To improve internet in northern Canada, $1 million is up for grabs

The Canadian Internet Registration Authority hopes to fund projects in northern, Indigenous communities.

By Emma Tranter, Nunatsiaq News - January 15, 2020
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Cambridge Bay elder Mabel Etegik welcomes visitors to a Kitikmeot Heritage Society booth. The Heritage Society was one of the recipients of the Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s Community Investment Program last year. (Pitquhirnikkut Ilihautiniq / Kitikmeot Heritage Society via Nunatsiaq News)

Applications for the annual Community Investment Program from the Canadian Internet Registration Authority’s $1 million grant initiative will open today.

Not-for-profits, charities, and researchers are invited to apply for funding for projects that will “improve the health and quality of Canada’s internet,” a news release said.

The CIRA, a not-for-profit organization best known for managing the .CA internet domain, is looking for projects that fall under four areas: digital literacy, internet infrastructure, cybersecurity and community leadership.

Last year, the Kitikmeot Heritage Society received funding for developing a way to catalogue only Inuit knowledge and history of the Fifth Thule Expedition in Nunavut.

Another project from the Gwich’in Tribal Council and University of Alberta researchers created resources to engage and support citizen decision-making regarding broadband deployment in the Northwest Territories.

Grants are available up to $100,000, with one grant up to $250,000.

The CIRA said while it is open to applications that benefit all Canadians, it is especially looking for initiatives that benefit students and northern, rural and Indigenous communities.

The deadline to apply is Feb. 25, 2020. Applications can be found through the CIRA’s website.