- Proton raised a record $1.27 million and awarded 10 Lifetime accounts
- Grants awarded to 10 community-elected digital rights groups
- Proton Further Supports a Private, Open Internet with Free Tools
Proton’s 2025 Lifetime Account charity fundraiser generated $1.27 million for digital rights organizations.
The news comes just days after the Trump administration decided to withdraw support from 66 Internet freedom organizations and continues to strengthen the company’s reputation as one of the best VPN and secure email providers.
The campaign offered 10 exclusive Proton Lifetime accounts and attracted over 100,000 ticket purchases from over 50,000 participants. The Proton Foundation added another $200,000 from its reserves, raising the total contribution well beyond the $1.2 million milestone and allowing a record-larger pool of funds to be allocated to grant recipients.
Since 2018, Proton has charitably donated over $5 million in grants to aligned organizations.
The pooled money will now be divided among ten beneficiaries selected by the community. A portion will also reinforce past grant recipients who continue to advocate for privacy, free speech, and an open Internet.
Beyond grants, Proton offers all of its apps for free (especially to help people living in places where privacy is threatened), supports open source tools that safeguard online freedom, and takes a leading role in fighting surveillance and censorship.
Fund frontline advocates for online rights
The ten organizations chosen by the Proton community for 2025 fundraising span the spectrum of digital rights work.
European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Société Numérique (Digitale Gesellschaft) are leading the human rights defense effort, using litigation and political campaigns to protect freedom of expression and personal privacy across Europe.
On the technical side, the NLnet Foundation focuses on open source security and resilient Internet infrastructure, improving encryption standards and strengthening the network layers that keep the web functional and resistant to attacks.
Witness Org, Lighthouse Reports, The Insider and Transparency International are investigative journalism and transparency organizations that rely on secure communications to uncover abuse, corruption and state surveillance.
The Human Technology Center and the Open Markets Institute advance ethical technology and public interest research, promoting responsible product design, algorithmic responsibility and competition policies.
Finally, Hack Club runs youth-focused and civic education programs, equipping the next generation with the knowledge and skills needed to protect their digital rights.
Proton’s multi-front approach to a private and open Internet
While fundraising is an important driver of Proton’s efforts to keep the Internet open and secure, the company also offers a suite of open source, privacy-first tools at no cost to everyone.
Proton VPN Free offers unlimited data and a strict no-logs policy, giving users on restrictive regimes reliable, uncensored access to the Internet.
Proton Mail offers end-to-end encrypted email, while Proton Drive provides up to 5GB of free encrypted cloud storage, ensuring personal files remain private even on shared devices. Proton Pass allows users to store passwords and other credentials securely with end-to-end encryption.
During elections and periods of political censorship, Proton has even deployed free VPN servers so people can access uncensored news and information, allowing for more open participation in democratic processes.
Proton not only builds tools, but also drives legal and regulatory changes. He co-founded advocacy coalitions such as the Coalition for Competitive Digital Markets and the Coalition for App Fairness, which work to curb the dominance of Big Tech. The company has even taken direct legal action to defend competitiveness, joining a lawsuit against Apple for anticompetitive practices.
All of these actions combine to reinforce Proton’s core mission: safeguarding a free, private and open Internet for all.
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