Open Technology Fund (“OTF”, or “Organization”) values the information you provide in connection with funding applications and understands the importance of providing you with transparent information about how your data is used, handled, and/or your rights in relation to this. 

In addition to this Data Use Policy for Applicants (the “Applicant Policy”), please also see OTF’s website Privacy Policy for further information about the Organization’s data privacy practices, including, but not limited to, how your data is handled, your rights in relation to that data, and how to exercise those rights.

Open Technology Fund is an independent 501(c)(3) corporation registered in the District of Columbia in the United States. OTF receives funding from the United States government through the United States Agency for Global Media as well as potentially other entities.  OTF is not a government agency.  OTF is not an instrument of the U.S government.  OTF Personnel are not government employees.  For the purposes of this policy “OTF” includes Organization Personnel, Personnel engaged via third party Employers of Record, Independent Contractors providing programmatic support, Members of the Board of Directors, and the OTF Advisory Council.

I. Why we collect your data and what we do with it

In order to apply for support from OTF, OTF asks for information about your idea, the background to it, your goals, and the impact you hope to make through receiving funding from OTF. The Organization uses this information to understand and assess your application and to issue contracts in line with OTF’s values and mission.  If you are invited to submit a formal proposal, OTF may also collect personal contact details including, but not limited to, your name, email address, and physical address.  At the contracting stage, OTF requires your legal name (individual or entity) and information necessary to process payments to you under the contract.

Once you submit this information, it is assessed by OTF and shared within the Organization as necessary. OTF will use your information to contact you with details regarding the outcome of your application.  In some circumstances, OTF may also share your application and details with the Advisory Council, who help make decisions about the projects funded by the Organization.  OTF will also retain a copy of the application for its records and in case you wish to apply again in the future – more information on this is provided below.

II. Legal Basis for Collecting and Processing Application Data

Before OTF offers support in the form of funding or services, information about how it will be used and by whom it is needed is required. OTF collects this information from you through myriad procurement mechanisms, including the Open Calls webpage and requests for proposals. Accordingly, the legal basis for the collection of this information is to gather the necessary information in order to enter into a contractual agreement with you for provision of funds or services.

III. How OTF Retains your Data and the Legal Basis for Retentionntion

Once you submit an application with OTF, the Organization may retain it for different time periods, depending on how it is categorized:

  • OTF may also retain some non-personal information from all application categories for statistical purposes, including the region in which you are based and other information. OTF retains this information on the basis of legitimate Organization interests in developing an understanding of the size and demographics of the audience OTF is reaching over time. This is processed in accordance with GDPR Article 89.
  • OTF may retain unsuccessful applications deemed outside the scope of OTF’s mission and values. The Organization does so on the basis of our legitimate interest in maintaining a record of the application process and reviewing our assessment practices.
  • OTF may retain unsuccessful applications deemed to be relevant to Organization work on the basis of our legitimate interest in maintaining a record of the application process. In this case, the applicant’s idea may be relevant in the future and OTF may invite the applicant to submit a future application. The application may also be retained so that OTF may understand how the ideas and projects of applicants who apply multiple times have grown and developed over time.

If your application is successful, OTF will retain it for at least as long as the contract is active and for a period thereafter to meet regulatory and legal data retention requirements. More information about how we process contractor data can be found here.

IV. How OTF Shares your Data and the Legal Basis for This

A. Data Sharing

OTF may share your application data within OTF for the purpose of evaluating the merits of your application. OTF does so on the basis of legitimate Organization interests in fulfilling the OTF mission.

Where European data regulations apply, if OTF transfers your data outside of the European Union (“EU”) or the European Economic Area (“EEA”), OTF will take reasonable measures to make certain that your data is appropriately protected. OTF will do this by requiring the recipient to respect and uphold your rights as a data subject under all applicable laws and by making the transfer subject to an international transfer safeguard, such as the Standard Contractual Clauses issued by the European Commission.

B. Licensing

You retain ownership of any intellectual property that you submit to OTF. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.  When you submit an application to OTF, you give OTF a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, host, and store submitted content in whole or in part as outlined in this policy.  The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose outlined in this policy.

V. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Data Use Policy for Applicants, please contact us at [email protected].

For additional information, please also refer to our Terms of Use and/or Privacy Policy.

VI. Questions or Complaints for European Individuals

We value your privacy and your rights as a data subject and have therefore appointed Prighter Group with its local partners as our privacy representative and your point of contact for the following regions:

  • European Union (EU)
  • United Kingdom (UK)
  • Switzerland

Prighter gives you an easy way to exercise your privacy-related rights (e.g. requests to access or erase personal data). If you want to contact us via our representative, Prighter or make use of your data subject rights, please visit the following website:

https://prighter.com/q/18716869240

Additionally, if you have a concern about our handling of personal data that we are not able to resolve, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority where you reside. Contact details for your Data Protection Authority can be found using the links below:

For individuals in Switzerland: https://www.edoeb.admin.ch/edoeb/en/home/the-fdpic/contact.html

For individuals in the EEA: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en

For individuals in the UK: https://ico.org.uk/global/contact-us/

See further:

–Terms of use

Policy updated 1 April 2026.