The Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) is funding 28 projects slated to help Canadians get more out of the Internet, funnelling a sum of about $1 million into these initiatives.
In January, CIRA announced it’d be starting the Community Investment Program to fund any projects that would improve Canadians’ experience in using the Web. It ended up choosing projects designed to help Canadians manage their online privacy, to help them get affordable Internet access, and to boost digital literacy, especially among young people. Projects received anywhere from $10,000 to a maximum of $75,000 in funding.
CIRA opened up the application process in February, giving non-profit organizations, academic researchers, and community groups the opportunity to apply. All told, it received 149 applications, with a committee of CIRA’s board members and stakeholders deciding which applications would receive funding.
There are also plans to open up another round of applications for funding under the Community Investment Program in early 2015.
Some of the funding recipients include the Mozilla Foundation, the Schulich School of Business at York University, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Consumers Council of Canada, Free Geek Toronto, Halifax Internet Research Inc., Kids Code Jeunesse, Kitikmeot Heritage Society, and the Indigenous Law Research Unit in the University of Victoria’s faculty of law.
“Canada faces a number of challenges to ensure the rights and freedoms of Canadians are protected online, and that each and every Canadian has the same opportunity to take advantage of what the Internet has to offer,” said Byron Holland, CIRA’s CEO, in a statement.
“Through the [Community Investment Program], we will provide leadership and support for organizations across the country that share our vision of what the Internet in Canada can and should be. The outstanding response we have had so far shows there is no shortage of great ideas that can make a positive difference.”
For the full list of recipients, head on over here.
CIRA manages the .CA top-level domain, and it represents the .CA registry internationally.
Correction: A previous version of this post said CIRA manages the .ca domain name registry using a WHOIS database. We regret the error.
