Posted on December 7, 2012

Omidyar Network Announces $45 Million Fund to 'Make All Voices Count'

Omidyar Network has announced the launch of a $45 million fund that will support Web and mobile technologies designed to advance the global movement for open government, transparency, and accountability.

Beginning in the spring of 2013, Making All Voices Count: A Grand Challenge for Development will accept proposals from technology-led organizations working to develop tools that provide citizens with better ways to engage with their governments and that enable governments to be more responsive to their citizens. The fund is a public-private collaboration between ON, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the UK Department for International Development, and the Swedish government's International Development Cooperation Agency.

The fund was inspired by the Open Government Partnership, a global multilateral initiative to elevate government performance, empower citizens, and promote inclusive development.

"As the largest fund dedicated to using technology to close the gap between citizens and governments, Making All Voices Count will be a crucial catalyst in accelerating the open government movement," said Omidyar Network partner Stephen King. "Its effectiveness will be realized not solely by the funding it provides, but by the entrepreneurial collaborations it encourages and the replication of successful technology applications it spurs."