Budget Request from Interim At-Large Advisory Committee to Stuart Lynn, ICANN President
10 February 2003
Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003
From: Denise Michel
Subject: Interim ALAC budget request
To: Stuart Lynn
The At-Large Advisory Committee has developed the attached budget to request "start-up/matching funds" for their activities in fiscal years 2003 and 2004. The ALAC and its supporting infrastructure, once established, is expected to be self-supporting, so the ALAC does not anticipate the need for additional funds after fiscal year 2004 (except for an ALAC representative's travel to ICANN Board meetings, if necessary). Initial ICANN funding is needed, however, in the absence of this infrastructure (especially the five Regional At-Large Organizations). Matching funds and in-kind donations will be sought from various sources to minimize At-Large's impact on ICANN's budget.
The attached budget addresses basic requirements for launching the ALAC and for initiating efforts to build a supporting At-Large infrastructure, and is tempered by the ALAC's awareness of ICANN's limited financial resources. For activities focused on organizing efforts, funding and in-kind support will be sought from (potential) At-Large structures. Because the ALAC is beginning a new endeavor and attempting to implement an untested "blueprint" for At-Large involvement in ICANN, the Committee asks that it be allowed to review its progress and needs later this year and revise its funding request, if needed. The ALAC will keep ICANN apprised of its progress in identifying opportunities for funding from other sources.
The attached budget includes:
- Administration expenses totaling $5,300 in FY 2003 and $12,600 in FY 2004, the majority of which are monthly ALAC conference calls to augment the Committee's online work and help it complete its objectives. ALAC members will be encouraged to dial-in to conference calls, so this budget item may be reduced. Additional administrative costs, such as staff support (including legal, technical and press) will be provided by ICANN and are included in the general budget. Translation of At-Large and relevant ICANN material will be provided by volunteers.
- Regional expenses, which include activities to support the development of Regional At-Large Organizations (RALOs), totaling $17,500 in FY 2003 and FY 2004. Included are limited travel funds to enable ALAC members to attend two regional events as part of their efforts to help with the formation of At-Large Structures and RALOs. Also included are funds to help offset the necessary costs of RALO formation. Depending on the level of involvement and the resources of participating organizations in each region, initial funds will be needed to provide limited regional staff support for outreach and organizing, meeting expenses, incorporation expenses, etc. The level and type of support needed in each region is unclear at this point. We expect to have a greater understanding of how to support organizing in each region in the near future.
- ALAC meeting expenses totaling $52,000 in FY 2003 and $9,000 in FY 2004. This includes an ALAC formation meeting in Rio (10 ALAC members, plus staff), participation in ICANN's Montreal meetings by the 5 ALAC members who will be appointed by the NomCom (plus staff), and the participation of 1 ALAC representative in subsequent FY 2004 ICANN meetings. The Committee believes it is critical for all ALAC members to fully participate in ICANN's upcoming March meeting and to physically meet as a Committee in order to accomplish the numerous and challenging objectives for which the ALAC is responsible. Additionally, the ALAC believes it is important for the 5 members who will be appointed in the coming months to fully participate in ICANN's June meeting. Participation by ALAC members in other constituencies' meetings and interaction with other ICANN stakeholders and Board members will be critical to reinforcing At-Large's new role in a reformed ICANN and for helping ALAC members fulfill their advisory responsibilities. The ALAC also will conduct outreach meetings in these regions and use the ICANN meetings as opportunities to further assist with RALO formation. Additional physical meetings of the ALAC in the future, if needed, are expected to be supported by the RALOs. (The ALAC is expected to fulfill its future duties primarily through the use of the Internet and conference calls). ICANN support for the participation of 1 ALAC member is proposed for ICANN's other 2004 meetings to save money and still support the ALAC's ability to address key issues (and is included in the event that RALOs are not established enough to provide this support). ALAC members propose to use coach airfare and to be reimbursed by ICANN on an as-requested basis. ALAC members' employers or other affiliations, or At-Large structures, *may* offset the cost of ALAC members' ICANN-related travel, decreasing these budget items.
Thank you for your consideration. Please let us know if you require additional information.
The Interim At-Large Advisory Committee
alac-comments@icann.org