April 9, 2019
7:38 a.m.
Dear All, I think this particular part stated by the Board is very relevant:
The request does not include an activity or project that is or
should be covered by ICANN’s operational budget
So not just "is" but also "should be". Otherwise there could be a temptation for ICANN (.org) to take various non-core activities and say "we used to fund you, but now you should go and get funded by the auction proceeds". It is also pretty clear that the original intent of the auction proceeds was to benefit the whole Internet community, not just sponsor people to participate in ICANN work and events. Julf