How to Get Funded to Attend ICANN Meetings?

Three Global Programs, One Goal: Getting the Right People Into the Rooms Where Internet Policy Is Made

🚨  DEADLINE ALERT — Act Immediately:  The ICANN88 Community Forum Fellowship application closes 21 August 2026 at 23:59 UTC. If you are reading this around the time of publication, you may have days — not weeks — to apply. Visit icann.org/fellowshipprogram immediately.

ICANN Meetings Are Where Internet Policy Happens. Here Is How to Get There — Fully Funded.

Three times a year, internet governance professionals from around the world gather at ICANN Public Meetings to debate, decide, and develop the policies governing the domain name system, registrar and registry conduct, DNS security, and the architecture of the global internet’s naming infrastructure. These are working policy meetings where outcomes matter, where community relationships form, and where being physically present makes a genuine difference to your ability to contribute.

The honest barrier for most people who want to attend is cost. International flights, hotels, and conference logistics for three meetings per year at rotating global venues represent significant expense — one that most individual practitioners, civil society professionals, academics, and government officials in developing countries cannot absorb personally or through their institutions.

ICANN knows this — which is why it runs multiple funded participation programs specifically designed to remove that barrier for the people whose voices the community most needs to hear. This guide covers every pathway to get funded to attend ICANN meetings: the flagship Fellowship Program, the NextGen@ICANN student pathway, and the special award programs that recognize outstanding community contributors.

Why In-Person ICANN Meeting Attendance Changes Everything?

ICANN holds three types of Public Meetings each year. The Annual General Meeting — held in October or November — is the largest event, convening the full community for policy, technical, and governance discussions across six days. The Policy Forum is a focused mid-year working meeting where active policy development advances intensively. The Community Forum is a shorter, more concentrated gathering. Each serves a different purpose in ICANN’s annual cycle.

The difference between following ICANN’s work online and attending in person is hard to overstate. The formal sessions matter, but the hallway conversations, bilateral meetings, informal networking dinners, and spontaneous discussions between sessions are where working relationships form, where positions are tested, and where real consensus builds. ICANN’s multistakeholder model depends on genuine human connection across stakeholder groups — and that connection happens at in-person meetings in ways video calls and mailing lists cannot replicate.

Community members who show up consistently, engage across sessions, and build relationships across stakeholder groups are the ones who join Working Groups, earn leadership nominations, and make real contributions to ICANN’s policy outcomes. Funded attendance is not a free trip — it is an investment in building the kind of sustained participation that makes ICANN’s governance actually work.

Program 1: The ICANN Fellowship Program — The Main Funded Pathway

The ICANN Fellowship Program is ICANN’s primary mechanism for bringing new voices into its community — targeting individuals from underserved and underrepresented communities who have a genuine interest in or engagement with ICANN’s work but cannot self-fund attendance. Fellows receive full travel assistance: flights, accommodation, meals, and all meeting costs are covered.

The Fellowship is open to candidates from all regions and all sectors — government, civil society, the technical community, academia, and the private sector. You do not need to be a domain name industry professional or existing ICANN community member. What you need is genuine interest in or engagement with ICANN’s work in policy development, DNS operations, or internet security and stability, and willingness to commit to the program’s requirements before, during, and after the meeting.

Eligibility requires you to be at least 21 years old and to complete mandatory ICANN Learn online courses before submitting your application. These courses ensure Fellows arrive with baseline knowledge of ICANN’s work and signal genuine commitment to the review committee. The application is submitted online at icann.org/fellowshipprogram and must be written in English. You need a free ICANN Account to apply — create one at account.icann.org.

Fellows are assigned a mentor — a veteran community member who guides them through the meeting experience. Fellows are expected to attend all Fellowship sessions, participate actively in working sessions, network with alumni and community members, complete post-meeting reviews, and contribute to ICANN policy processes and the alumni network after completion.

🏆  Special Award Programs:  Two special recognitions sit within the Fellowship framework. The Tarek Kamel Fellowship Recognition honors returning fellows who have made outstanding contributions to ICANN’s capacity-building efforts. The Paul Muchene Fellow Award recognizes a selected fellow from the African region with a technical background who contributes to ICANN’s mission — honoring the late ICANN staff member who passed away in August 2022.

Policy Forum Fellowship — For Fellowship Alumni Only

The Policy Forum — ICANN’s mid-year working meeting — has its own fellowship round, restricted to previous ICANN Fellowship Program alumni. If you have completed an ICANN Fellowship, you are eligible to apply for a Policy Forum fellowship. Returning applicants must demonstrate continued active involvement in ICANN communities since their initial fellowship. This creates a clear ladder from first-time fellowship to sustained ongoing participation.

Program 2: NextGen@ICANN — The Student Pathway

If you are a student — undergraduate, postgraduate, or recent graduate — NextGen@ICANN is the dedicated funded pathway designed for you. NextGen supports the participation of emerging young internet governance professionals at ICANN Public Meetings, building the next generation of leaders who will carry the multistakeholder model forward. NextGen participants receive travel support, access to tailored programming, and connection to a global network of young professionals across ICANN’s full range of policy and technical areas. Watch icann.org/newcomers for NextGen application calls specific to each meeting cycle.

How to Apply for the ICANN Fellowship: Step by Step

Applications for the main Fellowship open approximately three to five months before each Annual General Meeting. The exact process:

Create Your ICANN Account An ICANN Account is required to apply. Go to account.icann.org and register for free. You will use this account for all ICANN community participation — create it even if you plan to apply in a future cycle.

Complete the Mandatory ICANN Learn Courses Complete the required ICANN Learn courses at learn.icann.org before submitting. All courses are free. The specific required courses are listed on the fellowship page for each round — check icann.org/fellowshipprogram. Do not leave this to the last minute.

Prepare Your Application Materials The application requires: a completed application form, a CV, and written essays on your background, your interest in ICANN’s work, and how meeting participation would benefit you and your community. Essays must be in English. Start early — rushed applications are visible to selection committees.

Submit Through the Fellowship Portal Submit the completed application at icann.org/fellowshipprogram before the stated deadline. Applications after 23:59 UTC on the deadline date are not accepted. Verify the deadline in your local time zone — UTC is the reference time.

Wait for Results and Prepare to Engage Successful candidates are announced on ICANN’s website approximately 8-10 weeks after the deadline. If selected, you will receive pre-meeting preparation instructions. If not selected this cycle, reapplication is welcomed — many successful fellows applied more than once.

ICANN Funded Attendance Programs: Quick Reference

Program	Who Is Eligible	What Is Covered	Apply At
ICANN Fellowship (AGM)	All regions/sectors; 21+; ICANN interest	Flights, hotel, meals, meeting costs	icann.org/fellowshipprogram
Policy Forum Fellowship	Previous Fellowship alumni; active engagement	Same full funding as main fellowship	icann.org/fellowshipprogram
NextGen@ICANN	Students and recent graduates in IG/policy/tech	Travel support + tailored programme	icann.org/newcomers
Tarek Kamel Award	Returning fellows; outstanding capacity building	Special recognition within fellowship	Awarded at selection
Paul Muchene Award	African region fellows with technical background	Special recognition within fellowship	Awarded at selection

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How many times can I receive the ICANN Fellowship?

You can receive the main ICANN Fellowship up to two times. Returning applicants must demonstrate continued active involvement in ICANN communities since their previous fellowship. After receiving a fellowship, you become eligible for the Policy Forum fellowship — a separate program for alumni attending ICANN’s mid-year working meeting. The Tarek Kamel Fellowship Recognition specifically honors returning fellows making outstanding capacity-building contributions.

Q2: Do I need to be from a developing country to apply?

No. The Fellowship is open to candidates from all regions and all sectors worldwide. While the program focuses on underserved and underrepresented communities, this is not defined exclusively by geography. Candidates from developed countries can and do apply and are selected when their participation would genuinely strengthen the diversity of community representation.

Q3: What ICANN Learn courses do I need to complete before applying?

The specific required courses are listed in each fellowship round’s guidelines at icann.org/fellowshipprogram. All ICANN Learn courses are free and available at learn.icann.org. Plan to complete them well before the application deadline — they take several hours and are required, not optional, before submission.

Q4: What am I expected to do after the fellowship meeting?

Fellows are expected to contribute to ICANN policy development processes and the alumni network after completion. This means staying engaged with ICANN’s work — participating in Working Groups, following policy developments, sharing learning with your community, and supporting future fellows. Demonstrated post-meeting engagement also strengthens future fellowship or Policy Forum fellowship applications.

Q5: What if I am not selected in my first application cycle?

Reapplication is strongly encouraged. Many successful fellows applied more than once. If not selected, use the time to deepen your ICANN Learn knowledge, engage with ICANN’s online processes (mailing lists, public comments, open community sessions), build your community engagement track record, and strengthen your essays. Selection criteria reward demonstrated engagement — every cycle of participation makes you a stronger candidate.

ICANN88 Fellowship Deadline: 21 August 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Apply Today. The ICANN Fellowship Program exists because ICANN’s multistakeholder model only works if the full diversity of the global internet community is actually in the room. If you have been following ICANN’s work but cannot fund attendance yourself — this program was built for exactly that situation. Apply now. Your next step: Apply at icann.org/fellowshipprogram Apply for ICANN88 Fellowship NOW — deadline 21 August 2026, 23:59 UTC Create your free ICANN Account at account.icann.org — required to apply Complete mandatory ICANN Learn courses free at learn.icann.org Explore NextGen@ICANN for students at icann.org/newcomers Read: How to Write a Public Comment for ICANN? — on IG Insight Follow IG Insight at iginsight.org — internet governance participation made accessible The people in the room shape the policy. The fellowship gets you in the room. Apply now.