Dear IRT members,

I hope you are all well. We are reaching out to follow up on several questions posed during the recent SubPro IRT Meeting #133 regarding the ASP support plan.

In our last ASP IRT Sub-Track call we provided an update on the professional service providers who have volunteered to provide pro bono services and mentorship and where those numbers currently stand. The good news is that we have great coverage so far. You can find more information in the deck and recording from that meeting here.

We also have some planned next steps around pro bono service providers such as:

publishing the list once the first ASP applicants complete the evaluation process (which we expect will occur within the next few months) or sooner to provide support to ASP applicants still in the ASP application process;
creating pro bono service provider and mentor profiles for supported applicants to learn about their areas of expertise;
holding onboarding webinars for pro bono service providers and mentors; and
holding webinars for supported applicants to introduce them to the services and areas of specialty that pro bono service providers and mentors offer, while also maintaining supported applicants’ anonymity.

We will update the IRT once we make progress on the next steps outlined above.

The duration of the package of support is planned to extend through the lifecycle of the application process and beyond. Capacity development support materials include a learning journey guiding the applicant through post-contracting and highlighting opportunities to engage with ICANN’s multi-stakeholder community. ICANN’s dedicated ASP Applicant Counselor will provide guidance to ASP potential applicants, applicants in progress, and supported applicants through regular touch-points, access to learning resources, and communications. Pro bono service provider resource availability and mentorship is at the discretion of those providers, our ask of them is that they will continue to actively engage with supported applicants for the long-term, as deemed appropriate by both parties.

We hope this has provided additional clarity on the availability and duration of support we are planning. More information on non-financial support and pro bono services can be found in our FAQs and in the ICANN82 presentation to the NCSG deck and recording. For information on the Applicant Counselor, please refer to slide 19.

Please don’t hesitate to share additional questions at the upcoming IRT Outreach briefing on 14 May 2025 at 6:00 - 7:00 UTC or via globalsupport@icann.org.

Kind Regards,

Samantha Mancia

Project Manager, New gTLD Program Team

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

Office Telephone: +1 310 301 5800