In a landmark crowdfunding campaign, the Tor Project has successfully raised more than $200,000 to support open-source privacy and censorship circumvention tools, showing that a broad base of small donors can effectively back internet freedom initiatives despite tightened government grants.
- Raised $200K from 580 donors using quadratic funding.
- Funds prioritized by community support, not individual wallet size.
- Supported 10 projects combating censorship and enhancing privacy.
What happened
The Tor Project launched its first participatory funding campaign earlier this year, employing quadratic funding to assess and allocate donations. More than 580 unique contributors made a total of 662 donations, averaging $41 each. These grassroots contributions combined with matching funds from organizations like the Ethereum Foundation and Zcash Community Grants, culminating in more than $200,000 raised.
Out of the total raised, $174,536 was distributed across ten projects, including notable recipients such as Onion Browser, which received approximately $111,000, and Unredacted, which was allocated about $41,000. Smaller projects like SecureDrop and OONI also secured funding, benefiting from increased visibility and community support.
Why it matters
This fundraising effort emerges amid a severe reduction in US government support for global internet freedom programs in 2025, which saw major funding cuts and terminations of grants to key organizations. The Tor Project highlights the risks associated with overreliance on single large funders, which can jeopardize the continuity of essential public-interest digital infrastructure when priorities shift.
Quadratic funding prioritizes broad community support rather than large individual donations, offering a more democratic and resilient funding model. Given the increasing frequency and sophistication of internet censorship worldwide, diversifying funding sources through community engagement has become crucial to sustaining the development of censorship circumvention and privacy-enhancing tools.
What to watch next
The Tor Project is reviewing the outcomes and operational complexities of the campaign, noting that about 15% of funds were used to run the effort, and well-known projects had some advantages in fundraising. Future funding rounds may incorporate lessons learned to improve equitable visibility and support for smaller initiatives.
Looking forward, the Tor Project aims to design future matching pools that continue leveraging community input while involving supportive organizations. The success of this model could serve as a blueprint for other privacy and censorship resistance initiatives seeking sustainable funding strategies in a challenging financial and political environment.