- Round 3, 2026
- Round 2, 2025
- Round 1, 2024
eQualitie is launching a third round of the Breakout program, comprising of up to $200,000 USD funding pool for resilient communication technologies that address connectivity and self-determination in national networks (intranets).
This initiative is aimed at supporting continued development of decentralized/federated tools and protocols, improving integration and interactivity between existing systems/libraries, and investing in bold yet realistic initiatives that enhance communication within isolated networks.
Proposals deadline: July 14, 2026 23:59 ET
Shortlisted projects notified: July 28, 2026
Questions accepted and answered until: July 07, 2026 *
Program Overview
With the introduction of functioning and continuously improving allow-list intranets, the Breakout Program is looking for answers to restore secure and independent communications (digital self-determination) for citizens who find themselves inside these isolated networks.
We are particularly interested in projects that focus on:
- Network measurement – internal and external assessment of allow-list configuration, routable addresses, DPI and network vulnerabilities.
- Self-hosted and federated platforms – ready to deploy and use inside national (highly monitored) intranets; interoperable components; single sign-on; portable identities.
- Decentralized protocols and tools – practical and user-focused peer-to-peer technologies for communications and online collaboration; wide area network mesh technologies.
- Example applications and software integration of the Ouisync protocol.
- Solutions for bootstrapping network services in isolated environments.
- Application, firmware or solutions for embedded devices such as OpenWRT routers, MikroTik routers or single-board computers that help create and scale in-country connectivity.
We prioritize projects that directly address resilient communication in restricted network environments.
What we’re not looking for in this round:
- Solutions that cannot handle modern web traffic
- Solutions requiring specialized or proprietary hardware
- Solutions that focus solely on transaction authenticity, such as blockchain-based solutions
- Circumvention solutions that rely on proxying connectivity to international nodes
Eligibility Criteria
We are open to supporting projects at different stages of development, including:
Prototypes: Working models or minimum viable products (MVPs)
Existing Solutions: Projects that need further development, improvement, or scaling
Submissions should be open-source or propose plans to become open-source, allowing the community to benefit from, adapt, and contribute to these technologies. Concepts that are not open-source should have a compelling reason. Projects are expected to run between 3 – 6 months. This Breakout round is expecting to support proposals with a budget range of 10,000 – 50,000USD.
Examples of expected outcomes:
- Firmware with accompanying technical specifications
- Software libraries and technical documentation
- SDKs and/or APIs with full documentation
Submission process
Applications should include a project overview, a detailed project timeline, and a breakdown of the proposed budget. We are particularly interested in understanding the potential impact of your project and how you plan to use the funding to further develop or scale your solution.
Project Brief (500 words): Summarize your project, including its goals and relevance to the Breakout Program’s objectives.
Project Timeline and Tasks (1,000 words): Provide a detailed timeline, outlining the major tasks, stages, and outcomes you expect to achieve.
Budget: Explain how you plan to allocate the funding, breaking down key expenses.
Risk Assessment (500 words): Describe potential risks associated with your project and outline strategies to mitigate them.
Impact Assessment (1,000 words): Explain who will benefit from your project and how. Discuss the broader implications for communication in restricted or adversarial networks.
Post-Grant Plan: Detail your vision for the project after the grant period, including plans for further development, deployment, or scaling.
* Questions can be sent to grants at equalitie dot org
Selection Process
Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, potential impact, and scalability, with a strong focus on solutions that can be implemented across various platforms and contexts. A jury of experts will evaluate all submissions based on the following criteria:
- Relevance to the program’s objectives
- Innovation and potential impact
- Scalability and feasibility of the solution
- Technical merit and readiness for implementation
- Commitment to open-source principles
eQualitie is launching a €65,000 competitive funding round (3-4 awards) for resilient communication technologies that address connectivity in networks without access to the global internet. This initiative is aimed at supporting practical applications of academic research, supporting continued development of decentralized tools and protocols, improving integration and interactivity between existing systems/libraries, and investing in bold yet realistic initiatives that enhance communication with and within isolated networks.
Proposals deadline: November, 08 23:59 ET
Shortlisted projects notified: November, 14
Shortlisted proposals will be invited to showcase their projects on day 3 of SplinterCon: Paris
Program Overview
The Breakout Program welcomes innovative submissions aimed at advancing resilient, secure, and censorship-resistant communication. We are particularly interested in projects that focus on:
- Resilient communication: solutions that maintain connectivity and enable uninterrupted communication, even in cases of network disruptions or restrictions to global connectivity. These may include peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, mesh networks, or other architectures that allow users to communicate without relying on centralized infrastructures.
- Secure and anonymous communication: technologies that prioritize user anonymity and protection of personal information, particularly in decentralized communication systems and network overlays. Solutions might include encryption protocols, hashing techniques and other methods that protect anonymity of user identity and behaviour.
- Censorship circumvention: Tools designed to bypass advanced intentional restrictions, such as “allow-list” censorship and pervasive DPI, using terrestrial or wireless channels, as well as novel bootstrapping techniques and traffic obfuscation techniques.
We prioritize projects that directly address resilient communication in restricted environments. Solutions that are not aligned with our focus include those that:
What we’re not looking for
- Are not designed or prepared to handle modern web traffic
- Require specialized or proprietary hardware
- Focus solely on transaction authenticity, such as blockchain-based solutions
Eligibility Criteria
We are open to supporting projects at different stages of development, including:
Idea Stage: Early-stage concepts or proposals
Applied Research: practical application of academic work
Prototypes: Working models or minimum viable products (MVPs)
Existing Solutions: Projects that need further development, improvement, or scaling
Submissions should be open-source or propose plans to become open-source, allowing the community to benefit from, adapt, and contribute to these technologies. Concepts that are not open-source should have a compelling reason. Projects are expected to run between 1 – 3 months.
Examples of expected outcomes:
- Firmware with accompanying technical specifications
- System design and technical specification ready for coding
- Software libraries and technical documentation
- SDKs and/or APIs with full documentation
- Proof of concept
Submission process
Applications should include a project overview, a detailed project timeline, and a breakdown of the proposed budget. We are particularly interested in understanding the potential impact of your project and how you plan to use the funding to further develop or scale your solution.
Project Brief (500 words): Summarize your project, including its goals and relevance to the Breakout Program’s objectives.
Project Timeline and Tasks (1,000 words): Provide a detailed timeline, outlining the major tasks, stages, and outcomes you expect to achieve.
Budget: Explain how you plan to allocate the funding, breaking down key expenses.
Risk Assessment (500 words): Describe potential risks associated with your project and outline strategies to mitigate them.
Impact Assessment (1,000 words): Explain who will benefit from your project and how. Discuss the broader implications for communication in restricted or adversarial networks.
Post-Grant Plan: Detail your vision for the project after the grant period, including plans for further development, deployment, or scaling.
Selection Process
Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, potential impact, and scalability, with a strong focus on solutions that can be implemented across various platforms and contexts. A jury of experts will evaluate all submissions based on the following criteria:
Relevance to the program’s objectives
Innovation and potential impact
Scalability and feasibility of the solution
Technical merit and readiness for implementation
Commitment to open-source principles
The Breakout Program is a $250,000 funding initiative launched by eQualitie to support innovations in digital communication that can withstand network shutdowns and censorship of global connectivity. Our objective is to advance “breakout” technologies that allow individuals, communities, and organizations overcome internet fragmentation and network isolation, enabling secure and unrestricted communication in any environment. We are particularly interested in solutions that are open source, and can be quickly scaled in various network, software and user environments. eQualitie is looking to support two to five initiatives under this program. Please use the link at the bottom of this page to send us your project idea. The first application window closed November 17th, 2024.
Program Overview
The Breakout Program welcomes innovative submissions aimed at advancing resilient, secure, and censorship-resistant communication. We are particularly interested in projects that focus on:
- Resilient communication: solutions that maintain connectivity and enable uninterrupted communication, even in cases of network disruptions or restrictions to global connectivity. These may include peer-to-peer (P2P) systems, mesh networks, or other architectures that allow users to communicate without relying on centralized infrastructures.
- Secure and anonymous communication: technologies that prioritize user anonymity and protection of personal information, particularly in decentralized communication systems and network overlays. Solutions might include encryption protocols, hashing techniques and other methods that protect anonymity of user identity and behaviour.
- Censorship circumvention: Tools designed to bypass advanced intentional restrictions, such as “allow-list” censorship and pervasive DPI, using terrestrial or wireless channels, as well as novel bootstrapping techniques and traffic obfuscation techniques.
We prioritize projects that directly address resilient communication in restricted environments. Solutions that are not aligned with our focus include those that:
What we’re not looking for
- Are not designed or prepared to handle modern web traffic
- Require specialized or proprietary hardware
- Focus solely on transaction authenticity, such as blockchain-based solutions
Eligibility Criteria
We are open to supporting projects at different stages of development, including:
Idea Stage: Early-stage concepts or proposals
Applied Research: practical application of academic work
Prototypes: Working models or minimum viable products (MVPs)
Existing Solutions: Projects that need further development, improvement, or scaling
Submissions should be open-source or propose plans to become open-source, allowing the community to benefit from, adapt, and contribute to these technologies. Concepts that are not open-source should have a compelling reason. Projects are expected to run between 1 – 3 months.
Examples of expected outcomes:
- Firmware with accompanying technical specifications
- System design and technical specification ready for coding
- Software libraries and technical documentation
- SDKs and/or APIs with full documentation
- Proof of concept
Submission process
Applications should include a project overview, a detailed project timeline, and a breakdown of the proposed budget. We are particularly interested in understanding the potential impact of your project and how you plan to use the funding to further develop or scale your solution.
Project Brief (500 words): Summarize your project, including its goals and relevance to the Breakout Program’s objectives.
Project Timeline and Tasks (1,000 words): Provide a detailed timeline, outlining the major tasks, stages, and outcomes you expect to achieve.
Budget: Explain how you plan to allocate the funding, breaking down key expenses.
Risk Assessment (500 words): Describe potential risks associated with your project and outline strategies to mitigate them.
Impact Assessment (1,000 words): Explain who will benefit from your project and how. Discuss the broader implications for communication in restricted or adversarial networks.
Post-Grant Plan: Detail your vision for the project after the grant period, including plans for further development, deployment, or scaling.
Selection Process
Applications will be evaluated based on innovation, potential impact, and scalability, with a strong focus on solutions that can be implemented across various platforms and contexts. A jury of experts will evaluate all submissions based on the following criteria:
Relevance to the program’s objectives
Innovation and potential impact
Scalability and feasibility of the solution
Technical merit and readiness for implementation
Commitment to open-source principles
Apply
Proposals deadline: July 14, 2026 23:59 ET
