ICANN Launches Grant Program with $10 Million Funding to Advance a Global, Inclusive Internet

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the nonprofit organization that coordinates the Domain Name System (DNS), announced the ICANN Grant Program, which will make millions of dollars in funding available to develop projects that support the growth of a single, open and globally interoperable Internet. ICANN is opening an application cycle for the first $10 million in grants in March 2024.

Internet connectivity continues to increase worldwide, particularly in developing countries. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), an estimated 5.3 billion of the world’s population use the Internet as of 2022, a growth rate of 6.1% over 2021. The Grant Program will support this next phase of global Internet growth by fostering an inclusive and transparent approach to developing stable, secure Internet infrastructure solutions that support the Internet’s unique identifier systems.

With the rapid evolution of emerging technologies, businesses and security models, it is critical that the Internet’s unique identifier systems continue to evolve. The ICANN Grant Program offers a new avenue to further those efforts by investing in projects that are committed to and support ICANN’s vision of a single, open and globally interoperable Internet that fosters inclusion amongst a broad, global community of users.

Sally Costerton, Interim President and CEO, ICANN

ICANN expects to begin accepting grant applications on 25 March 2024. The application window will remain open until 24 May 2024.

Once the application window closes, all applications are subject to admissibility and eligibility checks. An Independent Application Assessment Panel will review admissible and eligible applications and the tentative timeline to announce the grantees of the first cycle is in January of 2025.