Guide to Board of Trustees Session Types:
- Closed Executive Session: board members only.
- Open to Observers Session: local and remote attendees welcome to listen in.
- Open Forum Session: local and remote attendees welcome to ask questions, provide input, and discuss with the board.
Note: there were no Open Forum Sessions scheduled for this meeting.
Trustees Present in Person:
- Olufunke Baruwa
- Ramanou Biaou
- Brian Haberman
- Ted Hardie
- Maureen Hilyard
- Russ Housley
- Victor Kuarsingh
- Barry Leiba
- Charles Mok
- Kathleen Moriarty
- Caleb Ogundele
- Sagarika Wickramasekera
- President and CEO Sally Wentworth (ex officio, non-voting)
Trustees Present via Zoom:
Laura Thomson
Staff Members Present in Person:
- Sarah Armstrong, Executive Director, Internet Society (ISOC) Foundation
- Ilona Levine, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, ISOC
- Christopher Locke, Managing Director, ISOC Foundation
- Sae Park, Chief Financial Officer, ISOC
- Lauren Terrell, Director of Governance
Guests Present for Certain Portions of the Meeting:
Leslie Daigle, Chief Technical Officer, Global Cyber Alliance
Open to Observers Session
1. Welcome, Apologies, and Declarations of Conflict – Ted Hardie
Mr. Hardie called the ISOC Foundation Board of Trustees meeting to order in Open to Observers Session at 9:10 UTC on Sunday, 3 November 2024 and welcomed participants.
No conflicts were declared.
2. Foundation Update – Chris Locke
Mr. Locke presented the Managing Director’s third quarter report highlighting growth in the e-learning and training programs through expanded reach by engaging various partners, and the expansion of the fellowship and alumni programs. Mr. Locke also provided an update on revenue generation, targets and new approaches that the team used in their fundraising approach. Mr. Locke reviewed the third quarter KPIs and the Foundation’s performance in general, and for key areas such as Content, Marketing, and Communications, Fundraising, and Empowerment.
Discussion ensued with trustees inquiring about the fellowships, training, mentorship, and regional in-person courses programs, assessment of training completion rates, the IETF fellowship, and the alumni network.
3. Philanthropy Update – Sarah Armstrong
Ms. Armstrong provided the third quarter philanthropy report noting that the Philanthropy team committed close to $9M in funding, promoted cross-learning across programs, increased awareness of the Foundation among key stakeholders, and successfully executed all components of grantmaking operations.
Trustees discussed the report, with Mr. Mok sharing his perspective on the trustee gathering hosted by the Foundation that he attended. Trustees also asked about the status of the assessment process related to permissible beneficiaries.
4. MANRS Update – Leslie Daigle
Ms. Daigle shared an update on the MANRS program, including the numbers of participants, MANRS community meetings, working groups, and newsletters. She also highlighted the regulatory activity related to BGP security and MANRS participation in responses to the FCC. In addition, Ms. Daigle reviewed the new functionality in the MANRS observatory and concluded her report by providing the work plan for 2025 and beyond.
Trustees inquired about regional partnerships, regional engagement of participants, and how MANRS is adapted for those different contexts. Trustees were curious when MANRS Plus will go live and pointed out an opportunity for greater collaboration between MANRS, Pulse and research grants from the Foundation.
5. Five Year Roadmap – Chris Locke and Sarah Armstrong
Mr. Locke and Ms. Armstrong presented ISOC Foundation’s five-year roadmap, which will support ISOC’s five-year strategy via specific targeted activities and impact in the areas of philanthropy, communications, empowerment, and revenue generation. For each area, Mr. Locke shared high-level strategy details, as well as specific milestones for years 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Discussion occurred throughout the presentation with trustees inquiring about the opportunities to scale the community of future Internet leaders, cross-cutting communications between the communities and across regions, fundraising versus revenue generation, the need to focus messaging on people instead of dollars, and fighting the perception that ISOC Foundation is on the side of big tech instead of a public good.
6. Presentation of the Foundation Action Plan – Chris Locke and Sarah Armstrong
Mr. Locke presented the Foundation Action Plan which is a multi-year approach in support of the ISOC 2030 strategy. The plan provided an overview of the 2025 objectives for philanthropy (programs will be designed to support the ISOC’s 2030 strategy and respond to ISOC’s six program areas), communications (focus on defining and operationalizing global brand and showcasing inspiring stories of people impacted by ISOC’s efforts), empowerment (activities will focus on engaging Internet leaders, scaling the empowerment programs, supporting delivery of ISOC training and adopting a data-driven approach), and revenue generation (increased programmatic impact aimed at ISOC’s overall financial health and stability).
Discussion occurred throughout the presentation and focused on fundraising (such as matching employee giving and partnerships), empowerment efforts to engage Internet leaders and the alumni program.
The meeting recessed at 12:04 UTC and resumed in Closed Executive Session at 13:08 UTC where the following topics were addressed.
Closed Executive Session
7. CFO’s Report – Sae Park
Ms. Park presented the third quarter financials.
8. Presentation of the Budget – Laura Thomson and Sae Park
Ms. Thomson and Ms. Park presented the 2025 budget.
9. Finance Committee Report – Laura Thomson
Ms. Thomson presented the Finance Committee report.
10. Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC) Update – Sarah Armstrong
Ms. Armstrong provided an update on NSRC.
11. Co-Funding Strategies – Chris Locke
Mr. Locke shared potential co-funding strategies and models.
The meeting recessed at 14:40 UTC and resumed at 14:50 UTC.
12. Communications Education and Foundation Brand and Messaging – Chris Locke
Mr. Locke shared information relating to the value of having an identifiable brand and messaging.
The meeting recessed at 15:35 UTC and resumed in Open to Observers Session at 15:50 UTC.
Open to Observers Session
13. Approval of the Action Plan, Budget, and Board Designated Funding – Ted Hardie
Resolution F2024-X: Approve the 2025 Action Plan and Budget
RESOLVED, that the Internet Society Foundation Board of Trustees approves the 2025 Action Plan and Budget as presented.
Resolution F2024-X: Approve Board-Designated Funds for Internet Society Foundation Programs
RESOLVED, that the Board of Trustees hereby approves designating a total of $20,270,000 using the remaining balances in Reserves for Philanthropic programs’ 2025 awards as outlined below:
- an additional $1,370,000 to fund the Resilience and Responding to Emergencies (RARE) program,
- an additional $2,150,000 to fund the Strengthening Communities/Improving Lives and Livelihoods (SCILLS) program,
- an additional $5,200,000 to fund the Research program,
- an additional $1,500,000 to fund Beyond the Net and Chapters, including sponsorships for Global/Regional IGF and Schools of Internet Governance,
- an additional $1,500,000 to fund the Building Opportunities/Leveraging Technologies (BOLT) program,
- an additional $1,250,000 to fund the Opportunities fund, and
- $7,300,000 to fund IETF Administration LLC.
The resolutions were approved unanimously.
14. Presentation and Approval of the Policy for Policies – Charles Mok
Resolution F2024-X: Approve the Policy on Policies
RESOLVED, that the Internet Society Foundation Board of Trustees approves the Policy on Policies as presented.
The resolution was approved unanimously.
15. Approval of Minutes from Foundation Board Meeting F27 – Ted Hardie
Resolution F2024-X: Approve the Minutes of the 27th ISOC Foundation Board Meeting
WHEREAS, the ISOC Foundation Board of Trustees has reviewed the minutes of the 27th board
meeting as presented;
RESOLVED, that the minutes of the 27th meeting of the ISOC Foundation Board of Trustees are
approved.
The resolution was approved unanimously.
16. Any Other Business – Ted Hardie
Approve Funding for the Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC)
Resolution F2024-XX: Approve the Network Startup Resource Center Memorandum of Understanding
WHEREAS, the Network Startup Resource Center (“NSRC”) is a non-profit center operated at the University of Oregon that helps develop national and regional Internet infrastructure for collaborative research, education, and international partnerships;
RESOLVED, the Board of Trustees authorizes the Foundation to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a three-year partnership with NSRC with the expectation that the Foundation would provide $600,000 each year from the Opportunities Fund once satisfactory reporting has been submitted and approved by the President and CEO of the Internet Society and Internet Society Foundation.
The resolution was approved unanimously.
17. Adjournment – Ted Hardie
With no other business, Mr. Hardie adjourned the meeting at 15:55 UTC.