Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): The Sepal Fund
Q: What does a Sepal Fund grant provide?
A: The Sepal Fund grant provides:
- General operating financial support (up to $50,000 per grant recipient, per year for three years (2025-2027);
- Professional development support through peer networking and mentoring, skills/capacity building, and/or subsidized conference participation; and
- Promotion of your project and/or organization through Calyx’s membership and social media channels
Q: When can I expect to hear the results of the grant application?
A: Calyx will notify applicants of the status of their grant application in April 2025.
Q: If awarded a grant, when can funds be expected?
A: Calyx plans to make the first grant award payment (up to $50,000) in April 2025, with annual payments following in April 2026 and the final payment in April 2027.
Q: Who can apply for a Sepal Fund grant?
A: Applicants can be U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, or collectives or individuals using a fiscal sponsor. Calyx prioritizes funding to smaller organizations and projects, defined as those with annual budgets under $1,000,000.
Fiscal sponsors are required for applicants that are not incorporated; if individuals or collectives do not yet have a fiscal sponsor, a list of fiscal sponsors can be found via the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors’ member directory. This is not a comprehensive list, but it can offer a starting point for exploring possible fiscal sponsorship opportunities.
Applicants who have previously received a grant from the Calyx Institute are eligible to apply.
Q: What is the application deadline?
A: Applications must be submitted by 11:59pm ET on February 19, 2025.
Q: What must be included in the application?
A: Applications must include responses to all questions listed in the application.
Q: Can applications be submitted via email?
A: No. Applications submitted via email will be considered ineligible. All applications must be submitted via the application link .
Q: Can I reapply with the same project if I have already been rejected?
A: Yes. Applicants are welcome to re-apply with a project or plan previously submitted as a grant application to Calyx.
Q: Will I receive feedback if my idea is not funded?
A: Unfortunately, due to internal capacity, individual feedback is not available for grant applicants in this round. We hope to be able to provide this resource in future funding cycles.
Q: What topics and/or subject areas will be funded by the Sepal Fund grants?
A: Applications can focus on a wide range of issues and topics, including but not limited to:
- Research and/or work to protect impacted communities against surveillance technologies, such as commercial tracking and invasive harvesting of personal data, government mass surveillance programs, spyware, and hacking activities targeting individuals, especially journalists, members of civil society, marginalized groups, and so forth;
- Free and open-source tools designed to provide secure and open access to the internet and technology, especially tools that contribute to bridging the digital divide, leveling up digital literacy, or bringing control over personal data back to individuals who are using the tool;
- Programs designed to support digital privacy policy development and/or implementation, such as research and education on the harm of surveillance tech programs, public awareness raising work on personal data protection, or digital safety and security curriculum; or
- Research, projects and/or programs that can help protect, promote, and/or advance an open, free, safe, and secure internet for all.
Direct lobbying and policy advocacy projects and programs are not eligible for this grant funding.
Q: Is application assistance available?
A: Unfortunately, due to internal capacity, individual application assistance is not available. However, please feel free to email us with any questions or needs at grants@calyxinstitute.org and we will do our best to accommodate requests.
Q: How cumbersome is the application process?
A: Our goal is for this grant application process to be as easy as possible. To that end, the application is short and requires straightforward information about applicants’ organization and/or project. We welcome feedback from applicants on your experience applying, via email at grants@calyxinstitute.org.
Q: Can I apply as a student?
A: No. Unfortunately, this funding opportunity is for individuals working and engaging in the field full-time.
Q: Can one organization, individual or collective submit multiple applications? For example, we are working on multiple projects that we think meet the eligibility criteria for the Sepal Fund.
A: No. We require that a single application be submitted by each organization or individual applying.
Q: How is the funding amount determined?
A: The maximum funding amount of $50,000 (per year, for three years) is available to all grantees. Applications must specify their grant request amount.
Q: If my application is selected to receive a Sepal Fund grant, what is required to receive the grant funds?
A: Before receiving any funds, each grant recipient will be required to submit a small amount of paperwork. This includes submitting a project budget, W9, and signing a grant agreement.
Q: How do I submit my application?
A: Applications must be submitted via this link.
Q: Who will select grant recipients?
A: All grant applications will be reviewed and scored by a selection panel of peers, professionals working in the field, and/or experts knowledgeable about topics including but not limited to FOSS, internet freedom, digital privacy, and human rights. The review process will include multiple voting rounds by the selection committee, the members of which will remain anonymous.
Q: Are there any activities that Calyx is prohibited from funding?
A: Yes. Calyx grant funds cannot be used to support:
- Projects or organizations that are unrelated to Calyx’s mission and vision;
- Direct lobbying and/or political campaigns;
- Policy advocacy projects and programs;
- Projects that provide personal monetary gain (beyond reasonable compensation for time spent working on the project or at the organization, such as salaries and wages);
- Promotion of violence; and
- Entities subject to sanctions by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control.
The list above is not exhaustive. Calyx reserves the right to deny funding at its sole discretion.
Q: I submitted an application. When can I expect to receive a response?
A: All applicants will receive a confirmation email from Calyx, following the submission of your grant application. Confirmation emails will be sent up to three (3) business days following application submission. All applicants (whether successful or otherwise) will be notified of the funding decisions in April 2025.
Q: In what language should I submit my application?
A: At this time, all applications must be submitted in English.
Q: Why is this grant called the Sepal Fund?
A: Sepals are the individual parts that comprise the calyx of a flower, that which encloses the petals. The Calyx Institute is but one part of the internet freedom ecosystem. By offering support through the Sepal Fund grants, we build the collective strength of our community. A calyx exists from and with its sepals, and so, the Calyx Institute fulfills its mission, in part, by grantmaking to small organizations and projects that align with our mission and vision.