Mainland China 2021

China (Mainland) 

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)

Collaborative Responses to Democratic Threats Phase III

$581,224

Public Summary: To amplify the dissenting voices of policy experts inside China; to sustain civil society in China by increasing the capacity and access to information of CSOs; and to nurture the next generation of young civil society leaders. The Center will cultivate partnerships between actors within the civil society sector and work with local partners to develop capacity building resources and increase access to information for CSOs and emerging young leaders.  

China Regional

International Republican Institute (IRI)

Transnational Rights Youth Network for Advocacy (TRYNA)

$600,000

Public Summary: To respond to the increasing importance of exile and diaspora communities in countering Chinese Communist Party (CCP) oppression, the Institute will lay the foundation for a sustainable network of transnational youth activists through activities designed to foster joint strategizing and identification of common goals, including workshops on digital security, risk assessment, and communications, as well as a youth advocacy summit.  

China (Mainland) 

Solidarity Center (SC)

Advancing Worker Rights and the Rule Of Law

$793,250

Public Summary: To raise awareness about worker rights violations and promote better enforcement of labor laws, and to combat gender-based discrimination and violence in the workplace. The Center will collaborate with a wide array of partners to implement activities that educate workers about their legal rights, develop activists and worker leaders, and build their capacity to address various workplace concerns and improve working conditions. The project will provide financial and technical support to public interest lawyers to litigate cases involving gender-based discrimination and violence at work. It will also support partners to raise public awareness about various worker rights violations and develop policy recommendations. 

China (Mainland) 

Universal Rights
$330,000
Public Summary: To provide access to censored media, news, and information websites through a free and safe Internet platform. This project will maintain a web browser application that gives citizens free access to objective information and fosters use of websites that focus on democracy, human rights, and civil society. In addition, the organization will work to develop new tools to accurately track and assess increased government censorship and control of the open internet in neighboring jurisdictions.

China (Mainland) 

Universal Rights

Empowering Citizen Journalists to Defend Human Rights
$87,000
Public Summary: To raise public awareness and understanding of human rights and public policy issues through innovative multimedia reporting and advocacy initiatives, and to enhance the capacity of citizen journalists. The organization will document human rights violations, advocate for public policy reforms, support citizen journalists to increase and improve their reporting and analysis, and promote the use of art in political commentary. 

China (Mainland) 

Universal Rights

Strengthening Worker Rights and Representation
$170,000
Public Summary: To increase awareness of labor rights issues and improve workers’ legal knowledge to protect and advocate for their interests. The organization will produce investigative reports on labor rights violations and conduct workshops and training for workers on labor laws, promotion of rights defense, and emerging issues of concern. Additionally, the organization will assist investigations on the use of forced and prison labor to hold rights violators accountable in appropriate venues. 

China (Mainland) 

Democratic Governance

Empowering Citizens to Defend Property and Privacy Rights
$152,000
Public Summary: To empower entrepreneurs to protect their property rights, and support activists to preserve their privacy rights and digital security. The organization will build skills in using legal tools, sustain networks of stakeholders, and coordinate legal assistance. The organization’s digital security work will focus on providing up-to-date knowledge to activists to ensure they adopt digital security best practices.

China (Mainland) 

Democratic Governance

Empowering Environmental Rights Activists
$100,000
Public Summary: To support a network of environmental groups to conduct advocacy and public outreach and to promote citizen engagement and government accountability related to environmental pollution. The organization will monitor and document pollution and help local partners promote citizen engagement to ensure compliance by local governments and businesses, increase access to justice, and empower new environmental activists. 

China (Mainland) 

NGO Strengthening 

Supporting Frontline Human Rights Defenders and Incubating Grassroots Advocacy Organizations
$95,000
Public Summary: To build the capacity of NGOs, support seasoned activists, and engage new activists, equipping them with skills to be effective human rights defenders and to reduce the risks they face in an increasingly repressive environment. 

China (Mainland) 

Democratic Governance 

Defending and Strengthening International Rule of Law Against Authoritarian Influence
$36,020
Public Summary: To defend and strengthen international legal procedures and norms to protect individuals at risk of extradition. The project will conduct research and public awareness campaigns to expose existing gaps in bilateral and multilateral extradition agreements or practices that result in the transfer of political dissidents or members of persecuted ethnic and religious groups to jurisdictions with concerning human rights records. The project will also engage in a series of targeted international advocacy actions. 

China (Mainland) 

Universal Rights

Protecting Free and Open Access to Online Information
$440,000
Public Summary: To provide access to censored media, news, and information websites through a free and safe Internet platform. This project will maintain a web browser application that gives citizens free access to objective information and fosters use of websites that focus on democracy, human rights, and civil society. In addition, the organization will work to develop new tools to accurately track and assess increased government censorship and control of the open internet in select jurisdictions.

China (Mainland) 

Democratic Governance

Fortifying the Rule of Law to Protect Human Rights
$17,036
Public Summary: To strengthen the rule of law by equipping lawyers to combat the use of torture and the inequitable application of criminal penalties, and to protect the right to equal access to education. The organization will train lawyers to address the use of torture and other police abuses through research and legal advocacy, address discriminatory educational policies through research and public engagement, and conduct research on the extrajudicial persecution of select religious and ethnic groups. 

China (Mainland) 

Universal Rights

Empowering Religious and Ethnic Minorities and Calling for Accountability
$69,912
Public Summary: To empower an international advocacy network to hold the government accountable for egregious human rights violations through developing advocacy resources, coordination, and strategic action across democratic institutional mechanisms. The organization will develop resources to equip the victim communities with knowledge and skills to advocate and expose abuses.

China (Mainland) 

Universal Rights

Supporting Freedom of Information and Countering Digital Authoritarianism
$950,000
Public Summary: To strengthen freedom of expression, provide access to uncensored news and commentary, document the use of surveillance and censorship technologies domestically and internationally, and support a global network to counter digital authoritarianism. The organization will increase access to information in and from censored internet space, document and analyze material relevant to the government’s manipulation and censorship of information and support an international network of stakeholders to share expertise on the impact of digital authoritarianism on democratic institutions.  

China (Mainland) 

Democratic Norms, Ideas, and Values

Promoting Democratic Values and Discourse among Democratic Activists
$35,000
Public Summary: To promote awareness of democratic values among the Chinese public domestically and abroad, and to inform the international community about the human rights situation within mainland China. The organization will continue its outreach through circulation of written analyses of and information about Chinese governance through its website and social media channels. Organization staff will also give interviews to international and Chinese press and engage in online and in-person events focused on advocacy and awareness-raising.

China (Mainland)

Universal Rights

Supporting Rights Defenders and Strengthening Local CSOs
$150,000
Public Summary: To support, aid, and defend human rights defenders and their families, produce reports, and engage in international advocacy on rule of law and human rights abuses to mitigate risks to rights defenders. The organization will provide legal aid and direct assistance to human rights defenders and their families, work with other civil society organizations to improve litigation strategies and approaches, and advocate on their behalf. The organization will also produce reports to identify and raise awareness of new developments that implicate human rights abuses. 

China (Mainland) 

Rights of Marginalized Populations

Strengthening Civil Society to Protect Rights and Promote Accountability
$225,000
Public Summary: To strengthen the capacity of civil society and legal actors to advocate for human rights and expand access to justice for vulnerable and marginalized groups. The organization will build the capacity of civil society organizations and lawyers to conduct policy advocacy and rights defense on a diverse range of topics by organizing events, coordinating legal aid and advice, and conducting public advocacy campaigns for policy and legal reforms.

China (Mainland) 

Human Rights

Supporting Rights Defenders and Strengthening Regional Advocacy
$80,000
Public Summary: To build the capacity of human rights defenders and legal professionals to engage in rights defense, and strengthen and expand international advocacy for and awareness of persecuted human rights and democracy activists. The organization will work with partners to provide trainings and support for rights defenders. It will also strengthen and expand networks of stakeholders advocating for persecuted groups in the region by preparing submissions for international bodies and engaging in targeted outreach efforts to the legal community.

China (Mainland) 

Rule of Law

Supporting Civil Society to Advance the Rule of Law
$500,000
Public Summary: To advance the rule of law by supporting civil society organizations and legal actors to defend human rights. The organization will support work addressing systemic abuses in the justice system, including torture and lack of access to a fair trial; equal access to education for marginalized populations; and advocacy on the rights of vulnerable groups. 

China (Mainland) 

Human Rights

Improving International Advocacy Skills of Rights Defenders
$99,950
Public Summary: To strengthen the effectiveness and influence of human rights defenders engaging in international advocacy and multilateral coordination efforts, and to improve the safety and sustainability of these advocacy strategies for activists. The organization will partner with rights defenders to execute advocacy strategies at the international level and build their skills to sustainably engage in such work. It will also guide coalitions of peer organizations to implement multilateral advocacy initiatives. The organization will research methods of government reprisals and promote countermeasures.

China (Mainland) 

Civics

Amplifying Worker-Driven Narratives to Inform and Advance Labor Rights Activism
$72,422
Public Summary: To amplify workers’ voices and inform and advance labor rights advocacy through research and analysis of emerging forms of worker activism and related media narratives. The organization will monitor and assess narratives about labor activism in the country and disseminate its findings to stakeholders domestically and internationally to inform advocacy efforts.

China (Mainland) 

Shared Democratic Norms

Supporting Civil Society Advocacy and Sustaining Pro-Democracy Social Movements
$62,500
Public Summary: To educate and train civil society activists on democratization and social movements, and to provide a platform for discussion of democratic ideas and civil society activism, fostering critical links among those who support democracy in relevant locations. The organization will hold seminars and workshops to facilitate the exchange of ideas and cooperation among activists and engage the public to raise awareness and understanding of democratic values and movements.

China (Mainland) 

Human Rights

Enhancing the Capacity of Civil Society to Promote Human Rights
$675,000
Public Summary: To build the capacity of civil society actors to advocate for, promote, and defend human rights, and to foster greater understanding of universal human rights standards and available mechanisms among key stakeholder groups. The organization will provide support to human rights defenders to improve their skills in rights defense and civil society advocacy work more generally. It will also connect rights defenders with opportunities to learn about and engage in international human rights advocacy.

China (Mainland) 

Human Rights

Humanitarian Assistance for Human Rights Defenders
$100000
Public Summary: To provide financial assistance to human rights defenders and democrats at risk who face persecution and hardship due to their work. Through coordination and collaboration with relevant networks, the project will distribute short-term emergency aid to human rights defenders, pro-democracy activists, political thinkers, and their families as they experience harassment and repression as a result of their political beliefs or advocacy efforts.

China (Mainland) 

Accountability and Transparency

Empowering Citizens to Defend Property and Privacy Rights
$55,000
Public Summary: To empower entrepreneurs to preserve property rights, and train activists to protect their privacy rights and digital security. The organization will provide support on legal strategies for citizens facing property rights violations, , and coordinating legal assistance for legal advocacy. The organization will work with activists to adopt digital security best practices. The organization will also support capacity building for junior legal professionals and related casework.

China (Mainland) 

Rights of Marginalized Populations

Defending the Religious Liberty of Persecuted Groups through Media Advocacy
$60,000
Public Summary: To raise international awareness of the persecution of religious groups and support advocacy for their rights. The organization will publish firsthand stories of religious persecution, provided directly by the victims and citizen journalists, on its website. The organization will also analyze domestic policy developments and regulations on religion, and will present its analyses to relevant stakeholders in policy briefings in both closed-door and public sessions.