Money. Identity. Technology.
Follow the money. Find the decision.
Financing durable capacity across competing approaches to digital governance
Oak Foundation is a major philanthropic source behind several of this investigation's most connected organizations. Its grants support child-protection advocacy, advertising-risk work and digital-rights challenges. The foundation traces its resources to the Duty Free Shoppers business associated with Alan Parker.
Oak Foundation is an upstream source of money for several distinct parts of this network. Its resources originated in the Duty Free Shoppers business Alan Parker helped build; its 2023 report also lists him as a trustee. The foundation funds work across child protection, human rights and other causes, often through multiyear awards that support an organization's continuing capacity.
Its 2023 report lists $2 million over three years for 5Rights and $2,368,421 over three years for WeProtect. Those grants support institutions that campaign, commission research and work with policymakers on digital safety. The same report lists $903,614 over three years for the Global Disinformation Index to expand technological work on online disinformation. Oak has described that work in terms of changing the commercial incentives that sustain disinformation.
Its funding also supports organizations resisting intrusive uses of technology and public authority. The 2023 awards include $783,133 for Liberty, $437,349 for Open Rights Group's work with refugee and migrant sectors, and $1,138,554 for Privacy International. Oak's 2025 report adds core-support awards for Check My Ads and the Digital Freedom Fund. The purposes range from advertising transparency to litigation capacity, surveillance safeguards and accountability for data use.
This makes Oak a consequential source of institutional staying power. Multiyear support lets a small organization keep specialists employed, produce arguments and remain present while rules develop. It also gives the network an important complication: organizations receiving support from the same foundation can disagree over the proper reach of digital controls. The award purposes explain what Oak chose to resource; the grantees' decisions and outputs show what that support helped them do.
Assessment updated 2026-09-12
Oak Foundation → Stichting The WePROTECT Global Alliance
Financial year 2023
p16 income under accrual policy at p12. Not proof of a same-year wire or the later 2025 award; restricted project balance is a different measure. Financial details: value: 553,829; currency: EUR; kind: recognised grant income; period: 2023 consolidated group
Oak Foundation → Oak International Human Rights programme
Undated webpage read2026-09-09.
Oak's current programme strategy combines media pluralism, reliable information and an open/accountable digital environment. Strategy is not a specific grant agreement, common political position or instruction to each recipient.
Oak senior funding-decision roles → Oak Foundation
Undated process guide currently linked8 September 2026
Generic Oak process; named decisionmakers for 5 Rights/WeProtect were not recovered. Applicant and Oak sign a grant letter before the transfer.
Oak Foundation → Safe Futures Hub
2023 launch; current hub page captured8 September 2026
Hub and WeProtect publications name Oak support. Amount, grant recipient and routing for each programme instrument must remain distinct.
Alan Parker → Oak Foundation
2023 report
Oak traces its resources to Duty Free Shoppers, which Parker helped build. 2023 report also lists him among trustees.
Oak Foundation → WeProtect Global Alliance
2025 report
Exact award $2,368,421, core support. Not proof of a one-time cash receipt or the whole funding of WeProtect.
Helena Duch → Oak Foundation
Captured8 September 2026
Current official professional role; no named award approval inferred.
Oak Foundation → 5Rights Foundation
2023 report
Core-support award in the 2023 report; not an annual payment.
Oak support for GDI: specified capacity and a commercial intervention ↗
Oak support for Check My Ads: a verified grant, bounded terms ↗
Oak support and Statewatch: a specific limit on the common-funder inference ↗
Oak reports three-year support to these five recipients. Each amount belongs to its own grant year and purpose. The arrows have equal weight; they do not measure financial influence.
Open diagram →Oak’s 2023 report records four three-year awards. Each arrow retains its own amount and purpose. No grant is allocated to the later complaint or a named classification decision.
Open diagram →Follow the named relationships between the main participants in this part of the investigation.
Open diagram →Alan Parker → Source of wealth / trustee → Oak Foundation
2023 report
Oak traces its resources to Duty Free Shoppers, which Parker helped build. 2023 report also lists him among trustees.
Oak Foundation → $2m award / 3 years → 5Rights Foundation
2023 report
Core-support award in the 2023 report; not an annual payment.
Oak Foundation → $2.368m award / 3 years → WeProtect Global Alliance
2025 report
Exact award $2,368,421, core support. Not proof of a one-time cash receipt or the whole funding of WeProtect.
Oak senior funding-decision roles → receive recommendations and approve or decline grants → Oak Foundation
Undated process guide currently linked8 September 2026
Generic Oak process; named decisionmakers for 5 Rights/WeProtect were not recovered. Applicant and Oak sign a grant letter before the transfer.
Oak Foundation → names Oak in consolidated recognised grant income → Stichting The WePROTECT Global Alliance
Financial year 2023
p16 income under accrual policy at p12. Not proof of a same-year wire or the later 2025 award; restricted project balance is a different measure.
Financial details: value: 553,829; currency: EUR; kind: recognised grant income; period: 2023 consolidated group
Oak Foundation → acknowledges support for the joint initiative → Safe Futures Hub
2023 launch; current hub page captured8 September 2026
Hub and WeProtect publications name Oak support. Amount, grant recipient and routing for each programme instrument must remain distinct.
Helena Duch → heads Solutions sub-programme within Prevent Child Sexual Abuse → Oak Foundation
Captured8 September 2026
Current official professional role; no named award approval inferred.
Oak Foundation → reported a three-year core grant → Check My Ads
2025 report; exact approval/start/end dates unknown.
Reported by the cited source
Oak's2025 report lists USD600000 over three years for CMA core support promoting transparency and fairness in digital advertising. Award is not annual expenditure, cash payment, exact grant-start date, or an earmark to the Ofcom response. Oak contracting group entity is unspecified.
Financial details: value: 600,000; currency: USD; kind: reported three-year grant; period: three years; exact term dates unknown
Payment status: unverified
Which legal entity: Printed grantee is Check My Ads; row does not supply EIN or contracting Oak entity.
Oak Foundation → reported a three-year information and analysis grant → Statewatch
2025 report; exact approval/term dates unknown.
Reported by the cited source
Oak2025 lists USD303622 over three years for Statewatch news/information/analysis on EU justice and home-affairs spending. The row does not label this core support. No exact term, payment or funding of its earlier2023 stance is established.
Financial details: value: 303,622; currency: USD; kind: reported three-year grant; period: three years; dates unknown
Payment status: unverified
Which legal entity: Exact contracting Oak entity and legal recipient identifiers not supplied by row.
Oak Foundation → reported three-year core support → Digital Freedom Fund
2025 report; exact approval/term dates unknown.
Reported by the cited source
Oak2025 lists USD631579 over three years of DFF core support for digital rights in Europe. No traced earmark to Liberty, specific case-payment or authority over selection is established.
Financial details: value: 631,579; currency: USD; kind: reported three-year grant; period: three years; dates unknown
Payment status: unverified
Which legal entity: Contracting Oak group entity and precise recipient legal identifier not supplied by row.
Oak Foundation → publishes a human-rights funding strategy → Oak International Human Rights programme
Undated webpage read2026-09-09.
Oak's current programme strategy combines media pluralism, reliable information and an open/accountable digital environment. Strategy is not a specific grant agreement, common political position or instruction to each recipient.
Oak Foundation → reported a three-year 2023 grant → Global Disinformation Index
Listed in2023 report; approval day and term dates unknown.
Reported by the cited source
Oak2023 lists USD903614 over three years for core capacity to expand technological solutions addressing online disinformation. It is not verified annual spending or cash received; no earmark to a later complaint, letter or named classifier decision is established.
Financial details: value: 903,614; currency: USD; kind: reported three-year grant; period: three years; exact dates unknown
Payment status: unverified
Which legal entity: Report does not identify exact contracting Oak group entity or recipient registration identifier.
Governments, funders, campaigners and companies exchange different kinds of power. The consequential moment is when someone turns another institution’s input into a decision.
Read the storyOak Foundation funds both online-safety advocacy and organisations challenging surveillance. Follow the grants, then follow each recipient’s choices.
Read the story