<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Councillors, please see the below the note from Kurt.<div><br></div><div>Please note that this is an advanced copy, released early, and that the formal publication of these documents will happen in the next few days.</div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#141414" face="'Lucida Grande'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 14px;"><br></span></font></div><div><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div>Stéphane</div><div><br></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<div><br><div>Début du message réexpédié :</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>De : </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">Kurt Pritz <<a href="mailto:kurt@icann.org">kurt@icann.org</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Objet : </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><b>[soac-discussion] Information on New gTLD Applicant Support Program</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Date : </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">11 décembre 2011 19:15:06 HNEC<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>À : </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">"<a href="mailto:soac-discussion@icann.org">soac-discussion@icann.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:soac-discussion@icann.org">soac-discussion@icann.org</a>>, Avri Doria <<a href="mailto:avri@acm.org">avri@acm.org</a>>, Carlton Samuels <<a href="mailto:carlton.samuels@gmail.com">carlton.samuels@gmail.com</a>>, Rafik Dammak <<a href="mailto:rafik.dammak@gmail.com">rafik.dammak@gmail.com</a>>, Alan Greenberg <<a href="mailto:alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca">alan.greenberg@mcgill.ca</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1.0);"><b>Cc : </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">Chris Disspain <<a href="mailto:ceo@auda.org.au">ceo@auda.org.au</a>>, Bertrand de La Chapelle <<a href="mailto:bdelachapelle@gmail.com">bdelachapelle@gmail.com</a>>, George Sadowsky <<a href="mailto:george.sadowsky@gmail.com">george.sadowsky@gmail.com</a>>, Mike Silber <<a href="mailto:silber.mike@gmail.com">silber.mike@gmail.com</a>>, "<a href="mailto:sebastien@bachollet.com">sebastien@bachollet.com</a>" <<a href="mailto:sebastien@bachollet.com">sebastien@bachollet.com</a>>, Rod Beckstrom <<a href="mailto:rod.beckstrom@icann.org">rod.beckstrom@icann.org</a>>, "<a href="mailto:cintra.sooknanan@gmail.com">cintra.sooknanan@gmail.com</a>" <<a href="mailto:cintra.sooknanan@gmail.com">cintra.sooknanan@gmail.com</a>>, David Olive <<a href="mailto:david.olive@icann.org">david.olive@icann.org</a>>, Karla Valente <<a href="mailto:karla.valente@icann.org">karla.valente@icann.org</a>>, Karen Lentz <<a href="mailto:karen.lentz@icann.org">karen.lentz@icann.org</a>>, John Jeffrey <<a href="mailto:john.jeffrey@icann.org">john.jeffrey@icann.org</a>>, Daniel Halloran <<a href="mailto:daniel.halloran@icann.org">daniel.halloran@icann.org</a>>, Karen Lentz <<a href="mailto:karen.lentz@icann.org">karen.lentz@icann.org</a>>, Michael Salazar <<a href="mailto:michael.salazar@icann.org">michael.salazar@icann.org</a>><br></span></div><br><div>Dear Community Leaders:<br><br><br>The purpose of this note is to introduce ICANN¹s new gTLD Applicant<br>Support Program intended to provide financial and other types of support<br>to deserving applicants. That program is embodied by four documents<br>attached for your review: an Overview, the Applicant Support Process, the<br>Applicant Support Criteria, and a rough process flowchart to facilitate<br>understanding.<br><br><br>These are furnished to you in advance of general publication and are for<br>your discussion. We wanted to get information to you as soon as possible<br>and will formally post this as soon as some necessary accompanying work is<br>completed in about a week.<br><br><br>I know that most of you have been following the work to develop an<br>Applicant Support Program for new gTLDs. Thus far, some non-financial<br>elements of an Applicant Support Program have been developed. Among them<br>are: the publication of a ³matching page² where entities seeking support<br>and those offering support can self-identify and find partners; and the<br>recent launch of the Customer Service Center.<br><br><br>The community (mostly through the Joint Applicant Support Working Group)<br>and the ICANN Board have been working to develop an Applicant Support<br>Program that includes financial assistance. Among other goals, the program<br>seeks to provide financial assistance to applicants identified as having<br>need and a mission to operate in the public interest.<br><br><br>The Board resolution in Dakar the Board noted that a working group of<br>Board members had been convened to oversee the scoping and implementation<br>of the recommendations arising out of the JAS Report, and resolved that<br>ICANN was ³expected to commence work immediately and provide a detailed<br>plan for consideration." That work was undertaken with the oversight of<br>the Board working group. The result is a program described in the two<br>documents that describe a Process and Criteria for evaluating candidates<br>for support and providing support where merited. The work follows the plan<br>outlined in the Board discussion in Dakar.<br><br>A description of and the reasoning behind the program (both in overview<br>and in detail) can be found in the attached documents.<br><br>Next steps, to be done in a timeline described in the documents:<br>1) Before the end of the year, ICANN plans to post the proposed Process<br>and Criteria documents for a brief public comment period (to align the<br>timing of the Support Program with the new gTLD program launch).<br>2) Support candidates will be able to submit applications as soon as the<br>New gTLDs Program launches, 12 January 2012.<br>3)Evaluation Panels will be recruited.<br>4) In partnership with the community additional funds will be sought.<br><br>I hope you find this helpful. Please contact Karla Valente or me with<br>questions.<br><br><br>Sincerely, <br><br><br>Kurt<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></div></blockquote></div></div></body></html>