Safeguards Accelerator

Accelerating Safeguards in Countries

The Safeguards Accelerator aims to support countries and partners working on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to take an early, practical step on safeguards.
Apply to the First Cohort
Applications Open
Deadline: June 5, 2026

What this program is about

Many countries are already leveraging DPI — such as shared digital systems such as digital identity, payment platforms, and data exchange infrastructure that governments use to deliver services at scale — in different ways.

As these efforts move forward, safeguards matter. They help ensure DPI is more trusted, more inclusive, and better placed to support adoption, innovation, and long-term public value.

Safeguards help strengthen how systems work, how people experience them, and how different actors work together around them. They are not just about reducing harm.

What applicants are applying for

This cohort is open to multilateral organisations or similar entities working with a government institution in-country on DPI that are already engaged in an active DPI initiative.

Applicants will propose one country-based safeguards effort linked to an ongoing DPI initiative. The proposal should be anchored in an existing government collaboration and include a clear approach to engaging civil society as part of the process.

Selected participants will receive:

1

Up to $70,000 in catalytic funding to support an initial 6-month cycle of safeguards mobilisation

2

Guidance and program support including cohort calls and a dedicated programme contact

3

Tools, resources, and examples + connections to a wider safeguards network

What kind of work we can support

The Accelerator is meant for ongoing DPI efforts such as:

1. System-level safeguards work

This includes broader efforts to assess and identify risks, prioritise safeguard measures, and shape a roadmap across the DPI system. In line with the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework, this may include risks related to safety, inclusion, and structural vulnerabilities, such as privacy and security concerns, exclusion, weak recourse, or institutional and technical gaps.

2. Issue-specific safeguards work

This includes efforts towards implementing a specific safeguard measure within the DPI system. 
Areas may include:

Gender
Disability inclusion and accessibility
Displaced or vulnerable populations
Data sharing, consent, and responsible data use
Grievance redress and user recourse
Some projects may focus on an overall safeguards system-level review. Others may already have a clearer entry point in one of these issue areas.

What the Accelerator Programme supports

This program supports an early cycle of country action to help:

Identify risks and opportunities
Prioritise relevant safeguards
Bring key stakeholders and civil society into the process.
Shape a practical roadmap for next steps — a concrete action plan summarising agreed priorities and recommended next steps for the government and partners to act on after the programme cycle.
Implement a specific safeguard measure in cases where the issue is already identified.

The focus is on mobilising action early.

How it works

The applying organisation will work with the government counterpart to propose a country-focused safeguards effort.

One of the key expectations is that civil society is meaningfully brought into the process. This should go beyond one-off consultation and include a clear role for participation in the safeguards effort itself.

For example, applicants may propose establishing a safeguards coalition alongside the government partner, with civil society included as a formal participant in identifying priorities, shaping actions, and supporting follow-through. In other cases, a civil society organization may play a more direct role as a program partner supporting the coordination or delivery of work in the specific safeguards area being advanced.

Timeline

Now

Applications open

May 8, 2026

DEADLINE

Application deadline

June 5, 2026

ANNOUNCEMENT

Selected applicants will be announced

June 2026

during the Open Source Week

Why this matters

Countries are already moving forward on DPI.

The question is how safeguards can be developed alongside those efforts so systems are more trusted, more inclusive, and better able to support their intended public purpose over time.
The Accelerator is designed to help countries and partners start doing that in a practical and collaborative way.

Ready to apply?

Join the first cohort of the Safeguards Accelerator
Application form
Concept note template
Questions? Contact us