[Chapter-delegates] On funding dedicated to chapters

[Anna Amoomo-David]

Hi Andrew
 Thank you Very much for the short email. I had over alot of ground in
understanding the work of the fondation. The outline of our applications
short comings and ways to better improve.

amoomoanna at gmail.com
+246814560238


On Thu, Sep 30, 2021 at 10:02 PM Andrew Sullivan via Chapter-delegates <
chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org> wrote:

> Dear colleagues,
>
> Of late there has been some discussion on this list about various
> concerns, some of which involve money for projects.  This message is
> perhaps too long, but it is an attempt to lay out information about certain
> parts of the way we fund chapters & I'm not good enough to make this
> shorter and still complete.  I offer an initial summary for those who don't
> want all the detail.
>
> The short version:
>
>         The Internet Society and Foundation provide more than one way for
> chapters to receive money of differing amounts. Some chapters cannot
> receive any money, due either to local restrictions, or US laws and
> regulations, or both.  Some of the money is available specifically to fund
> projects that chapters want to undertake, and that availability is subject
> to grant processes the Foundation has adopted according to sector best
> practices.  Sometimes, chapters are disappointed in their applications
> because their application did not meet all the requirements of those
> processes, but Foundation staff normally attempt to work with applicants to
> explain how they could be successful.
>
>         The chapter-dedicated grant program, Beyond the Net, has been
> mostly consistent in its successes, but it could be better. We are working
> both to improve the grant processes to make them as easy as possible, while
> also offering the training and advice that chapters might use to improve
> their potential to receive more grant money not just from the Foundation,
> but from any source.  We undertake consultations with chapters to help with
> that work. Many details below.
>
> Background:
>
>         There are two mechanisms of dedicated funding for chapters.  The
> first is the chapter admin fund.  This is a general subsidy provided by the
> Internet Society to any chapter that applies and can meet certain minimum
> requirements to receive the funds.  We cannot provide money from this fund
> to chapters that cannot have a bank account in the name of the chapter;
> that restriction is in part due to US tax law (to oversimplify, if it goes
> to an individual "on behalf of" the chapter, it's US-source personal income
> and the individual becomes subject to the US Internal Revenue Service.  We
> also can't demonstrate in that case that the money went to support our
> charitable purpose.  I hope it is obvious why these things are bad).  We
> also cannot provide money to chapters in a jurisdiction where the laws make
> it illegal for us to transfer the money in (for I hope even more obvious
> reasons).  Finally, we will not provide funds to chapters who are not in
> good standing.  (This is an Internet Society policy and could in theory be
> changed, but I think I have never heard anyone who was not a representative
> of such a chapter ask me to extend funding to a chapter not in good
> standing.)
>
>         The primary means of _project_ support from the Internet Society
> for chapters is the Beyond the Net (BtN) grant program.  This program is
> several years old.  When the Foundation was being established (obviously,
> before any Foundation staff had been hired), the Internet Society hired a
> consultant to do a general evaluation of the grant programs the Internet
> Society was operating.  The evaluation of BtN, which included conversation
> with many different community members, was that it was good but had
> opportunities for improvement.  The first was to ensure quality control for
> grants.  The second was to streamline the process.  The third was to
> improve measurement and evaluation.  The fourth was to strengthen the
> ability of applicants (in this case, chapters).
>
>         When the Internet Society Foundation was established, we adopted a
> principle that straightforward grant activities in general should be
> managed by the Foundation, because it has the necessary grants management
> expertise and infrastructure.  Therefore, BtN is operated by the
> Foundation.  Under this program, the Foundation provides funds to the
> Internet Society with restrictions on their use, such that they must be
> directed according to the original application.  The reason the flow
> happens through the Internet Society, despite the Foundation granting the
> money, is because the Foundation is allowed only to grant money to other
> 501(c)(3) charities or equivalent.  Many chapters do not qualify for such
> status, so only the Internet Society can actually transfer the money.
> (Please note that this does not mean that the Internet Society can grant to
> anyone: OFAC restrictions and national law restrictions in the target
> jurisdiction still apply, and there isn't a way we have found to get around
> those restrictions without breaking laws.)
>
>         It should be noted that there is no restriction on chapters
> applying for other grants within the Foundation programs, and we have had
> chapters apply to other programs (sometimes with partners) and succeed.
> Those other programs, it must be noted, have barriers for chapters who
> cannot qualify as the equivalent of a US public charity, or who do not have
> a record of handling larger amounts of money.  This is an extra reason why
> we believe the BtN program is so important: it not only provides a
> chapter-dedicated source of funding, but also provides a means by which
> chapters can develop their skills at obtaining grants from many sources.
>
> General principles:
>
>         There are several principles that guide the Foundation in awarding
> grants to applicants.  These are in keeping with best practices across the
> philanthropy sector, and I think they should be largely uncontroversial:
>
>         • Is the application complete?
>                 If an application is incomplete, then by definition it is
> not ready to receive the funds.
>
>         • Does the application meet the eligibility requirements?
>                 An application that does not meet this test should not (or
> cannot) be funded.  For instance, an application to BtN that comes from an
> organization that is not an Internet Society chapter should not, by
> definition, receive funds under BtN.
>
>         • Does the applicant have history of capability with a grant near
> to this scope?
>                 In order to ensure that grants are made prudently, it is
> important to know whether the recipient is likely to be able to manage the
> funds in question well.  A good way to know that is to know about a history
> of managing funds of similar or smaller amounts well.  The application of
> this principle, obviously, rises according to the amount; but must also
> take history into account.  Someone who has  consistently handled $100 at a
> time well, but never more than that, might be overwhelmed by $500,000; but
> also someone who has repeatedly failed to handle $3000 properly (never mind
> $500,000) should not be a candidate for another $3000.
>
>         • If a previous grantee, did the applicant fulfill the terms of
> that grant?
>                  One particularly important requirement of grants is that
> they always deliver a report to show that the money was used for the
> purposes for which it was granted.
>
> Beyond the Net Small:
>
>         The BtN small grants program description is found at
> https://www.isocfoundation.org/grant-programme/beyond-the-net-small-grants/.
> Chapters  must be in good standing to be eligible.
>
>         It is fairly tightly scoped, with a maximum grant of $3500 and a
> maximum duration of 6 months.  There are some constraints on what the money
> may be used for, but this is the most successful BtN program.  Roughly 80%
> of applicants are successful, and this has been consistent for many years.
>
>         If an applicant is unsuccessful, then Foundation staff prepare an
> explanation to the applicant and offer suggestions on what might address
> the reasons for the application being declined.
>
> Beyond the Net Large:
>
>         The BtN large grants program description is at
> https://www.isocfoundation.org/grant-programme/beyond-the-net-large-grants/
> .  As with the Small grants, the applying chapter must be in good standing
> to be eligible.
>
>         These grants are for up to $30,000 with a maximum duration of 24
> months.  The Large program has some thematic areas in which they try to
> work (as of this writing, they are establishing or facilitating
> connectivity, growing local Internet-related knowledge and skills,
> understanding Internet usage and local needs, and promoting innovation; but
> they can change from time to time).  On an exceptional basis, grants might
> fall outside the thematic areas.  The selection committee includes members
> of the community, and its make-up at any time can be found on the web page.
>
>         As is probably expected, larger grants require more application
> effort, and the application is expected to include some Key Performance
> Indicators as part of the proposal.  As with small grants, any time an
> application is unsuccessful staff explain the reasoning and offer
> suggestions on what could lead to success.
>
>         It is clear that we have more to do to make the application
> process work better for chapters, because the success rate for large grant
> applications is rarely higher than roughly 50% and so far this year the
> success rate has been only 30%.  Staff work to try to help applicants
> sharpen their applications in an effort to improve the success rate, but
> ultimately the decision is made by the selection committee.
>
>         Historically, the biggest impediment in the BtN application
> process was the deadline, which meant that applicants were sometimes
> frustrated because they could not achieve everything in time.  We removed
> that restriction, which also means that a declined application can be
> adjusted and re-submitted if the applicant wishes.  We are always, however,
> trying to refine and streamline the process.  Note that there is a survey
> out now in an effort to better support the Chapters and ensure a
> participatory approach.  The survey closes on 13 October, so if you have
> views please send them.
>
> Community support:
>
>         In an effort to make all applicants to programs of the Foundation
> more successful, the team has put together a number of resources to help.
> See https://www.isocfoundation.org/resources/.
>
> The Internet Society chapters remain at the centre of what we do and the
> Foundation's grant-making activities, and the Foundation team is committed
> to developing and supporting chapters' capacity building in order to
> increase the grant amounts, and generate and diversify the funding
> opportunities.
>
> I hope this overview is helpful to the community.  If you have further
> questions regarding Beyond the Net, please direct them to the Foundation at
> <beyond_the_net at isocfoundation.org>.
>
> --
> Andrew Sullivan
> President & CEO, Internet Society
> sullivan at isoc.org
> +1 416 731 1261
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