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This will expand Safe Online’s globally important role as an accelerator for new solutions to protect children and ensure they can harness the full wealth of knowledge and creativity available online.
Our ‘whole system’ approach aims to achieve maximum impact by supporting work across multiple sectors to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). Our approach builds on the vast amount of knowledge generated through Safe Online’s investments as well as the latest data and evidence in the field and the wider digital harms ecosystem.
Build the foundations of the ecosystem. Support effective action at all levels to prevent and respond to online CSEA and related harms to children. Strengthen systems, key infrastructure and services. Create incentives for action though norms change, policies and advanced regulation.
already invested across six years (2017-2023) via three open calls and one tailored funding modality for a total of 48 grants with impact in over ADD countries
Generate new evidence and data. Understand children’s experiences online, emerging threats and trends, and what works to tackle them. Create and promote a global evidence base to support the ecosystem, reduce duplication of effort and improve resource targeting.
already invested via 27 grants (2019-2023) to support evaluation, Disrupting Harm in 25 countries across six regions, and the Tech Coalition Safe Online Research Fund
Design, test and develop technology solutions. Design tools that can feed into the wider ecosystem and support the whole system approach. Increase access to cutting-edge online safety technologies. Promote tools that are shareable and adaptable, and create efficiencies in online CSEA prevention and response efforts.
already invested via three open calls for a total of 32 grants awarded across three years (2020–2023)
Read our full Call for Proposals document to dive deeper into our 2023 funding round
Seek synergies and complementarities across the priority areas of investment (Networks and Systems, Research and Data, and Technology Tools) and the Safe Online portfolio.
Add value and/or address gaps in the existing online CSEA ecosystem, does not duplicate, and/or builds upon and/or interacts with existing programmes/intervention, including strategic partnerships with Safe Online grantees and partners across levels and/or alignment with other relevant initiatives.
Aim to strengthen country level capacity, cross-sector collaboration and international cooperation based on existing frameworks and networks, and in alignment with national efforts to tackle other forms of violence, including those based on gender for both girls and boys, to enable more effective and coordinated prevention and response to online CSEA. Special attention is given to building capacity of key professionals across relevant sectors and of implementing partners including CSOs and NGOs at local level.
Seek applications with active involvement and leadership of local partners and authorities in the design and delivery of activities, with explicit and formal buy-in from necessary entities and communities.
Apply an innovative, holistic and evidence-based approach, and address interlinkages between in global digital agendas including cybersecurity, gender-based violence online, image based sexual abuse, violent extremism online, etc. Components are child rights-centred, recognising and reflecting the full spectrum of human rights, including but not limited to privacy and safety.
Ensure transparency with accountability mechanisms to ensure governing principles are adhered to and communicated clearly. Projects create open-source outputs and engage in open working techniques to the extent possible.
Seek applications that are representative and inclusive, including countries of applicants and key partners, team profile, and population focus, and include clear consideration of downstream implications with nuanced understanding of contextual factors and differential user-experiences.
Require and support child safeguarding policy development, and must be compliant with the relevant/applicable legislative, regulatory and enforcement frameworks, including data protection policy in alignment with relevant laws/guidance.
Require alignment of project activities with team capacity and budget allocation for most effective and impactful use of resources.
Seek applications with availability to match the funding, and a strong evaluation and impact assessment.
All proposals received through Call for Proposals must comply with the following minimum mandatory criteria to be further considered for award:
All the entities shall be registered as a legal entity (nonprofit or for-profit organisation) in the country or countries of implementation.
Safe Online will seek balance across all three priority areas of investment, selecting for review and award proposals that are valuable enough to pursue the Safe Online 2023–2025 strategy.
Entities must have a safeguarding policy or similar in place (including data privacy) or will be willing to develop a policy. Entities shall also pass a PSEA assessment and other due diligence assessments run by UNICEF.
Entities shall be able to provide auditing records of the last two financial years (or justify why this is not possible).
Total offering: $6 million
Maximum funding: $750,000
Grant duration: 2 years
Build the foundations of the ecosystem at the national, regional and global levels to enable effective action to prevent and respond to online CSEA and related harms to children. This pillar aims to strengthen systems, key infrastructure and services as well as create incentives for action though changing norms, policies and advanced regulation.
Total offering: $1.5 million
Maximum funding: $250,000
Grant duration: 2 years
Generate evidence and data on children’s and young people’s experiences online, emerging threats and trends in the technology space and on what works to tackle them. This pillar aims to create and promote a global evidence base to support the ecosystem, increase alignments of efforts, and improve investment targeting and maximise their impact.
Total offering: $2.5 million
Maximum funding: $300,000
Grant duration: 2 years
Design, test and develop technological solutions that can feed into the wider ecosystem and support the whole system approach. This pillar aims to reduce barriers to access to cutting-edge technologies in the online safety space and promote tools that are shareable, adaptable and create efficiencies in online CSEA prevention and response efforts at all levels.
The full Call for Proposals document is applicable to all applications submitted. The full list of annexes required for each pillar is clarified in the Call for Proposals document. All materials can be downloaded at the links below. All final applications and required annexes must be submitted via the online JotForm application.
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We are here to ensure every child and young person grows in to the digital world feeling safe, and is protected from harm.
We support, champion, and invest in innovative partners from the public, private, and third sectors working towards the same objective.
We believe in equipping guardians and young people with the skills to understand and see danger themselves once accessing digital experiences without supervision.
