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
- Victor Kuarsingh
- Laura Thomson
- Barry Leiba
- Charles Mok
- Kathleen Moriarty
- Caleb Ogundele
- Sagarika Wickramasekera
- President and CEO Sally Wentworth (ex officio, non-voting)
Trustees Excused:
Russ Housley
Staff Members Present in Person:
- Sarah Armstrong, Executive Director, Internet Society (ISOC) Foundation
- Katie Bengaard, Senior Vice President, Strategy, ISOC
- 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, ISOC (virtual)
Guests Present for Certain Portions of the Meeting:
Steve Huter, Director, Network Startup Resource Center (NSRC)
Hervey Allen, Assistant Director, NSRCGreta Bull, Director of Women’s Economic Empowerment, Gates Foundation
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 21:04 UTC on 7 March 2025 and welcomed participants.
No conflicts were declared.
2. Foundation Update – Chris Locke
Mr. Locke presented the Managing Director’s report. He walked trustees through key performance indicators and fourth quarter highlights for the Content, Marketing and Communications (CMC), Empowerment, and Philanthropy and Fundraising functions. For CMC, Mr. Locke reported on the status of ISOC’s reputation, as well as the health and improvement of ISOC’s communication channels. On Empowerment, Mr. Locke reported positive progress on the Foundation’s alumni program, fellowships and Learning@Internet Society. On Fundraising, he indicated that the Foundation raised $1.72 million in revenue that was recognized in the fourth quarter and $4.47 million year to date.
Mr. Locke also reported on the activities of the Foundation in the first quarter of 2025, including events, strategic communications, work in India, and revenue generation with a strong focus on increasing the number of funding partners.
Discussion ensued. Trustees inquired about tailoring the social media approach and prioritizing channels where ISOC audiences are engaging, the fundraising strategy, and the co-funding strategy.
3. Philanthropy Update – Sarah Armstrong
Ms. Armstrong provided an overview of the Philanthropy Impact Report provided to trustees in advance of the meeting. In 2024, the Foundation awarded 390 grants and sponsorships totaling USD $16.2 million across 111 countries. She noted that philanthropy is focused on projects such as working to expand Internet access, promoting digital inclusion, building resilient connectivity, and fostering Internet safety. A variety of grants have been provided to programs, including Beyond the Net, BOLT, Research, Resiliency, and SCILLS.
Discussion ensued. Trustees asked about funding for IGFs and schools of Internet governance, the number of chapters that applied for Beyond the Net funding and the reasons they were not selected, how to communicate with the chapters, and more about the overall communication strategy. Trustees also raised questions about the possibility of decentralizing grantmaking.
4. Approval of Foundation Board Meeting F29 Minutes (11 December 2024) – Ted Hardie
Proposed Resolution F2025-X: Approve the Minutes of the 29th Internet Society Foundation Board Meeting
WHEREAS, the Internet Society Foundation Board of Trustees has reviewed the minutes of the 29th board meeting as presented;
RESOLVED, that the minutes of the 29th meeting of the Internet Society Foundation Board of Trustees are approved.
The resolution was unanimously approved.
The meeting recessed at 22:18 UTC and resumed in Closed Executive Session at 22:20 UTC where the following topics were addressed.
Closed Executive Session
5. CFO’s Report – Sae Park
Ms. Park provided the CFO’s report, including financials for the 31 December 2024 year end.
6. Finance Committee Report – Laura Thomson
Ms. Thomson provided the Finance Committee report.
7. NSRC Update – Steve Huter
Mr. Huter and Mr. Allen joined the meeting to provide an update on the NSRC’sactivities. Following their presentation, they left the meeting.
8. Learning from Other Donors-Fireside Chat with Greta Bull, Director of Women’s Economic Empowerment at Gates Foundation – Chris Locke
Ms. Bull engaged in discussion with the board regarding lessons learned from other donor experiences. Following the discussion, Ms. Bull left the meeting.
The meeting recessed at 00:25 UTC and resumed in Open to Observers Session at 00:26 UTC.
Open to Observers Session
9. Adjournment – Ted Hardie
With no other business, Mr. Hardie adjourned the meeting at 00:27 UTC.