At-Large Operations, Finance and Budget Working Group (OFBWG)
Description
Background
The At-Large Operations, Finance and Budget Working Group (OFB-WG) is an At-Large Working Group within the Operations section of the At-Large Organization, tasked with preparing statements and requests related to ICANN finance and budget, strategy, and operational initiatives.
Additionally, the OFB-WG is tasked with preparing statements related to reviews and Continuous Improvement. The co- Chairs of the OFB-WG have been delegated by the ALAC Chair who is in charge of At-Large Operations.
Finally, the OFB-WG facilitates the participation of At-Large community volunteers in ICANN workgroups, whose focus are operational, budgetary or financial concerns, through consensus development, consultation and support.
The OFB-WG is an open membership group that will consist of Participants from the geographically diverse At-Large community. Membership in the OFB-WG is mandatory for the 15 Members of the At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC).
The objectives of the group are:
Prioritisation: To study the operating initiatives of the three priority areas identified by the OFB-WG at the beginning of FY 25 which are:
Evolve and strengthen the multistakeholder model to facilitate diverse and inclusive participation in policy making.
Promote and evolve the DNS through open and transparent processes that enable competition and open entry in the Internet related markets while insuring the stability, security and resiliency of the DNS.
Evolve and strengthen the ICANN community’s decision making processes to ensure efficient and effective policymaking.
At Working group level: To identify within each of the operating initiatives
One lead for each initiative will be identified or volunteered to shepherd that initiative within the OFB/At-Large.
Provide a statement that may comment on these impacts for consideration by the specific section of ICANN Org
Develop a plan of action for At-Large that will support that initiative across the At-Large community, for example,
how we as a community can support the Org's MSM, community decision-making, UA, planning or legislative initiatives
how can we help to strengthen each of these initiatives within our regional communities
At-Large Funding Requests are needed to help meet the ALAC’s strategic priorities
At Task level: Tasks include, but are not limited to:
Providing input to, and drafting any statement related to, the ICANN strategic plan and processes
Providing input to, and drafting any statement related to, ICANN's operational initiatives
Providing input to, and drafting any statement related to, the ICANN and IANA/PTI budget process
Providing input to, and drafting any statement related to, Organizational Reviews and Continuous Improvement.
Reviewing any Fiscal Year At-Large Funding Requests for inclusion into the ALAC’s statement on ICANN’s annual budget and operating plan.
Establishing consensus positions and decision frameworks for volunteers engaged in OFB focused community workgroups.
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Contact
Staff Support Lead: Silvia Vivanco and Heidi Ullrich
Main mailing list: ofb-wg@icann.org
For Member votes: finance-sc@atlarge-lists.icann.org
Meetings
Next Call: 26 March 2026
Last Call: 26 February 2026
OFB-WG Teams
At-Large FY26-FY30 Strategic Plan Team
At-Large Small Team on ALAC Objection Procedure for Next Round
ALAC CIP Small Team
OFB-WG Related Workspaces
At-Large Review of Reviews CCG Workspace
At-Large Top 3 FY26 Strategic Objectives
Through a series of exercises, the ALAC identified their top three FY26 Strategic objectives which are outlined below.
[1] Strategic Objective 1: Evolve and promote ICANN’s Multistakeholder Model to sustain its inclusive Approach to Internet Governance
[2] Strategic Objective 3: Collaborate with relevant stakeholders to evolve the Internet’s unique identifier systems
[3] Strategic Objective 4: Strengthen the stability and security of the Internet’s unique identifier systems
The ALAC further determined that the following Strategic Goals and corresponding Strategies be prioritized, to guide the ALAC’s direction and activities for Fiscal Year 2026 (i.e., 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026).Priorities
The ALAC is seeking input into the activities and direction that would demonstrate that the Strategic Objectives, Strategic Goals, and Strategies have been met.
Members of At-Large are requested to add their input to The ALAC Strategic Priorities FY2026 and Downstream Activities [docs.google.com] using the Comments function no later than Thursday, 31 July. The ALAC will consider all comments received and determine whether any prioritization or omission is needed for the identified activities.
It is currently anticipated that the ALAC FY26 Strategic Priorities & Activities would be finalized and presented at the ALAC Monthly Meeting of August 2025.
At-Large FY26 Funding Requests
See: FY26 At-Large Funding Request Workspace (to be updated soon)
Upcoming OFB WG Activities FY 2026
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At-Large Operations, Finance and Budget Working Group Past Fiscal Year Activities
Prioritization Activities:
OFB-WG Recommendation Prioritization Sub-Group
Members
The participants of the Operations, Finance and Budget Working (OFBWG), organized by regional affiliation, are noted below.
* OFBWG Activities will aim to work by consensus of both Member and Participants.
Meetings
Next Call: 26 March 2026
Last Call: 26 February 2026
Policy Advice and Comments Workspaces
OFB-WG Recommendation Prioritization Sub-Group
References
ALAC Subcommittee on Finance and Budget
The ALAC Subcommittee on Finance and Budget (FSBC) coordinates the annual additional budget requests from the ALAC and RALOs to go into the yearly ICANN budget.
Because of this specific task on behalf of the ALAC, the membership of the FBSC consists of one ALAC member and one community member from each of the five RALOs to vote on any financial matters relating mainly to Additional Budget Requests (ABRs).
While most decisions by the FBSC are by consensus, should a vote be required, this vote is coordinated by the ALAC Chair. The FBSC committee and its purpose will continue. The FSBC is a diverse group geographically, which requires at least one member from the ALAC representing an Regional At-Large Organisation (RALO), and at least two At-Large members from each RALO. However, all FBSC calls are open to observers.
The FBSC is supported in its work by the Operations, Finance and Budget Working Group (OFBWG), an open membership group from within the At-Large Community who register as participants in the discussions about Operational Finance and Budget matters related to At-Large and the drafting of public comments relating to ICANN's Operating Initiatives.