Page History

...

2. The Applicant must demonstrate financial capabilities and need

...

1. (EBW to submit non-income measures(See notes below)

AND 

3. The Application must NOT have any of the following characeristics:

...

The overriding consensus of the WG is that financial need and capability is the primary criteria for determining eligible applications. It is important that, while determining need, that the applicant also demonstrate sufficient stability and sustainability. It is undesirable that a TLD would fail, for instance, if its sponsor was wholly dependent on external grants without long-term commitments. So while maximum operating metrics are to be established to demonstrate need, minimum metrics will also be required to demonstrate stability and  sustainability.

Amongst the criteria proposed as required for an applicant to demonstrate financial need are:

• Minimum gross income covering at least the Financial Continued Operation Instrument Obligation described in the Applicant Guidebook that applies for the applicant;

• Maximum annual income, unencumbered assets or liquid resources being not more than the conventional cost of obtaining a gTLD (currently set at $185,000)
• (EBW to provide non-income based criteria here)

Note that in the Milestone Report the WG agreed by consensus that Applicants who are financially eligible or needy must not benefit from more than 50% of the reduced fee provided by ICANN, therefore the Applicant must be able to meet its self-financing responsibility for at least 50% of the reduced fee. No limits have been imposed to the manner in which fundraising for the other 50% of the reduced fee is done by the financially eligible or needy Applicant. 

...

 Such need and capability is to be demonstrated through the following criteria:

1. Applicants must be capable of of contributing $45,000 towards ICANN's application fee, unless ICANN waives, or lowers application fees.
2. Where applicants anticipate scheduled fees, such as for extended evaluation, the applicant must be capable of contributing a quarter of the scheduled fees.
3. Applicants must be capable of of contributing $45,000 towards registry operational costs, if the applicant proposes to operate its own registry platform. If the applicant proposes to share registry operational costs with other qualified applicants, the applicant must be capable of contributing the pro rated proportional share of this cost.
4. Applicants must be capable of of contributing $45,000 towards registry continuity operational costs, if the applicant proposes to fund its own continuity operation. If the applicant proposes to share registry continuity operational costs with other qualified applicants, the applicant must be capable of contributing the pro rated proportional share of this cost.

To demonstrate need, Applicants will be required to submit materials to the program administrators, detailing the various constraints which negatively affect the Applicant's ability to acquire and implement a gTLD without assistance under this program. Applicants should provide background on economic, technical, administrative, legal, and/or socio-cultural factors within their environment which are causing these constraints. As well, Applicants will be requested to detail any applicable constraints on management, human resources, IT infrastructure and the Applicant's technical capabilities. 

3.3 Notes on ineligible criteria

Applications by governments or government-owned entities

(NOTE: By consensus of the WG, purely Governmental or para-statal applicants have been listed as not entitled to receive support. However, at the ICANN San Francisco meeting the WG received a request from the GAC to consider including Government applications from Developing Countries for support.  The WG will work to obtain a mutually acceptable definition and criteria to fit Government applications with the GAC WG, but recognizes the difficulty in measuring a government’s “need” and concern of the appropriateness of offering support for one government over another if resources are limited. The GAC WG has offered to review the JAS criteria and provide its recommendations on a formulation of a solution for possible support to Developing Country Government applications.)

...