Connecting the Unconnected Funding Program

Greater possibilities exist for people with Internet access.

The Connecting the Unconnected funding program supports communities and local organizations working to build and expand Internet infrastructure to connect people living in rural, remote, and low-income areas. This includes initiatives such as community networks, municipal networks, cooperatives, and other forms of complementary access solutions.

If you’d like to learn more about building and maintaining Internet infrastructure, you can find everything you need to know in the Community Network Do-It-Yourself Toolkit.

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.

Eligibility

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).

Application Review Process

There are 2 windows during which applications will be accepted: from 4 February to 31 March 2025, at 21:00 UTC and from 15 July to 27 August, 2025 at 21:00 UTC. Applications are reviewed by the Internet Society, the Internet Society Foundation, and external experts to determine if they meet the eligibility requirements and are aligned with the focus areas. Please note that this process could take up to ten (10) weeks.

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)

Funding

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

How To Apply

Applicants are strongly encouraged to register their organization in the Foundation’s grants management system, Fluxx, prior to the application window opening. Only applications submitted in the Foundation’s grants management system, Fluxx, by the deadline will be considered for funding. We encourage you to submit your application early.

Applications may be submitted in English, French, or Spanish. Incomplete submissions that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be considered (see “Eligibility” section above).

For reference, you can see the required documents for this application: Application form, Budget, Workplan, Equipment Support Request template.

Reporting

The funding recipient organization or community will submit a narrative report directly to the Foundation using the online Fluxx platform. Interim reports are due approximately every six months and a final report is due four weeks after the project is completed.

Questions?

If you have questions about this program or the application process, contact us.