You must read the CROP Procedures and Guidelines before applying

The Community Regional Outreach Program (CROP) in FY20

I. Goals:

Community leaders have outlined several key benefits that could be achieved through a programmed approach to global outreach:

1. Building local/regional awareness and recruitment of new community members;
2. More effectively engaging with current members and/or "reactivating” previously engaged ICANN community members; and
3. Communicating ICANN’s mission and objectives to new audiences. 

Based on community comments received to the draft FY20 ICANN Budget and further consideration of the question of how to provide support to the community’s outreach efforts while remaining within appropriate budget limits, a sum of US$50,000 was allocated in the FY20 Budget for CROP. To ensure consistency with other community travel and outreach requests made under other ICANN programs, ICANN staff were tasked with reviewing the current CROP guidelines and developing improved and additional criteria that can meet the program goals in a cost-effective manner as well as facilitate the community’s FY20 outreach efforts that are directly and demonstrably related to ongoing ICANN policy, technical and advisory activities. 

This document sets out the scope of CROP for FY20, including eligibility, applicable deadlines, number and types of permitted regional trips, and principles by which trip proposals are to be submitted and reports provided.

II. Scope of CROP (Who is Eligible, What Principles Apply to Determine Approvals):

Regional At Large Organization (RALO) allocations (i.e. AFRALO, APRALO, EURALO, LACRALO, and NARALO):

• Each RALO is allocated up to three (3) individual regional trips, to be utilized for the following events occurring in that respective RALO’s region in a financial year (FY), and in accordance with the goals, strategies, and expected activities and outcomes detailed in each RALO’s Outreach Strategic Plan:
  (a) an ICANN Public Meeting; or
  (b) an official meeting organized by the ICANN Organization (e.g. the GDD Summit); or
  (c) if there is no Public Meeting or official ICANN meeting occurring in that RALO’s region in that FY, a meeting in that region that is assessed by the relevant regional Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) regional vice-president as being: (i) directly and demonstrably related to ongoing ICANN policy, advisory or technical activities (e.g. a Regional Internet Registry meeting), and (ii) consistent with the ICANN Organization’s outreach plan for that region.

• A RALO may choose to use more than one (1) trip to the same meeting in its region, which will count as part of its overall three (3) allocations.
• Where a RALO has used at least one (1) trip to an ICANN Public Meeting or official ICANN-organized meeting occurring in its region, it may use its remaining allocation(s) for a meeting occurring in its region that is assessed by the relevant regional Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) regional vice-president as being directly and demonstrably related to ongoing ICANN policy, advisory or technical activities (e.g. a Regional Internet Registry meeting).
• An “official meeting organized by the ICANN Organization” means a meeting where the programming, logistics and other arrangements are solely or primarily the responsibility of the ICANN Organization. By way of example, this will include the GDD Summit but not any other conference or event where ICANN’s involvement is in the form of minor funding or sponsorship in kind (e.g. providing small gifts for inclusion in conference bags or permitting the ICANN logo to be used on a brochure), sending delegates (whether staff or community members funded via other means), or is as an invited speaker.  

GNSO Eligible Community Group allocations (i.e. the Business, Intellectual Property, Internet Service & Internet Connectivity Providers, Non-Commercial Users, and Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituencies):

• Each eligible GNSO community group is allocated up to three (3) individual regional trips, to be utilized to support its members who are located in the applicable region to ICANN Public Meetings or official meetings organized by the ICANN Organization (e.g. the GDD Summit), in accordance with the goals, strategies, and expected activities and outcomes detailed in each group’s Outreach Strategic Plan.
• Where an eligible GNSO community group has used at least one (1) trip to an ICANN Public Meeting or official ICANN-organized meeting occurring in the region where supported travelers are located, it may use its remaining allocation(s) for a meeting occurring in its region that is assessed by the relevant regional Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) regional vice-president as being: (i) directly and demonstrably related to ongoing ICANN policy, advisory or technical activities (e.g. a Regional Internet Registry meeting), and (ii) is consistent with the ICANN Organization’s outreach plan for that region.

Travel Allocations:

• Transportation (most economical routing in economy class only), lodging, and per diem (4 days, 3 nights maximum), booked through the ICANN Constituency Travel team.

Visa Fees:

• Travelers will be reimbursed for visa fees (actual cost or up to $200 USD, whichever is less). 

Registration Fees:

• Conference registration fees are generally not covered by CROP funding.

NOTE:

All travel must be booked via ICANN Constituency Travel to ensure consistency, proper accounting, recordation, and tracking against budget. Travel may not be booked individually. Any itinerary changes that occur after travel bookings are made shall be at the traveler’s own expense. ICANN Constituency Travel will manage all travel bookings and ensure that any financial outlays are optimized to the maximum extent possible.

III. Rules & Conditions for CROP Travel Allocations:

A. General 

• For FY20, all trips must be completed before the end of ICANN's 2020 fiscal year. Specifically, travelers must have returned to their originating destination on or before 30 June 2020.  
• All eligible groups are responsible for ensuring that trip proposals and approvals fulfill any and all criteria that the group may have developed for the program (including ensuring that all necessary information is provided in sufficient detail to allow for a reasonably informed decision to be made as to whether or not to approve the proposal), tracking the number of trips that were proposed, taken and remain in any fiscal year as well as which community members have been allocated travel under the program, and submitting all required trip reports within the prescribed time frame. While ICANN staff can and will assist with logging trip proposals, assessments and reports in a timely fashion, it is not ICANN staff’s responsibility to remind an eligible group of any remaining trip allocations, deadlines or events or to liaise on a group’s behalf with the relevant GSE teams.  
• A trip that has been allocated, but not taken, will not carry over to the next fiscal year.
• Trips must originate and conclude within the same region and must be taken by someone located in the region where the meeting is taking place. No out-of-region travel will be permitted.
• Multiple persons may attend one meeting; however, each traveler is counted as utilizing one of the allocated trips for that community structure and must submit an individual, separate trip request to facilitate recordation and tracking. 

B. Eligibility & Process Requirements 

• To participate in CROP, each eligible community group must develop an Outreach Strategic Plan for that fiscal year. The Plan (to be developed based on the template provided by CROP staff) must include details of the group’s outreach goals, strategies, and expected activities and outcomes for that fiscal year in sufficient detail to permit coordination of the group’s specific activities with the appropriate ICANN regional stakeholder engagement teams.
• All Plans must be reviewed by the group's leadership and the appropriate regional ICANN GSE vice-president(s). The group’s appointed Program Coordinator (PC) will certify, within the template, when these reviews have taken place and communicate those results to CROP staff.
• All trip requests must be submitted for the requisite concurrence by the relevant regional GSE Vice-President as well as approval by the traveler’s community group (in accordance with any criteria it may have developed for the program) no less than five (5) working days before the first day of the 6-week travel deadline. No exceptions will be allowed. By way of illustration, if the requested travel date begins on Monday 22 October 2019, the first day of the 6-week travel deadline (and thus the last day for obtaining the necessary concurrences and approvals) will be Monday 10 September 2019 and the last day for submitting the concurrence/approval request will be Friday 7 September 2019.  
• All necessary concurrences and approvals under the Procedures for Trip Requests and Approvals must, at a minimum, be obtained six (6) weeks before the date of originating travel for the trip being requested (i.e. by the first day of the 6-week travel deadline). No exceptions will be allowed - this period is the absolute minimum time and is not to be considered a "best practice". Notice to and planning with the appropriate regional ICANN staff (e.g. members of the relevant GSE team) should therefore take place as much in advance of the trip as possible.
• A Trip Assessment Report must be completed for each trip taken and must be submitted within 3 weeks of the date on which the traveler is noted by Constituency Travel as returning to his/her originating location. The Trip Assessment Report should clearly and specifically include the following details: (1) if/how the original purpose(s) and outcome(s) were realized; (2) details of the traveler’s attendance and activities at the meeting (including sessions attended, written or oral contributions made to specific sessions, etc.); and (3) specific plans for follow-up activities to enhance and continue the objectives of the trip for the community structure through which the traveler was approved for the trip.
• ICANN staff will log all Trip Assessment Reports, including the dates that they were filed. If a Trip Assessment Report is not filed, or is filed after the due date, this may impact the allocations available to that community structure in future fiscal years.
• If an approved trip is voided or cancelled for some unanticipated and/or extraordinary reason, a replacement trip may be allocated to the affected organization within the same fiscal year, subject to available funding. Where the cancellation involves a trip for which funds have already been disbursed, it will not be possible to reallocate the trip.
• Trip "compounding" or "splitting" of expenses or any other strategy with a goal of increasing the number of individual trips assigned to a community structure is strictly not permitted.