission of proposals.
Selected projects will run between June 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026. We may terminate this Agreement by giving thirty (30) days written notice.
Grantees are also expected to attend a gathering(s) during this period convened by IJC and its collaborators.
FAQ
Who is eligible?
Non-profit or profit organizations, individual experts such as journalists, lawyers, and technologists, researchers, and academic institutions in or focused on Central, East, Southern, or West Africa are eligible. Priority will be given to those based in those sub-regions.
We reserve the right to decline applications from locations where grantmaking is restricted by U.S. law and other applicable rules of the University of California.
If accepted, when would my program start and end?
While it depends on the timing of your proposal submission and our grant-making decision, the program start date would be no later than June 1, 2025, and the end date will be May 31, 2026.
Do you provide support for indirect cost?
No. The subgrant must be used exclusively for expenditures directly related to the project.
How much fund is available for each program?
We plan to subgrant ransing from a minimum of $2,000 up to $50,000 for each subgrant program. We may adjust the minimum and maximum amounts.
Who will review the proposals and make the selection decision?
Decisions will be made by staff, students, and collaborators of IJC, which include the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), Committee to Protect Journalists, Paradigm Initiative, and Ford Foundation. If you would like to opt out from the information sharing with any of collaborators, please indicate so in the proposal.
Contact information
Hinako Sugiyama, Digital Rights Fellow and Senior Counsel at IJC (sugiyamahinako@proton.me/ Signal: hinako_.08), and Andrew Hallak, IJC advanced student (andrewhallak@proton.me).
Our commitment to safety and security
We are committed to ensuring that the safety and security of applicants and their organizations are a top priority.