$1.5 million awarded in grants to promote Internet resiliency during disaster response

We have awarded $1.5 million in a first round of grant funding to three organizations through our Resiliency program. This funding will support projects that increase network resiliency in communities prone to natural and climate-related disasters, ensuring these communities are better able to prepare for and withstand the effects of a disaster on Internet connectivity.

“When a disaster like an earthquake or cyclone strikes, connectivity to the Internet becomes a vital tool – both for people in need and those responding to the emergency. Through these grants, we aim to support communities to reduce vulnerabilities and build the capacity and resilience to navigate future emergencies.”

Sarah Armstrong, Executive Director of the Internet Society Foundation

The selected projects include:

• Fundacja Help.NGO Polska – Providing Internet connectivity equipment, training and personnel to equip non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government agencies, and Internet Society Chapters with the capacity to respond to sudden onset emergencies and man-made emergency situations in their communities. Targeted countries include El Salvador, Kenya, Pacific Islands, Haiti, and the territory of Puerto Rico.

• NetHope, Inc. – Enhancing preparedness and response capacity in Ghana, Guatemala, Japan, and Nicaragua by providing disaster telecommunications kits and training, as well as establishing an emergency response task force in each region. This combination of activities will prepare local communities to respond effectively during the initial phases of a crisis, while building the capacity and resilience to withstand future disasters.

• Télécoms Sans Frontières – Bringing Internet connectivity kits and training to rapid-response emergency personnel, working through regional response centers including the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Agency and the ASEAN Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management (AHA Center). This effort will ensure that the emergency response teams in each institution have the technical skills to rapidly deploy, maintain, and repair the equipment, and thus be ready to respond to any humanitarian emergency that requires connectivity. Targeted countries include Barbados, Indonesia, Jamaica and the Philippines.

We will launch our next call for grant applications in the first quarter of 2022. More information on future calls for applications can be found here: See our grant programs