Hello friends of Horizontal,

As you probably know, the human rights community is facing existential challenges due to Donald Trump’s executive order freezing all foreign assistance programs. 

Much of Horizontal’s funding is affected by the order. Overnight, we went from having secured funding for the next two years, to losing most of it. Our current savings can support our financial needs for less than three months. By the end of April, unless we secure new funding, we may have to lay off the entire team and file for bankruptcy. 

It’s not just our team and Horizontal as an organization that are threatened; it’s also the tools we built and the communities that depend on these tools:

  • Tella: a mobile app used to encrypt files and securely document human rights violations. Tella has been downloaded over 50,000 times and is used by activists, journalists, and human rights defenders in some of the world's most repressive places.
  • Shira: a phishing quiz designed to teach users to identify and defeat phishing attacks coming from email, SMS, or messaging apps. Though Shira is still in its infancy, we have already delivered over 3,000 quizzes and we have big plans to make it more useful to digital security educators around the world.

These are products we have spent years building, in close collaboration with communities on the ground. With political regimes increasingly bent on repression and destruction, we fear that our partners will be in even more danger without our tools and support. 

But we are determined to keep Horizontal alive, ensure all team members keep their livelihoods, and continue providing our partners with the digital security they need to stay safe. As we work toward building a more independent and sustainable path, we are asking our friends and partners for support. 

If you have the capacity, here are a few ways you can help Horizontal survive this moment:

  1. Donate: as we build new revenue streams to become a self-sustaining organization, we are seeking 250 dedicated donors to commit to a monthly donation. Contribute here if you can!
  2. Hire us to build your tech: we’re launching Horizontal Labs, a full-service tech development consultancy for mission-driven businesses and organizations. Our services include software development, UX design, infrastructure management, and general consulting about privacy-friendly, open-source, and ethical tech.
  3. Get Shira for your organization or recommend it to your network: we're launching subscription plans for people who want to use Shira to build custom phishing quizzes for their organization or community. Shira is easy to use, super customizable, and privacy-friendly. You can learn more about subscription plans or get in touch to tell us about your needs!

Or please share this message with your networks--we posted about our efforts on LinkedIn, Instagram, Mastodon, and Twitter. Any help in spreading the word is appreciated.

In solidarity,
The Horizontal Team