Skip to main content
  • State of the Internet

Every .CA helps fund projects that build a better online Canada

There are a great number of people out there, around the world and within Canada, working to improve the Internet and allow more Canadians to benefit form it, and with CIRA's Community Investment Program (CIP), you can help build a better online Canada by doing something as simple as registering a .CA domain name.
By Erin Hutchison
Content Marketing and Social Media Specialist

There are a great number of people out there, around the world and within Canada, working to improve the Internet and allow more Canadians to benefit form it, and with CIRA’s Community Investment Program (CIP), you can help build a better online Canada by doing something as simple as registering a .CA domain name.

Update: Please note the application period for the 2017 round of CIP funding is now closed. This article has been edited to reflect this update.

Even though the Internet is a vital tool, we may not always understand how it works, or recognize the impact it has on our everyday lives – both personal and professional. It’s a technology that has provided many opportunities, and at the same time has disruptively changed our society. We’ve made great gains in spreading Internet connectivity in Canada, but lasting digital divides remain.

But the good news is…

There are a great number of people out there, around the world and within Canada, working to improve the Internet and allow more Canadians to benefit from it, and with CIRA’s Community Investment Program (CIP), you can help build a better online Canada by doing something as simple as registering a .CA domain name.

Since the inception of the program in 2014, every time a .CA is registered or renewed, it has helped fund innovative community projects to build a stronger, safer and more accessible Internet for all Canadians. 

The CIP has helped build new Internet infrastructure, grow Canada’s capacity in media literacy, deliver online services and enable academic researchers to address emerging digital issues. It has supported 78 innovative projects and distributed a total of $3.2 million in funding. Some examples of projects funded include creating engaging and fun curriculum-based homework assistance content to students online, an app so Canadians living with vision loss can better navigate the world around them, and an online tool to educate Canadians on how popular apps use their data.

Thank you to everyone who continues to make this program a success

Thank you to those who have been a part of the first three rounds of the program – the project leaders working in their local communities have had positive impacts reaching far and wide across the nation. Also sincere thanks to the Community Investment Committee, who diligently review the applications received and select which projects to fund.

Another key group that deserves a shout out is all of the .CA Registrants out there – anyone who registers a .CA domain name helps us fund this initiative. It really has made a difference to Canadians, providing communities access to the Internet, teaching them new online skills and enabling them to access the Internet safely and securely.


Get involved

Learn more about CIP, take a look at the 78 projects that have been funded in the past/.

Search for and register a .CA so that we can keep supporting CIP projects:

[sales_funnel /]

About the author
Erin Hutchison

Erin brings to CIRA a background of marketing experience in higher education and the not-for-profit sector. In 2015, she participated in ISOC’s Youth@IGF Programme and traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico to attend the IGF. She has a Bachelor of International Business from Carleton University.

Loading…