<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;">Hello,<br><br>For more than 25 years, the RIPE NCC has been supporting activities and projects for the “Good of the Internet”. Community-driven, non-commercial work has been fundamental to the success of the Internet from its earliest days, and continues to play an important role in making the Internet resilient, secure and accessible for everyone.<br><br>Under the RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund, the RIPE NCC will provide up to EUR 250,000 per year to support projects of value to the operation and resilience of the Internet, with a focus on tools and services benefitting the technical community in the Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;"><br>Apply now to get your project funded! The call for applications will close on Wednesday, 31 May 2023 at 23:59 UTC. More details on the application procedure and criteria are available at:<br><u><a href="https://ripe.net/community-projects-fund" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);">https://ripe.net/community-projects-fund</a></u> <br><br>If you or your organisation is working on a new or existing project that fits the criteria below, and need some financial support to get it off the ground or keep it going, we want to hear from you!<br><br>Is your project of benefit to the Internet, particularly the RIPE community?<br>Is your project non-commercial in nature? <br>Do you have a clear project plan and timeline? <br><br>A couple of things to keep in mind:<br><br>Funding may be used to purchase equipment, but this cannot be the sole expenditure<br>Funding cannot be used for humanitarian aid, donations, or to encourage political reform<br>Funding cannot be used to provide scholarships or cover tuition fees<br>Funding cannot be used to support any form of commercial activity <br>See the RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund website for more details! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;">If you’re interested in hearing from our previous funding recipients, we are hosting a RIPE NCC Open House session online on Tuesday, 7 March. If you are thinking of applying for the Community Projects Fund, I encourage you to join this session:<br></span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/open-house/ripe-ncc-open-house-community-projects-fund-recipients-2022" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);"><span style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;">https://www.ripe.net/participate/meetings/open-house/ripe-ncc-open-house-community-projects-fund-recipients-2022</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Helvetica;"><br><br>Kind Regards<br><br>Alastair Strachan <br>RIPE NCC Community Projects Fund Coordinator <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm; font-size: medium; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span lang="EN-GB"> </span></p></body></html>