Grants by the Numbers

The Digital Trust Foundation granted over $6,200,000 in its core phase of grantmaking, which involved a series of RFPs issued in the first half of 2015.

Grant Numbers by Program Area

 Program Area                                                     Number of Grants   Total Amount
1. Privacy Education for Youth 11 $1,290,000
2. Understanding Socioeconomic Status and Online Privacy and Security
  6 $1,793,480
3. Assessing, Preventing, and Addressing Digital Abuse  9 $1,651,000
4. General Funding for Promotion of Online Privacy, Safety, and Security 12 $1,400,000

Grant Numbers by Award Amount

Range  Number   of Grants 
$40,000 – $99,000 8
$100,000 – $199,000 23
$200,000 – $299,000 4
$300,000 – $400,000 1
Over $400,000 2


Geographic Focus

Most of the funded projects tackle privacy, safety, and security issues at a national or general level. However, several grants focus on a particular geographic region, including:

  • Charlotte, North Carolina
  • Detroit, Michigan
  • Harris County, Texas
  • Los Angeles, California
  • New York, New York
  • Rochester Metro Area, New York
  • Rural Appalachia
  • The State of California

Population Focus

Some grants focus on the general U.S. population while others home in on specific categories or groups, including:

  • Middle school students
  • Teens and young adults
  • Low-income youth
  • Parents
  • Low-income adults
  • Teachers and school administrators
  • Consumers
  • Workers
  • Low-wage workers
  • Survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and other digital abuse

Main Grant Activity

It may be useful to get a picture of how many grants focus mainly on conducting pure research, versus developing and disseminating informational resources, versus providing direct services. Classifying the grants in these categories is a bit difficult because the lines among the activities blur. For instance, all of the research grants have a dissemination component (which arguably puts them in the resource development category), most of the grants focused on resource development have a hefty research component, and many of the direct services grants require formal evaluation (which is a type of research). The following is a rough attempt to break down the grants according to their primary activity:

Main Activity Percentage of Grants
Direct Services 16%
Resource Development 50%
Research 34%