Our Supporters

OpenMedia is majority funded by small donations from individual supporters just like you! Many of our supporters give monthly, while some community members prefer to support us through one-time gifts.

Your donation supports us as an independent digital rights advocacy organization funded by people, not big corporations or governments. You let us be a rare bird; an organization that can hold corporations, political parties and the government equally accountable when they act against your digital rights and make the internet less accessible, affordable or free.

We collect as little data about our donors as possible, only what we need for billing purposes. As a result, we don’t know our donors’ age, gender, background, or political affiliation, and we do not screen donors.

Our priority is advocating on behalf of our donors’ values; access to affordable Internet, freedom of expression online, and digital privacy. For any questions about donations, please get in touch with us at [email protected].

Why do people give to OpenMedia?

Our donors give for a huge variety of reasons, including:

• Helping us advocate for affordable Internet and wireless for all;
• Concerns about government and corporate surveillance;
• Belief in freedom of expression online;
• Valuing the work that we do to educate the public about key issues;
• Empowering us to fight back against Big Telecom, Big Tech, and Big Cable lobbyists;
• Belief that an open Internet creates a more collaborative world.

If you are already a donor, thank you so much! Our work and our impact is simply not be possible without you.

For any questions about our issues or campaigns, please get in touch at [email protected].

What does my donation pay for?

Campaigns & Advocacy

• We develop email campaigns, petitions, and input tools to consultations, so that you and thousands of other people can easily speak up and have your concerns heard by government;

• We testify in many government proceedings and meet with policymakers from every party in favour of an open, accessible and private Internet that empowers you.

Research & Education

• We care about getting it right. We do in-depth research and policy examination to figure out what's going on with an issue, and break it down in plain language for you, your friends, and your family.

• We produce educational materials like blogs, videos, FAQs that share that understanding as simply as we can.

Organizational Supporters

Below is a list of organizations that have contributed $500 or more to OpenMedia’s work over the course of the 2022-23 fiscal year:

Platinum/20,000+

Teksavvy, DuckDuckGo

Gold/$10,000+

Tucows, Internet Society

Silver/$5,000+

Twitter, CNOC

Bronze/$1,000+

Digital Lift Grant, Oxio, Windscribe

In-Kind Donations

TunnelBear, Internet Archive, NordVPN

*Thank you to the many more small businesses who contributed to our work. We couldn’t be more grateful.

Funding Transparency Policy

We are a community-driven organization that brings together the needs and priorities of many thousands of individuals who value the open Internet. We also believe transparency is critical. To ensure that our organization remains community-driven, we adhere to these core policies on our funding:

• At least 50% of our annual funding must be from grassroots donors. 
• We aim to ensure that no single source of funding comprises more than 15% of our revenue in a given financial year.
• Members of our board are not permitted to account for more than 5% of overall funding to OpenMedia.
• OpenMedia does not accept donations from political parties, nor do we accept government funding for any of our campaigns or advocacy.
  Note: OpenMedia received the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) to help sustain the organization through the impact of the current COVID-19 crisis. This support is in no way tied to our specific work, but the current economic environment.
• OpenMedia may receive reimbursements for the expenses we incur to participate in government proceedings such as Parliamentary Committee, or regulatory proceedings at the CRTC. 
• OpenMedia works to create broad support for the issues we work on, across a wide range of stakeholders. As a result, OpenMedia does not decline or refund contributions from donors based on their political interests, business models, or personal values.
• OpenMedia reserves the right to decline, refund, or repurpose donations from known hate groups (as defined by the Southern Poverty Law Centre or the Canadian Listed Terrorist Entities).

These values ensure that no single organization, business, or set of aligned funders are permitted to unduly influence our work. These values apply to all of our donors. Click here to download our 2022-2023 audited financial statements.

Editorial Independence Policy

OpenMedia accepts funding from a wide variety of sources who believe in our vision and campaigns, including individual donors, non-profit organizations, and corporations.  

The content of our campaigns is always driven by our mandate to work towards an open, affordable, and surveillance-free Internet, and guided by what our community – donating and non-donating – tells us they want and need. That’s why grassroots support is at the core of our work. Our donors don’t “buy” influence or pick our priorities: they contribute in support of the priorities that we already have.

By maintaining our commitment to diverse and transparent funding sources, we ensure that our individual donor relationships never compromise our broader organizational advocacy independence.

We’re here because we believe in what we’re calling for. We want what is best for the health of the Internet. Whether you agree or disagree with us, you’re welcome to join our community and tell us what you think!