At Open Briefing, we believe that lasting change comes through collaboration. As the risks to civil society deepen and evolve, foundations can play a vital role, acting in solidarity with the individuals and communities defending rights and challenging injustice around the world.
Over the years, we’ve worked with dozens of well-known foundations, as either a grantee, risk consultant, or thought partner. We offer several ways for foundations to partner with us – each tailored to the unique ways you support grassroots activists, social movements, and the organisations that serve them.
1. Building the infrastructure defenders rely on
Unrestricted, multi-year funding to Open Briefing allows us to invest in the systems, people, and tools needed to deliver timely, high-quality holistic security support to those who need it most. Last year, our team responded to 575 calls for assistance from grassroots activists, community groups, and social movements at risk. By investing in our capacity, you enable us to continue to respond flexibly to emerging threats and be there for those defending rights and civic space around the world – even when they are underfunded or lack international partners.
2. Supporting your priority communities
Through restricted grant funding, you can partner with us to deliver targeted protection, digital resilience, and wellbeing support to the communities and regions you care about most. This might include, for example, Indigenous defenders in the Amazon, LGBTQIA+ activists in East Africa, or journalists in Eastern Europe. Last year alone, we trained more than 1,000 at-risk activists in 112 holistic security workshops across the globe. Together, we can direct support where it’s needed most.
3. Protecting your grantees at risk
If your grantees are facing threats, reprisals, or burnout, we can help. You can engage Open Briefing in several ways: by making a restricted grant to us or the at-risk partner, contracting us on a retained or project basis, or engaging us through Nonprofit Secure. Our team provides security mentoring, digital protection, psychosocial care, and emergency assistance tailored to the specific needs of each individual or organisation. Last year, our team provided over 6,000 hours of holistic security support to activists and organisations under threat in 100 countries. We can support your grantees too.
4. Strengthening your organisational resilience
As a nonprofit and a social impact consultancy, we also partner directly with many foundations to strengthen their organisational security and staff wellbeing. From information security and data protection, to safeguarding and duty of care, to travel security and crisis management, our expert team can help ensure your foundation is fit for purpose in a changing risk landscape and as secure and sustainable as the work you fund. This might involve light-touch advice or a longer-term process of audit, policy development, and retained support.
5. Convening conversations and learning spaces
You can support or partner with us to convene workshops, roundtables, and other learning spaces. These may bring together funders, activists, and practitioners to share insights, build collective understanding, and strengthen solidarity. They can be stand-alone convenings or integrated into other events or processes. Together, we can create spaces that inform and inspire collective action. Or are you looking for a thought partner as you explore how to respond to emerging threats or reimagine your role in this moment? Our innovative work over the past 15 years – across the full spectrum of global civil society – has given us unique perspectives that enable us to be both a trusted ally and a critical friend.
6. Pop-up support at your events
We can run expert-led, drop-in clinics at your public events – such as conferences – or internal gatherings, like staff retreats or strategy days. These sessions can focus on areas such as digital security or wellbeing and offer practical, confidential guidance tailored to participants’ needs. It is a simple and meaningful way to extend care and protection into your community spaces. These moments of support can have lasting impact.
Whether you’re seeking a strategic funding partnership or need expert support for your grantees or team, we’d love to talk. Together, we can act to challenge unaccountable power and defend those who speak out.
“Since we have had Open Briefing at our side, our protection work with at-risk winners of the Right Livelihood Award is more effective and proactive. They are helping us enhance our structure, so that we can respond to urgent need. Their team’s expertise, empathy, and knowledge of the situation in many countries makes Open Briefing a trusted partner for us and our laureates.”
Right Livelihood Foundation