The Internet Society Foundation’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) funding program supports the organization of IGF events at the local, national, regional, and global levels, as well as Schools of Internet Governance and Youth Internet Governance Forums. The purpose of the IGF is to encourage an open and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue on policy issues related to Internet governance. The goal of Schools of Internet Governance is to ensure that diverse actors have the skills to participate in Internet governance structures and shape the future of the Internet.
Program Objectives
- Contribute to the development of an open and inclusive multi-stakeholder dialogue on policies and issues related to key elements of Internet governance
- Support the development of a cadre of future Internet governance leaders
,with the skills, knowledge, expertise, and lived experience to positively shape the future of the Internet - Strengthen the impact of the Internet Society Foundation’s mission through multi-stakeholder dialogue and follow-on actions from IGF events
- Follow-on actions from IGFs may include identifying emerging issues at local, national, regional, and global levels, exchanging information and analysis at those various levels, fostering public awareness-building, and helping elevate solutions for decision-makers, in order to advance the free, open, and fair development of the Internet
Focus Areas
The Foundation funds the organization of:
- IGFs at the local, national, regional and global levels. This funding could include covering the costs of IGF Secretariat activities; costs associated with hosting the IGF (space rental, catering); and/or costs associated with encouraging diverse participation (publicity, outreach).
- Schools of Internet Governance. This funding could include covering the costs of organizing the Schools; the costs associated with running the Schools; and/or hosting students (staff time, space rental, catering).
- Youth Internet Governance Forums. This funding could include covering the costs of IGF Secretariat activities; costs associated with hosting the IGF (space rental, catering); and/or costs associated with encouraging diverse participation (publicity, outreach).
Please note that the Internet Society Foundation will not consider requests for fellowship programs or events on the topic of Internet governance that are not IGFs.
Eligibility
IGF and Schools of Internet Governance funding is available to organizations who are directly involved in the planning and execution of a local, national, or regional IGF or a School of Internet Governance at those levels. In addition, in order to receive Internet Society Foundation funding, organizations must have an official bank account in their name (based on their legal registration).
If the proposed IGF initiative is at the national or regional level, the planning organization must be officially recognized by the United Nations (UN) Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Secretariat in order to be eligible for funding.
Recognized national and regional events are generally listed on the UN IGF Secretariat website and meet the core principles for IGFs, as defined in the NRI toolkit. If an event is not currently recognized by the UN, the Foundation will reach out to a representative of the UN IGF Secretariat to verify its eligibility.
If the application is for a National IGF or a National School of Internet Governance, typically Internet Society (ISOC) chapters (in good standing) are prioritized as eligible to apply. The exception to this is if there is no active ISOC chapter in that country or if the chapter is not able to take the lead on the event, in which case other organizations are eligible to apply.
IGF applications must be submitted at least six (6) weeks in advance of a proposed event. The Foundation requires sufficient time to review, conduct due diligence, make a determination, and complete administrative duties for processing funding requests.
Please note: Organizations that do not have an official bank account can apply using a sister organization as a fiscal sponsor. In this case, the fiscal sponsor will need to complete and submit the application on behalf of the organizer. The fiscal sponsor needs to be recognized as a 5013c or equivalent in order to receive the funds.
Application Review Process
Applications are reviewed by Internet Society Foundation staff to determine whether they meet the eligibility requirements and are aligned with the focus areas. Please note that this process could take up to six (6) weeks.
Selection Criteria
The selection criteria against which the Foundation staff will review eligible applications is:
- The proposed event supports the program objectives of the IGF funding
- The proposed event effectively responds to a clearly identified need and issue related to internet governance and internet issues within the relevant communities
- The applicant demonstrates the necessary knowledge and experience to accomplish the event goals
- The applicant has described and identified relevant objectives that demonstrate sufficient expected outcomes relative to the funding level
- If previously funded, has completed and submitted the required report
Funding
One IGF funding is available per organization on an annual basis (per calendar year) at a maximum of:
- USD $3,500 for Local and National IGFs or National Schools of Internet Governance
- USD $10,000 for Regional IGFs and Regional Schools of Internet Governance
Please note: each IGF event (local, national or regional), Youth Internet Governance Forums, or School of Internet Governance can only be funded through a single application. Applicants are therefore asked to coordinate with other organizers to ensure only one application is submitted per event.
How To Apply
Applications must be submitted online using the Foundation’s grant management platform, Fluxx: https://isocfoundation.fluxx.io. Only applications submitted online will be considered.
Incomplete applications, applications that do not meet eligibility requirements, and applications that do not allow sufficient time for review will not be considered (see “Eligibility” section above).
Reporting
The fund recipient organization of National IGFs or Regional IGFs will submit the same IGF report that they submit to the UN twelve (12) weeks after the completion of the event using the online Fluxx platform. The fund recipient organization of National or Regional School of Internet Governance and Youth IGFs will submit a narrative report directly to the Foundation using the online Fluxx platform six (6) weeks after the event.
Questions?
If you have questions about this program or the application process, please email Megan Powers at [email protected].
If you’d like to learn more about Internet Governance, The Internet Society provides an online course to anyone curious to understand how the Internet is governed.
