The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) late last month opened the initial application window for the $10 million first phase of a grant program to fund projects supporting “an open, resilient, and globally interoperable Internet.”
The ICANN Grant Program opened for application submissions on March 25. The window will close on May 24. Admissibility and eligibility checks will be conducted through June and July and independent application assessment panel review in August through October.
The program is open to non-profit organizations. Successful applications will be announced in December and the grant agreement negotiations will be conducted in January, 2025.
The organization said that grant applications can be for programs seeking between $50,000 and $500,000 and that the maximum project duration is two years.
The organization highlighted the four types of projects it seeks:
- Benefitting the development, distribution, and evolution of the services and systems that support the Internet’s unique identifier systems.
- Providing capacity development.
- Advancing developments, innovation, and open standards for the benefit of the Internet community.
- Contributing to diversity, participation, and inclusion across stakeholder communities and geographic regions.
“From banking and health to e-commerce and transport, the Internet has become indispensable to our daily lives,” Sally Costerton, ICANN’s interim president and CEO said in a prepared statement. “But there are still far too many people, particularly in less developed countries, who remain offline or who face barriers that prevent them from fully experiencing the benefits that the Internet can bring.
“Through the ICANN Grant Program we will support ideas that advance the evolution and innovation of the Internet’s unique identifier systems for the benefit of a growing, more inclusive Internet community.”
More information about the grant program is available from ICANN at this link.
Many entities are making funding available to increase and improve broadband coverage and advance internet initiatives. Check out Telecompetitor coverage of some of the many other programs and projects at this link.
