Public Interest Technologists Network

What we do

The Public Interest Technologists Network is a community supporting alumni of Ford Foundation, Media Democracy Fund, and Mozilla Foundation fellowship programs. We foster collaboration and seek to grow the impact and sustainability of public interest technology projects around the world.

We now have over 120 members across five continents. Our members have supported foundations, philanthropies, civil society organizations and activists on the frontlines with digital security audits and trainings, strategic litigation, influencing public policies, conducting actionable research, building responsible technology, and creating or contributing to technical standards across a wide range of thematic areas at the intersections of technology, civil and human rights, and democratic values.

Why We Exist

The PIT Network was formed in October 2019 to bring together like-minded alumni from Ford Foundation, Media Democracy Fund, and Mozilla Foundation fellowship programs. We were established as a network that would meet in-person annually, and interact virtually intersessionally, to share, dream, and grow together.

The Covid-19 pandemic forced us to re-think our modalities of engagement. Between 2020 and 2022, we experimented with different forms of virtual engagement and launched a Network Fund to award grants of up to $15,000 to community-led initiatives. In 2023, we returned to our roots and began facilitating in-person events to rebuild our community.These events included gatherings, meetups and workshops during RightsCon in San Jose, Costa Rica, the Team Community Feira in Estoril, Portugal, and alongside the United Nations Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, Japan. We also organized community calls over Zoom, held a virtual Network Fund Showcase to present the work of our 2022 Network Fund recipients to our members, and our Steering Committee met twice a month all year long.

In April 2024, the PIT Network held a Strategic Planning Retreat in Marrakech, Morocco to establish a five-year plan for our future activities.

We Are Community-Led

The PIT Network is guided by a volunteer Steering Committee, whose members are selected from the community to serve a one-year term, renewable once. The current Steering Committee consists of:

• Caroline Sinders
• Celso Bessa
• Nasser Eledroos
• Sarah Aoun

We are currently a fiscally supported project of the Superbloom, with our Network activities funded pursuant to a grant from the Ford Foundation.