

Billie manages the Access Now Grants program, which supports civil society organizations and activists working to advance digital rights and human rights and protect users at risk around the world. She comes to Access Now from American Jewish World Service, where she supported grassroots organizations working for justice, equality and accountability in Asia. Previously she has worked with Ashoka in Washington, DC and has lived and volunteered in Thailand and Palestine. She holds a MA in International Development Studies from George Washington University and a BA in Anthropology from Boston University. She credits her time spent in Palestine, Sri Lanka and Burma/Myanmar for inspiring her commitment to the security of human rights activists under threat and her belief in the power of grassroots social movements.

Blog
Meerim Ilyas to help Access Now Grants target support for digital rights activists at the front lines
We’re excited to welcome Meerim Ilyas to the Access Now Grants program’s Advisory Board, and to share her reflections on the human rights challenges we face and how funding organizations should respond.…
14 October 2020

Blog
Human rights are the ballast: how we’re supporting the activists defending your rights
In the midst of COVID-19, and at a time of upheaval and mass protests in countries across the globe, the world is shifting significantly for all of us, at both the micro and macro levels. Human rights are exactly the…
18 June 2020





