The Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation are pleased to announce the opening of applications for the new Community-Centered Connectivity (CCC) grant program, which supports connectivity solutions to increase the availability of affordable, reliable Internet access for digitally excluded communities. Applications are open until 7 May 2026.

Why Community-Centered Connectivity Solutions Matter

Over 2 billion people are still offline. That’s a quarter of the world’s population without access to a tool that enables people to access education, find work, run businesses, connect with public services, and stay in touch with friends and family.

Large-scale efforts by governments, the private sector, and multilateral institutions have extended connectivity to most of the world, but these approaches are not enough. In many rural, remote, or underserved communities, the economic models that drive traditional expansion don’t work. But efforts that are focused on communities often do.

“Community-centered connectivity is when connectivity solutions are built for, with, or by local communities themselves,” said Michuki Mwangi, Distinguished Technologist – Connectivity and Insights, at the Internet Society. “These solutions are not imposed. They are designed with direct involvement from the people who will use and maintain them. The CCC Grant Program supports people and organizations doing exactly that.”

What Is the Community-centered Connectivity Grant Program?

The CCC grant program is part of the Internet Society’s effort to help communities bridge the digital divide. It supports connectivity solutions that solve the major barriers to meaningful connectivity for communities: availability, affordability, and adoption. This can take different forms, like fostering Internet adoption by strengthening digital literacy and local capacity to manage and maintain connectivity solutions.

The CCC grant program has two open funding tracks for eligible organizations, based on their organization’s capacity, experience, the scale, and duration of the project they propose. While applications from any eligible organizations are welcome, we will give a strong preference to those working with refugees/displaced communities, Indigenous communities, and women and girls. The open funding tracks are as follows:

• Catalyst Track: Up to USD $50,000 to build at least one new connectivity solution, or expand an existing solution, in a community. This project can take up to 12 months.
• Scaling Track: Up to USD $200,000 to support deployment of proven, successful solutions to improve or expand connectivity to multiple communities. This project can take up to 18 months.

How Do I Know If My Organization Is Eligible to Apply?

Required criteria include being registered as a non-profit or social enterprise and being able to demonstrate the capacity to lead and deliver the proposed project as planned. The full list of criteria is available on the Community-centered Connectivity Grant Program page. The easiest way to determine eligibility is to take the short quiz on the program’s page.

Applications will be open from 17 March 2026 until 21:00 UTC on 7 May 2026 and must be submitted through the Foundation’s grant management platform (Fluxx), in English, French, or Spanish.
If your organization wants to build community-centered connectivity solutions to help make sure everyone has access to the Internet, visit the CCC grant program page, take the quiz, and stay tuned for information sessions designed to help applicants succeed.

Take the quiz and find out if your organization is eligible to apply.

Frequently Asked Questions 

• Why are you focusing on community-centered connectivity? The reality is that communities most affected by the digital divide are also among the most marginalized. At the Internet Society and the Internet Society Foundation, we believe that community-centered connectivity is not just a technical solution. It is a way of addressing exclusion, enabling participation, and building the Internet from the ground up. It ensures that the people who are currently offline are not just passive users, but active creators of their own digital futures.
• What types of solutions are community-centered connectivity? CCC solutions include community networks, cooperatives, Indigenous-led connectivity projects, and many other models. They rely on local governance, use affordable and appropriate technology, and are sustained through flexible models that reflect community priorities.
• Which of the three barriers – affordability, availability, adoption – should my project focus on? We seek proposals that address three barriers of digital divide: Availability, Affordability, and Adoption. For the Catalyst Track, the community-centered connectivity (CCC) solution should address at least two of the three barriers. For both the Scaling and Systems Tracks, the CCC solution should address all three barriers.
• Why do you have a preference for organizations working with refugees/displaced communities, Indigenous communities, and women and girls? What if my project does not focus on these communities? As part of the Internet Society’s 2030 Strategy, we want to leverage solutions that help address issues such as global inequality. Digitally excluded groups, especially Indigenous communities, women and girls, and refugees/displaced communities, are among those who face several other inequalities and challenges that connectivity can help address. Therefore, the CCC Grant Program will give strong preferences for project proposals intending to work with these three specific communities. You are still welcome to apply even if you do not intend to engage and connect these communities.
• Is this program open to Internet Society Chapters? Yes. Note: If your Chapter intends to apply for the Catalyst funding track (up to USD $50,000), your application will be through the Beyond the Net Community-Centered Connectivity focus area. The application for CCC Catalyst and Beyond the Net Community-Centered Connectivity are the same. Chapters can apply for the Scaling funding track (grants up to USD $200,000) providing they meet eligibility requirements.
• What is a deployment? Deployment means installing the physical infrastructure of a connectivity solution, training people who will use the network, communicating about the project with stakeholders, and putting all the business plans into operation. Please read more about what is involved in a deployment in Internet Society’s Community Network Do-It-Yourself Toolkit.
• What is required if I become a grantee? All grantees must submit regular reporting to the Foundation. Reports are due approximately every six months, and a final report is due one month after the project is completed.
• What are some examples of eligible project expenses? Eligible project expenses include connectivity equipment, resources and materials for training, relevant travel costs, personnel/contractual costs, and indirect costs. Please remember to note the currency exchange rate used to draft the project budget.
• Will the BOLT and Connecting the Unconnected grant programs open this year? As part of the Internet Society 2030 Strategy, the Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program will be the connectivity funding initiative at the Internet Society Foundation. We will continue to support existing grantee projects under the BOLT, Resiliency, and Connecting the Unconnected programs until those projects are complete. Thereafter, the BOLT, Resiliency, and Connecting the Unconnected programs will come to a close. You can read more about this in the Foundation’s 2026 Action Plan. 

Questions

If you have any further questions about this program or the application process, please email foundation@isocfoundation.org, indicating that you are seeking answers for the Community-Centered Connectivity Grant Program.

Due to limited staff capacity, we cannot guarantee a response to questions about the program or the application process received within the last 24 hours of the application window. We cannot provide individualized application guidance during the application window.

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