General Information

The Public Interest Technology Group (PITG) launched its Travel Fund in 2022. It allows underrepresented voices to shape the dialogue in key Internet governance and standards bodies, injecting much-needed public interest perspectives.

Even before the launch of this fund, PITG joined forces with diverse organizations and funders to empower civil society and public interest technologists, ensuring their presence in pivotal organizations like the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Expanding its reach, PITG set up and runs the Travel Fund to support participation in technical forums including the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), among others.

This fund uniquely targets individuals from underrepresented groups, providing vital access to often exclusive and technically intricate Internet standards forums, historically devoid of civil society voices. It strives to cultivate a more diverse and inclusive landscape of participation and collaboration, bridging gaps between technical Internet governance communities, Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and Civil Society.

The PITG Travel Fund operates on a rolling basis and prioritizes low-threshold access to funding, aligning with its core objectives and mandate (see below).

We thank the Ford Foundation for their generous support in making this fund a reality. Furthermore, we want to thank human rights organizations ARTICLE19 and Derechos Digitales for their invaluable support in managing the fund, the wider PITG community for making this initiative a reality, and the dedicated volunteers of the PITG Travel Fund Committee who enable its day-to-day operations.

Fund’s Objectives and Mandate

  1. To promote public interest technology work in key standards and technical Internet governance bodies.
  2. To bridge the knowledge gap within technical Internet Governance communities, other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and Civil Society (CSOs) members.
  3. To cultivate sustained and effective participation of civil society representatives and public interest technologists in technical Internet governance and standards bodies.
  4. To increase the diversity of representation in these bodies.

Apply

Please read the Fund’s objectives and mandate above to apply for the travel fund. If your request is in scope, please send an email to pitg-fund@lists.mayfirst.org that includes the following information:

  • Recipient information (Name, organization, email, phone, address);
  • Event information (IETF/W3C/ITU/IEEE/3GPP/ICANN/other, date);
  • Whether or not you are pre-approved or accredited for the meeting;
  • Information about the reasons, skills, or experience that you and/or your organization have to justify your participation in the indicated event and the requested allocation of PITG travel funding;
  • Financial assistance required, by item in US Dollars.

The financial assistance can include:

  • Registration fee
  • Train/airfare/other travel
  • Accommodation
  • Visa fees
  • Travel insurance
  • Per diem
  • Childcare
  • Total amount $ __

Note on calculation of per-diem: for a successful application, you will be awarded a per diem to cover living expenses (local transport, meals, incidental costs, etc.) equal to 70% of the per diem rate for meals and incidental costs set for the location by the US State Department. For days of arrival and departure from the location of the activity, you will be awarded a per diem equal to 35% of the same rate. No proof of payments or reimbursements for such expenses will be required. Exceptions will be made to these expenditure rules to accommodate disabilities and/or childcare needs. Please ensure that you note such requirements explicitly in your proposal.

Applications must be submitted at least two months before the start date of the event you are proposing to attend. As a small, volunteer-run fund, we cannot honor requests sent with less than two months’ notice, barring exceptional circumstances that will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Application Cycle Steps

  1. Send your request to the PITG Travel Fund email list, ensuring their email includes the relevant details stipulated above.
  2. The PITG Travel Fund Committee will confirm receipt of the applicant’s email. Within 2 weeks of the application request, the Fund’s Committee will approve or decline the request over email.
  3. The Fund Committee can request more details over email to understand the merit of your request and its fit with the Fund’s mandate.
  4. Upon approval of the request, please independently book and arrange your travel, accommodation etc. In exceptional cases of economic hardship, we provide some support in booking travel.
  5. The PITG Fund Committee will connect you to the Travel Fund’s Host Organization (ARTICLE19). Please share the necessary logistical and banking information for reimbursements with them.
  6. You will be reimbursed by the Fund’s host organization ARTICLE19 upon completion of the activity and if you meet the stated requirements on which cost reimbursement is contingent (see below).
  7. You are encouraged to join the PITG community We love for you to stay involved in our community of public interest technologists!

Application Approved + Grant’s requirements

Required documents (for reference) Once your application has been approved, you MUST:

  • Agree with and comply with the PITG Code of Conduct.
  • Accept and sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for recipients, and send a copy to dinah@article19.org and chairs@pitg.network
  • Organize and pay for your own travel and accommodation costs

After your travels, you MUST:

  • Within 14 days of the execution of the activity, submit a narrative report to the members of the PITG Fund. Note that you will be ineligible for the per-diem and other reimbursements if you do not submit your narrative report within 14 days of the execution of the activity. Please find a copy of the template for the narrative report here.
  • Send your financial information to Dinah at ARTICLE19 (dinah@article19.org) and Corinne Cath (corinnecath@gmail.com) following the format of the Contact Information Form to receive your reimbursements.

Application Rejected

You may reapply to the PITG Fund if your previous applications have been rejected. Please also consider these other sources for travel funding:

Fund’s DEI commitments

At our volunteer-run travel fund, we are deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Internet governance and standards bodies. We recognize that the voices and perspectives of individuals from underrepresented groups, particularly those from the global south, are crucial to shaping a more inclusive and equitable digital future, online and offline. By providing financial support to attend key meetings, we aim to bridge the gap and ensure that these individuals have the opportunity to contribute to and influence critical discussions that impact the global Internet community. Our commitment to DEI is reflected in our mission to actively dismantle barriers and create pathways for underrepresented voices to be heard and respected in all aspects of Internet governance. It is made concrete through our Code of Conduct, which we ask all members of PITG and its Travel Fund grantees to respect.

We understand that true representation goes beyond mere attendance; it involves the meaningful participation and empowerment of all individuals, regardless of their background. It requires the creation of Internet governance spaces free from discrimination and structural inequity. While we do not believe we can upend all these structural barriers, we do hope to make a small change. While everyone is welcome to apply, our travel fund specifically targets those who have been historically excluded from Internet governance spaces, including but not limited to individuals from the global south, women, LGBTQ+ persons, people with disabilities, and other marginalized communities. We strive to cultivate an environment where diversity is not only welcomed but celebrated, and where every participant feels valued and supported. Through our efforts, we seek to promote a more inclusive Internet governance ecosystem that reflects the rich diversity of the Internet’s global user base.

We are actively addressing these challenges and making meaningful progress in the Fund’s operations, based on input from current and former grantees.

Restrictions on the Funding

Please bear in mind that ARTICLE19 (PITG-Fund Host) can not refund people living in Russia or countries sanctioned by the US. Unfortunately, at the moment we cannot support folks residing there.

Regarding bank transfer costs, please note that all bank transfer costs need to be supported by documentation from the bank with the exact transfer amount stated. This is required for ARTICLE19’s audit and compliance purposes. Wise transfer fees depend on the amount being sent, the type of currency the recipient will get, and the payment method. For example, usually, ARTICLE19 can only cover the transfer fee to Wise, if the amount then needs to be transferred to local currency, we do not cover that part of those transfer costs.

We aim to reimburse you as soon as possible, within the constraints of being a small volunteer-led fund.