Advancing Digital Democracy: A Comprehensive Guide to USAID's $95 Million RFP

Digital platforms, models, and systems have become an important battleground for democracy. Authoritarians have weaponized technology and data. States struggle to balance human rights protections with national security considerations. 

Technologists struggle to embed democratic values and respect for human rights in algorithms, machine learning models, and software systems.

Advancing Digital Democracy

USAID has developed a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach to tackle these challenges head on: the Advancing Digital Democracy (ADD) initiative. This is a key USAID contribution to the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal, which Administrator Power announced at the December 2021 Summit for Democracy.

Activities under ADD will foster open, secure, and inclusive digital ecosystems that advance, rather than undermine, democratic values and respect for human rights, and will take place under three complementary pillars:

• Help governments fulfill their international human rights commitments and advance democratic values through legal and regulatory frameworks that constrain the use of technology for repression and foster the development and use of rights-respecting technology and data.
• Increase investments in and demand for rights-respecting tech innovation by supporting software engineers, tech companies, and researchers to embed respect for human rights and democratic values into tech development, design, and deployment.
• Support civil society, technologists, independent oversight bodies, and the general public to hold governments and companies accountable for protecting and respecting human rights and fostering democratic values across the digital ecosystem.

USAID will be working with government partners, the donor community, the private sector, civil society advocates, non-governmental organizations, digital rights activists, academics, students, philanthropies, and foundations to advance digital democracy.

Are You Ready for $95 Million ADD RFP?

USAID issued an ADD Request for Information to inform their programmatic approach in January 2023. Fast forward to 2024 and the current USAID Business Forecast indicates an ADD Request for Proposals (RFP) was expected in July as a single $95 million field support mechanism. This means the RFP could be released any day now.

The ADD RFP will be a full and open competition that preferences entities that have worked most closely with small businesses in the past, and which commit to do so in the future. It will aim to actualize a global digital future in which digital technology and data advance, rather than undermine, democratic values and human rights.

We do not know what the final ADD RFP will look like. It could be very similar or radically different from the ADD RFI.

How to Respond to USAID ADD RFP?

Most USAID RFPs do have the same objectives as their respective RFIs, so we can use the ADD RFI as a guide for the RFP.

An international development organization could highlight activities that demonstrate its capacity to support digital democracy while addressing the challenges of digital repression and human rights violations to respond effectively to the Advancing Digital Democracy RFP.

Below are specific activities aligned with the ADD RFI objectives and illustrative interventions that ChatGPT thinks responding organizations could use in their proposal:

Objective 1. Legal and Regulatory Frameworks

Highlight activities that show your organization’s ability to support governments in implementing human-rights-aligned digital policies.

Activities to Highlight:

• Legal Reform Support: Demonstrate experience working with governments to draft, implement, or reform laws and regulations around data protection, privacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and internet governance.
• Capacity Building for Government Institutions: Showcase training programs for ministries, legislative bodies, and judicial actors on topics like data governance, cybersecurity, algorithmic accountability, and the ethical use of AI.
• Support for Oversight Bodies: Demonstrate how you have strengthened independent national human rights institutions (NHRIs) or other ethics committees to oversee digital governance.

Example:

• Conducting workshops for government officials on embedding human rights and democratic values into digital frameworks, such as data privacy laws or AI regulations.

Objective 2. Rights-Respecting Technology and Data Management

Showcase how your organization has supported the design and adoption of technologies that prioritize democratic values and human rights.

Activities to Highlight:

• Human Rights by Design: Provide examples of supporting technology developers to embed human rights principles into the product development lifecycle (e.g., privacy-by-design, inclusion-by-design).
• Promoting Ethical Tech Business Models: Highlight partnerships with tech firms or startups that incorporate ethical business practices, like developing anti-surveillance or pro-privacy tools.
• Tech for Marginalized Populations: Demonstrate how your organization has promoted technologies that specifically cater to women, minorities, and marginalized groups, ensuring their digital inclusion.

Example:

• Partnering with local universities or innovation hubs to develop curricula or incubator programs for rights-respecting technologies and ethical tech entrepreneurship.

Objective 3.Civil Society and Citizen Engagement

Emphasize activities that support civil society’s ability to advocate for digital rights, monitor digital repression, and engage with governments and tech firms.

Activities to Highlight:

• Digital Literacy Campaigns: Show how you have raised public awareness about digital rights, data protection, and the risks of digital repression through campaigns, workshops, or online platforms.
• Civil Society Capacity Building: Highlight training programs for civil society organizations (CSOs) on monitoring, advocacy, and influencing government policies around digital rights and human rights.
• Digital Security for Activists: Demonstrate experience in providing training or resources to protect civic actors, journalists, or technologists from digital repression, such as through secure communication tools or anti-censorship technologies.

Example:

• Developing a coalition of civil society actors to promote policy advocacy and civic engagement in the areas of technology governance and digital rights, with an emphasis on transparency and accountability.

Cross-Cutting Objective 1. Multi-Stakeholder Platforms

Highlight your organization’s experience in convening or participating in multi-stakeholder platforms that bring together government, civil society, academia, and the private sector to discuss and tackle issues of digital governance.

Activities to Highlight:

• Multi-Sectoral Policy Dialogues: Showcase your experience organizing platforms for dialogue on digital governance, involving diverse stakeholders to discuss regulatory reforms, human rights, and technology’s role in democracy.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Provide examples of successful collaborations with the private sector to advance human rights in digital spaces (e.g., working with tech companies to improve transparency in algorithms or reduce misinformation).

Example:

• Facilitating multi-stakeholder workshops on digital repression and ethical tech use, drawing participation from government, civil society, academia, and private tech firms.

Cross-Cutting Objective 2. Collaborative Learning and Adapting

Emphasize your organization’s capacity to implement adaptive management practices and integrate learning mechanisms that respond to changing environments in real-time.

Activities to Highlight:

• Data-Driven Decision-Making: Demonstrate how your organization uses monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks to adjust program activities based on emerging data or contextual changes.
• Adaptive Program Design: Highlight examples of how you’ve applied CLA principles to modify program strategies and improve outcomes in complex digital ecosystems.

Example:

• Incorporating feedback loops in program design to respond to evolving threats of digital repression, ensuring the program remains contextually relevant.

Global and Regional Policy Influence

Highlight your involvement in global and regional digital policy advocacy, especially in amplifying voices from the Global South in digital governance dialogues.

Activities to Highlight:

• Representation in Global Forums: Show your participation or leadership in international bodies like the Freedom Online Coalition or initiatives like the Copenhagen Pledge for Democracy and Technology.
• Global South Advocacy: Provide examples of how your organization has helped amplify the voices of Global South governments and civil society actors in global digital governance forums.

Example:

• Supporting local governments or CSOs from the Global South in participating in international digital rights coalitions, ensuring diverse voices in shaping global digital policy.

Who Should Apply to ADD RFP?

ChatGPT believes there are several international development organizations that demonstrate the capacity to support digital democracy and address challenges related to digital repression and human rights violations.

Organizations like IREX, Access Now, CIVICUS, IFES, ICNL, and Internews have the expertise, resources, and experience needed to respond to USAID’s Advancing Digital Democracy RFP in the mind of our favorite Generative AI model.

The organizations’ work in promoting digital rights, combating repression, and fostering collaboration among governments, civil society, and the private sector makes them well-positioned to support USAID’s goals of advancing secure, rights-respecting digital ecosystems.

1. IREX

• Capacity: IREX has a strong focus on promoting media literacy, democratic governance, and civil society empowerment, making it well-suited for addressing digital repression and supporting democratic principles.
• Relevant Work: IREX’s Learn to Discern initiative focuses on combating misinformation and promoting media literacy, an essential component of digital democracy. It also works on strengthening civil society through its Global Civil Society Strengthening program, which empowers civic actors and independent media to counter digital authoritarianism.
• Relevance to RFA: IREX’s expertise in empowering civil society and addressing the impact of digital technologies on democracy positions it as a strong candidate for contributing to this RFA.

2. CIVICUS

• Capacity: CIVICUS is a global alliance that strengthens citizen action and civil society across the world, particularly in environments where governments are repressive.
• Relevant Work: CIVICUS runs the DataShift Initiative, which helps civil society use data to drive social change, and the Monitor platform, which tracks civic space restrictions globally. Its work on civic space and digital rights aligns with addressing digital repression and promoting digital democracy.
• Relevance to RFA: CIVICUS’s focus on protecting civic space and its experience in using data-driven advocacy make it a key organization to support the RFA’s goals.

3. Access Now

• Capacity: Access Now is dedicated to defending and extending the digital rights of users at risk globally, with a specific focus on internet freedom, digital security, and the impact of technology on human rights.
• Relevant Work: Through initiatives like the RightsCon summit and Digital Security Helpline, Access Now works on protecting civil society from digital repression, advocating for stronger digital rights protections, and promoting responsible tech policies.
• Relevance to RFA: Its expertise in promoting internet freedom and responding to digital repression aligns with the objectives outlined in the RFA, especially in fostering a secure and rights-respecting digital ecosystem.

4. Human Rights Watch

• Capacity: HRW has long been involved in monitoring and advocating against human rights violations, including those facilitated by digital technologies.
• Relevant Work: HRW’s Technology and Human Rights program investigates and reports on the human rights impacts of digital technologies, including surveillance, censorship, and data privacy abuses. It also advocates for responsible technology governance that respects human rights.
• Relevance to RFA: HRW’s work in combating digital repression and advocating for human rights in the digital space positions it as a valuable partner in any efforts related to digital democracy and human rights.

5. The Carter Center

• Capacity: The Carter Center promotes democratic values, human rights, and conflict resolution. In recent years, it has increasingly focused on the intersection of democracy and digital technologies.
• Relevant Work: The Center’s Digital Threats to Democracy Initiative addresses the impact of digital platforms on democratic processes, particularly around elections, disinformation, and online repression.
• Relevance to RFA: The Carter Center’s experience in combating disinformation and supporting democratic governance through digital means makes it well-aligned with the goals of the Advancing Digital Democracy RFA.

6. International Foundation for Electoral Systems

• Capacity: IFES works to advance good governance and electoral integrity through a rights-based approach to elections and democracy.
• Relevant Work: IFES’s Digital Democracy programs focus on safeguarding elections from digital threats like disinformation and cyber-attacks. The organization also works on promoting inclusive elections, particularly in fragile democracies facing challenges from digital repression.
• Relevance to RFA: IFES’s emphasis on secure, inclusive, and rights-based digital elections aligns with the RFA’s objectives, particularly in empowering democratic governance through the responsible use of technology.

7. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law

• Capacity: ICNL specializes in promoting the legal environment for civil society, philanthropy, and citizen participation, with a growing focus on the intersection of law and digital rights.
• Relevant Work: ICNL’s Digital Rights and Technology program advocates for the protection of civil society space in the digital era, particularly against restrictive laws that curb freedom of expression or enable surveillance.
• Relevance to RFA: ICNL’s legal expertise in protecting civic space and addressing the challenges of repressive digital governance directly ties into the first objective of the RFA, focusing on legal and regulatory frameworks.

8. Open Technology Fund

• Capacity: OTF supports projects that advance internet freedom in repressive environments, focusing on digital security, anti-censorship technology, and privacy.
• Relevant Work: OTF funds a range of initiatives, including circumvention technologies that protect users from censorship and surveillance, and tools that promote secure communications for civil society and journalists in authoritarian regimes.
• Relevance to RFA: OTF’s focus on digital security and freedom from repression makes it a critical actor in supporting civil society and digital democracy in environments vulnerable to digital repression.

9. Internews

• Capacity: Internews is a global organization that builds media capacity to foster free and open information ecosystems.
• Relevant Work: Through its Digital Rights programs, Internews supports civil society and independent media to engage with technology in ways that promote digital security and information access. Its focus on fostering independent journalism is key to combatting digital repression and misinformation.
• Relevance to RFA: Internews’s emphasis on media freedom and civil society empowerment in digital environments aligns with the RFA’s objectives to ensure digital ecosystems support human rights and democracy.

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