The Internet Society Foundation has officially opened applications for its Common Good Cyber Fund (CGCF), offering a $3.5 million lifeline to nonprofits defending civil society from escalating digital threats. The multi-year funding initiative is designed to strengthen the core cybersecurity infrastructure of the open internet while protecting vulnerable communities from targeted digital harm.
This new wave of funding marks a significant expansion following a successful 2025 pilot phase, which awarded six initial grants to address critical gaps in the global security ecosystem. For the 2026 cycle, the Foundation plans to distribute the $3.5 million across an estimated 15 two-year grants, providing sustained financial support to organizations that typically operate on shoestring budgets.
The CGCF operates as a core component of the broader Safer Internet Initiative. Between 2026 and 2029, the Internet Society and its Foundation plan to direct more than $40 million toward programs that ensure users can access and navigate the web securely.
Nonprofits focused on cybersecurity are essential to defending online civic space, yet they remain under-resourced. We are proud that the Common Good Cyber Fund supports this community and helps protect those most at risk.
- Sally Wentworth, President and CEO, Internet Society Foundation
The initiative is backed by a powerful coalition of international donors. Pooled contributions from the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, alongside Craig Newmark Philanthropies, highlight a growing global consensus that cybersecurity must be treated as a shared public good.
Who Should Apply and How to Secure Funding
The Foundation is actively seeking applications from nonprofit organizations that operate within specific, high-impact areas of the cybersecurity ecosystem. Eligible projects must focus on delivering scalable solutions rather than isolated, localized fixes.
Key focus areas for the 2026 grants include:
- Maintenance and fortification of critical cybersecurity infrastructure.
- Delivery of scalable support to protect internet users from severe digital harm, specifically targeting state-directed cyber activity and digital transnational repression.
- Advancement of a safer internet for vulnerable groups and high-risk communities, including civil society organizations and journalists.
The open call for applications runs from June 23 until August 4, 2026, at 21:00 UTC. Eligible nonprofits worldwide can review the full criteria and submit their proposals through the official Common Good Cyber Fund application portal.
The Hidden Cost of Defending the Open Web
The launch of this $3.5 million fund highlights a critical imbalance in the modern digital battlefield. State-sponsored threat actors and organized cybercrime syndicates operate with virtually unlimited budgets, while the NGOs and journalists tasked with exposing them are often forced to rely on volunteer security engineers and outdated infrastructure.
By distributing the funds across roughly 15 organizations, the CGCF is offering an average of $233,000 per grant over two years. In the nonprofit sector, this is not just operational padding - it is the exact amount needed to hire a dedicated, full-time security engineer or migrate vulnerable databases to enterprise-grade, zero-trust architectures.
Furthermore, the explicit focus on "digital transnational repression" shows that the Foundation is paying close attention to how authoritarian regimes are weaponizing the internet across borders. By pooling resources from five major Western governments and private philanthropies, the CGCF is effectively creating a decentralized defense shield for the civil society groups that need it most.
