Deadline: 31-Mar-25

The Internet Society is currently accepting applications for the Connecting the Unconnected funding program to support communities and local organizations working to build and expand Internet infrastructure to connect people living in rural, remote, and low-income areas.

Program Objectives

• Strengthen communities and local initiatives that are connecting the unconnected
• Develop new, innovative solutions to grow the Internet to reach rural, isolated, and low-income areas in all regions of the world

Focus Areas

• Building new complementary access solutions: projects that focus on providing Internet connectivity to underserved or unconnected communities. This could be done through building community networks, municipal networks, cooperatives, and other forms of complementary access solutions.
• Expanding existing complementary access solutions: projects that focus on expanding the connectivity of existing complementary access solutions to connect more people, improve existing connectivity, or enable access to new communities.

Funding Information

• Communities and local organizations can apply to either build a new complementary access solution to connect the unconnected, or to expand an existing one. The funding requested for each application is expected within, but not limited to, the following ranges:

• $15,000-$40,000 USD to build new complementary access solutions to connect the unconnected
• $5,000-$20,000 USD to expand or improve existing complementary access solutions to connect the unconnected

Eligibility Criteria

• Funding to build and expand complementary access solutions to connect the unconnected is available to communities and organizations who are directly involved in the planning and building of local Internet infrastructure.
• Communities and organizations that apply must have:

• A clearly identified person or organization responsible for carrying out the project through its completion and reporting
• Support from the local community that will benefit from the new or expanded Internet infrastructure
• A sustainability plan to ensure that the infrastructure built can stay operational in the long term
• The goal of connecting the local infrastructure to the Internet
• In addition, in order to receive funding, organizations must have an official bank account in their name (based on their legal registration).

Selection Criteria

• A clear and visible need for the suggested Internet infrastructure deployment in the proposed community—underserved or unconnected.
• A clearly identified person or organization responsible for carrying out the project through its completion and report on its results.
• Proven support from the local community that will benefit from the suggested new or expanded Internet infrastructure
• A sustainability plan to ensure that the infrastructure built can stay operational in the long term
• The goal of connecting the local infrastructure to the Internet
• A project plan that lasts up to 24 months
• Additionally, meeting the following criteria helps build a successful application:

• Availability of local technology partners
• General business management skills within the project’s team
• Technical skills within the community
• Availability of local social infrastructure (schools, libraries, hospitals, government facilities)

For more information, visit Internet Society.