Target Audience

Internet Governance Forum

The Internet Society Foundation’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) funding program supports the organization of IGF events at the 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 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

Focus Areas

The Foundation funds the organization of:

  • IGFs at the national, regional, and global levels. Funding requests can cover the costs of IGF Secretariat activities; costs of hosting the IGF (space rental, catering); and/or costs associated with encouraging diverse participation (publicity, outreach). 
  • Schools of Internet Governance (SIG). SIGs must be affiliated with a particular geography (national or regional). Funding can cover the costs of organizing and running the Schools and/or hosting students (staff time, space rental, catering). Youth-specific SIGs (YSIG) are also eligible. 
  • 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. If requesting funds for travel-related expenses, the Foundation asks that budget requests adhere to the current Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rates as set by the United Nations for the event’s locality. The Foundation does not sponsor travel to the annual global IGF.

Eligibility

IGF and Schools of Internet Governance funding is available to organizations who are directly involved in the planning and execution of a national or regional IGF or a School of Internet Governance. 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).

The planning organization for all IGF initiatives 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, please contact the U.N. IGF Secretariat directly in order to coordinate recognition.

Internet Society (ISOC) Chapters are typically prioritized as eligible to apply for a National IGF or a National School of Internet Governance. 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 this case, other organizations are eligible to apply.

IGF applications must be submitted at least 8-10 weeks prior to the proposed event date. The Foundation requires sufficient time to review applications, conduct due diligence, make determinations, and complete administrative duties for processing funding requests.

Please note: Organizations that do not have an official bank account can apply using a fiscal sponsor who will need to complete and submit the application on behalf of the organizer.

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 area.

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, the applicant has completed and submitted the required report 

Funding

Funding for up to two sponsorships is available per organization each calendar year: one National/Regional/Youth IGF and one National/Regional SIG. Funding is available at a maximum of:

  • USD $3,500 for 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 (national or regional), Youth Internet Governance Forums, or School of Internet Governance (SIG) 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

To be considered, applications must be submitted online using the Foundation’s grant management platform, Fluxx. Applications that are incomplete, do not meet eligibility requirements, or are not submitted at least 8 weeks before the start date of their events will not be considered. Currency exchange rates should be shown in budgets. Please ensure that the most current exchange rate is used.

Helpful Resources

Reporting

Organizations receiving funds for National IGFs or Regional IGFs need to submit their their UN report no more than twelve (12) weeks after the completion of the event through the Fluxx platform. Organizations receiving funds for National or Regional School of Internet Governance and Youth IGFs need to submit a narrative report through the Foundation’s online Fluxx platform no more than six (6) weeks after the event.

Questions?

If you have questions about this program or the application process, please email [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.