The Dutch digital rights organisation, founded in 1999. They challenge surveillance legislation, push back on data collection by governments and platforms, and run strategic litigation. They deliberately refuse government funding to stay independent. ANBI registered, so donations are tax-deductible in the Netherlands.
Hosted by Taride
Commons
A curated guide to European non-profits keeping our digital infrastructure independent, open, and trustworthy.
Why this exists
Most of the web you depend on (encrypted messaging, free encyclopedias, open browsers, secure protocols, independent newsrooms) is kept alive by a small set of organisations that run on donations and grants. They are scattered across Europe. You probably want to support a few, but you don't know which ones, and you don't want to spend an evening tracking down their donation pages.
This is that page.
We focus on Europe, on digital public goods, and on the boring infrastructure that keeps everything working. No platform, no payment processing, no account. You click through to each organisation and donate directly. The list is short on purpose.
How we choose
To be listed here, an organisation must:
- be registered and active in Europe;
- hold non-profit, charitable, or equivalent status;
- work on a digital public good (privacy, open source infrastructure, free knowledge, independent journalism, or open digital standards);
- accept individual donations;
- publish an annual report or otherwise be transparent about how the money is used;
- not depend exclusively on government funding.
We don't take a cut. We don't track you. We aren't paid for inclusion or placement.
This list is curated by Taride, a European trust-infrastructure project. Taride is not on the list itself; we work in this space and chose not to grade our own homework.
Privacy and digital rights
EDRi (European Digital Rights)
The umbrella network for digital rights organisations across Europe, based in Brussels. They coordinate advocacy on EU files like the AI Act, Chat Control, and the Digital Services Act. The natural place to support digital rights work at EU level.
noyb (European Centre for Digital Rights)
Founded by Max Schrems in 2017. They file strategic GDPR cases against large platforms. Wins include the Schrems II ruling that invalidated Privacy Shield. Small team, high impact per euro.
La Quadrature du Net
French digital rights organisation since 2008. Active on mass surveillance, automated decision-making, and platform regulation. They have been at the front of French legal challenges to government tech overreach. Tax-deductible in France.
Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte
German civil liberties organisation. They run constitutional cases on surveillance, data protection, and algorithmic discrimination. Strategic-litigation model with a sharp European focus. Gemeinnützig, so tax-deductible in Germany.
Open source and open standards
NLnet Foundation
A small Dutch foundation that quietly funds an enormous number of open source and open internet projects across Europe, often via EU-backed NGI grants. A donation to NLnet effectively spreads across dozens of downstream projects. ANBI registered.
FSFE (Free Software Foundation Europe)
The European advocacy organisation for free software. They run the “Public Money? Public Code!” campaign pushing governments to release publicly funded software as open source. Membership and regular donations.
The Document Foundation
The non-profit behind LibreOffice, the de facto European alternative to Microsoft Office. Used by millions of people and a growing number of public administrations. Gemeinnützig.
KDE e.V.
The non-profit behind the KDE desktop environment and its applications. One of the longest-running free software communities in the world. Gemeinnützig.
Framasoft
A French association that builds and runs free, federated alternatives to mainstream platforms. Best known for PeerTube (federated video) and Mobilizon (federated events). Survives primarily on small donations. Tax-deductible in France.
Codeberg e.V.
A non-profit, community-run Git hosting platform: a European alternative to GitHub. Based in Berlin. Used by a growing number of open source projects that prefer hosting outside US infrastructure. Gemeinnützig.
Free knowledge
Wikimedia Nederland
The Dutch chapter of the Wikimedia movement. Supports the Dutch-language Wikipedia and related projects, and runs partnerships with libraries, museums, and universities. ANBI registered.
Wikimedia Deutschland
The German chapter, by far the largest in Europe. Funds technical development, runs Wikidata, and supports volunteer communities across German-speaking Europe. Gemeinnützig.
Independent media
Correctiv
A German non-profit newsroom doing in-depth investigative journalism since 2014. Their reporting on the 2024 Potsdam meeting of far-right figures triggered mass protests across Germany. Donation-funded. Gemeinnützig.
Investigate Europe
A cross-border journalism cooperative with reporters in twelve European countries. They produce single investigations that run simultaneously in national outlets across the continent. Supported by foundations and individual readers.
Follow the Money
Dutch investigative platform focused on business, finance, and power. Membership-driven, so support is via subscription rather than donation. Less reliant on giving than the others, but worth including for completeness.
Fonds pour une presse libre
A French press freedom fund associated with Mediapart. Supports independent investigative journalism and legal defence of journalists. Tax-deductible in France.
Reporters Without Borders
International press freedom organisation, headquartered in Paris. Tracks press freedom violations, defends journalists, and pushes for legal and policy change. Tax-deductible in France.
Open AI and digital infrastructure
LAION
A German non-profit releasing open datasets and models for AI research. The LAION-5B dataset underpinned Stable Diffusion. The closest thing Europe has to an open, donation-supported counterweight to closed AI labs. Gemeinnützig.
Matrix.org Foundation
The non-profit foundation behind Matrix, the federated, end-to-end encrypted messaging protocol. Used by the French and German governments for internal communications. A genuine open European alternative to centralised messengers.
PublicSpaces
A Dutch-led coalition of public organisations (broadcasters, libraries, museums, universities) working towards a public-values-driven internet. They build and promote alternatives to commercial platforms for the public sector.
A note on what's missing
Some of the most important European digital sovereignty work is funded by governments and the EU rather than donations. The Sovereign Tech Agency, OpenEuroLLM, and the EuroHPC AI factories don't take individual contributions. We mention them for context: if you want to support that work, the route is political, not financial.
Suggest an organisation
If you know a European non-profit that meets the criteria and isn't here, get in touch. We keep this list short on purpose, but we want to know what we're missing.
Contact: info@taride.org
About
Commons is a project of Taride, a European trust-infrastructure initiative. We work on protocols for digital identity and integrity. This list is one small contribution: showing where else to support the European digital public goods we all depend on.
Last updated: 19 May 2026. We are not lawyers or tax advisors; check the deductibility of donations with your own tax authority. Suggestions and corrections welcome.