The Internet Society Foundation’s Beyond the Net Small Grant Program offers funding to support Internet Society Chapters to implement short-term projects with a goal of providing learning and engagement opportunities as well as strengthening the Chapter relationships, partnerships, and presence in the surrounding community.
Program Objectives
- Strengthen the impact of the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation’s mission and global initiatives with complementary local activities
- Develop new and strengthen existing relationships and partnerships at the local level
- Vet new ideas and innovations before planning to implement them through a future Beyond the Net Large grant
Focus Areas
Typical projects are small and short-term in nature, such as events and workshops, trainings and webinars, research initiatives, or testing/piloting an idea for a future Beyond the Net Large project. All proposed activities should help promote an open, globally-connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet for all that positively impacts humanity. Chapters may submit applications that address Internet needs specific to their communities.
Eligibility
Beyond the Net Small grants are available to the Internet Society Chapters only*. Chapters must also meet the following criteria:
- Be in good standing (or pre-rejuvenation – on a case by case basis) and meet the minimum standards as outlined in the Chapter’s Charter.
- Have an official bank account in their name (based on their legal registration) in order to receive Internet Society Foundation funds.
- Are not undergoing a rejuvenation process.
- Have submitted all required reports for other Internet Society Foundation-funded projects.
Chapters may manage a maximum of three active Beyond the Net grants at a time (up to two Small and one Large grant projects). Projects that have already been completed and reported on earlier in the year (or from prior years) are not counted in this calculation; only currently active grant projects.
Proposed projects should be designed with the following parameters:
- Application must be submitted at least one month (4 weeks) in advance of a proposed project. The Foundation requires sufficient time to review, conduct due diligence, make a determination, and complete administrative duties for processing grant requests. (Please note that applications received less than 4 weeks in advance will not be considered, and Foundation funding cannot be used for any expenses incurred prior to signing of the grant agreement).
- Project is implemented during a one to nine (1-9) month period. (Projects longer than nine months will not be considered).
Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements and project design parameters will be disqualified from receiving funding.
Selection
Applications will be reviewed by Internet Society Foundation against the following criteria:
- The proposed project aligns with the overall objectives and priorities of the Beyond the Net program.
- The proposed project is clear, realistic, and demonstrates need.
- The proposed project helps the chapter develop new and/or strengthen existing relationships, partnerships, and presence in the surrounding community.
- The project team has identified relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and established reasonable targets.
Funding
Grants of up to USD $5,000 will be awarded for projects lasting up to nine months.
How to Apply
Applications must be completed and submitted online through the Foundation’s Grants Management System, Fluxx. The Fluxx URL — https://isocfoundation.fluxx.io/auth/saml — was uniquely created for the Internet Society’s Chapter Officer users. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Typically, applicants will receive a decision from the Foundation within one month of submission.
Note: As of 2022, all local, regional, and national Internet Governance Forum (IGF) events and Schools of Internet Governance are managed as a distinct funding area. Applications for IGFs are no longer submitted through the Beyond the Net program, and a Chapter’s active IGF project does not count as part of the maximum limit of the number of simultaneous, active Beyond the Net projects. Please visit the Foundation’s Internet Governance Forum Events page for information on eligibility and how to apply.
Questions?
If you have questions about this programme or the application process, please email [email protected].