Community-Centered Connectivity Grant: Catalyst Track

Note:

• The Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program has three funding tracks: Catalyst Track; Scaling Track; and Systems Track.

The application is open to the public for the Catalyst and Scaling Tracks. The systems Track is an invite-only track. Only applicants invited by an ISOC Foundation staff member can apply.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to register their organization in the Foundation’s grants management system prior to the application window opening.Applications may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish.
Internet Society Foundation
At the Internet Society Foundation, we focus on funding initiatives that strengthen the Internet in function and reach so that it can effectively serve all people.
Program Overview
Over 2 billion people remain offline – about a quarter of the world’s population – and most live in remote and rural, low-income and isolated communities worldwide. Usually, they are not able to connect to the Internet for three main reasons:
Availability: Unavailable or unreliable connectivityAffordability: Local population can't afford to pay for connectivityAdoption: People lack awareness of the internet's benefits
The Internet Society Foundation’s Community-Centered Connectivity (CCC) Grant Program, a core part of the Internet Society’s work to help communities bridge the digital divide, aims to address these challenges by supporting organizations to develop and expand Internet access and increase adoption in digitally excluded communities.
Community-centered connectivity is when connectivity solutions are built for, with, or by local communities themselves. These solutions are not imposed from outside but instead designed with direct involvement from the people who will use and maintain them. They often emerge in places where other models have failed or are not viable.
Through its three funding tracks – Catalyst, Scaling, and Systems – the CCC Grant Program supports organizations of various backgrounds, sizes, and expertise who can offer the best context-specific, community-centered connectivity solutions.
Program Objectives
Support connectivity solutions that solve the major barriers to meaningful connectivity for communities: availability, affordability, and adoption. Solutions should increase the availability of affordable, reliable Internet connectivity among digitally excluded communities.
Increase Internet adoption by strengthening digital literacy and local capacity to manage and maintain connectivity solutions.
Support organizations that build and sustain collaborative partnerships with communities and other stakeholders to implement connectivity solutions and expand their capacity.
Increase organizational capacity of grantee partners to scale their work.
Funding
The CCC Grant Program welcomes eligible organizations to apply to one of the three funding tracks, based on their organization’s capacity, experience, the scale, and duration of the project they propose. While applications from any eligible organizations are welcome, a strong preference will be given to those working with refugees/displaced communities, Indigenous communities, and women and girls.
Up to USD $50,000 to build at least one new connectivity solution, or an expand an existing solution, in a community. This project can be up to 12 months.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following eligibility criteria in order to be considered for a grant:
Be a legally registered non-profit organization or a social enterprise in their country with an official bank account in their name that can receive funds from a foundation based in the United StatesBe well-positioned to implement the project in terms of successful experience managing similar Internet-connectivity work, technical skills of staff and/or partners, and other strengths and capacitiesHave demonstrated support from the local community/communities that will benefit from the connectivity solutionsThe Catalyst Track is open to the public to apply
a preference for organizations that have managed grants over USD$20,000