Creating a More Inclusive, Diverse Community

The Open Technology Fund is part of a global community working against repressive censorship and surveillance that is made up of individuals from all walks of life who are found in all corners of the world. We work hard to ensure that our own team, Advisory Council, and network of supported projects and fellows reflect this diverse, global dynamic, including folks born into the environments in which we work, who speak multiple languages, and represent diverse communities, each of which faces its own unique challenges. It is through these experiences that these same people offer a set of skills and knowledge that are valuable to the ecosystems in which we reside. With that said, we recognize that our global communities - like others - face issues of inequality that must be addressed head on, collaboratively, together.

We recognize the importance and challenge of creating an environment where all voices feel valued, included, and empowered to bring their perspectives to the table. Not only are we committed to taking on that challenge, but will strive to better support underrepresented voices in the communities we support through a variety of means.

We hold our team, projects and Advisory Council to the following principles:

1. We believe all people, regardless of background, should be treated with dignity and respect. We will not tolerate discrimination or exclusion based on individual characteristics and circumstances, such as: age; disability; caring or dependency responsibilities; gender or gender identity; marriage and civil partnership status; political opinion; pregnancy and maternity; race, colour, caste, nationality, ethnic or national origin; religion or belief; sexual orientation; socio-economic background; trade union membership status or other distinctions. Inequities perpetuated by these distinctions degrade human dignity, represent a waste of talent, a denial of opportunity for self-fulfilment, and contradict our goals.

2. We value creating safe spaces where people can share their perspectives, ideas, knowledge and culture without fear of retaliation, retribution or violence, or feeling belittled.

3. We are committed to empowering underrepresented groups in all the communities we support, and will work diligently to remove barriers, inequalities, patterns of underrepresentation, discrimination, and harassment so their voices are truly present in the decision making process.

While we strive to build a fair, open and just society, we expect and anticipate challenges to these principles. We are committed to responding constructively and positively, respecting different needs and circumstances, so everyone can achieve their potential.