- Proton raised a record $1.27 million and awarded 10 Lifetime accounts
- Grants were awarded to 10 community-selected 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 build on the company’s reputation as one of the top VPN and secure email providers.
The promotion offered 10 exclusive Proton Lifetime accounts and attracted more than 100,000 ticket purchases from over 50,000 participants. The Proton Foundation added an additional $200,000 from its reserves, pushing the total contribution well beyond the $1.2 million milestone and allowing a record larger pool of funds to be allocated to grantees.
Since 2018, Proton has charitably donated more than $5 million in grants to customized organizations.
The total money will now be distributed between ten beneficiaries selected by the local community. Some will also empower former grantees who continue to fight for privacy, freedom of expression and an open internet.
In addition to the grants, Proton provides all its applications for free – especially to support people living in places where privacy is threatened – supports open source tools that ensure online freedom, and takes a leading role in the fight against surveillance and censorship.
Funding the frontline defenders of online rights
The ten organizations chosen by the Proton community to fundraise in 2025 span the full spectrum of digital rights work.
European Digital Rights (EDRi) and Société Numérique (Digitale Gesellschaft) are leading efforts to promote human rights, using legal cases 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 robust internet infrastructure, improving encryption standards and hardening the network layers that keep the web functional and resilient to attacks.
Witness Org, Lighthouse Reports, The Insider and Transparency International are investigative journalism and transparency organizations that rely on secure communications to expose abuse, corruption and state-run surveillance.
The Center for Humane Technology and Open Markets Institute conducts research in ethical technology and the public interest, promotes responsible product design, algorithmic accountability and competition policies.
Finally, Hack Club runs youth-focused and civic education programs that equip 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 fundraisers are a key driver of Proton’s efforts to keep the internet open and secure, the company also offers a suite of open source privacy-focused tools at no cost to anyone.
Proton VPN Free offers unlimited data and a strict no-logs policy, giving users in restrictive regimes reliable and uncensored access to the Internet.
Proton Mail provides end-to-end encrypted email, while Proton Drive provides up to 5GB of encrypted cloud storage for free, ensuring personal files remain private even on shared devices. Proton Pass lets users 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 to allow people to access uncensored news and information, allowing more open participation in democratic processes.
Proton not only builds tools, but also pushes for legislative and regulatory changes. It helped found advocacy coalitions such as the Coalition for Competitive Digital Markets and the Coalition for App Fairness, which work to limit Big Tech dominance. The company has even taken direct action to defend competitiveness and joined a lawsuit against Apple over anti-competitive practices.
All of these actions reinforce Proton’s core mission: to ensure a free, private and open internet for all.
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