# Introduction **Welcome!** The goal of this guide is to provide you with all the information you need to successfully submit an application to Open Technology Fund (OTF). Whether you're planning to submit a concept note to OTF for project funding, applying for our Information Controls Research Program, need Lab support, or you're simply curious about how our program works, this guide is for you. Through the sections found on the left, you'll find guidelines both general (relevant to all OTF's funding mechanisms) and specific (tailored to each of the funds, fellowships, and labs we offer). **A One-Stop Shop** This guide is designed to act as a starting point for understanding OTF's funding criteria, what we look for in an application, choosing the right funding mechanism, how to best structure your concept note or proposal, the application workflow, and other useful pointers about applying to OTF. In addition to making things more clear for would-be applicants, we hope that by compiling this information publicly, we’re making good on our commitment to openly share all possible aspects of our work as transparently as possible. **A Living Guide** This guide is a living document. Much of the information found here here was informed by the numerous inquiries sent our way by curious would-be applicants in the past, so hopefully if you came here with a question you can find your answer. With that said, we recognize that this is an ongoing process, and we therefore welcome your feedback, thoughts, and opinions on how to make this guide more useful and relevant to your needs. Feel free to comment directly within the guide as you see fit, or write to us at . --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.opentech.fund/otf-application-guidebook/introduction.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.