A nonprofit that raised funds for .meow through Kickstarter has selected its backend provider.
One interesting thing about a new top-level domain applicant using crowdfunding is that you can follow along during the application and launch process.
dotMeow Foundation, a Belgian nonprofit that aims to promote social inclusion, connection, and the empowerment of the LGBTQIA+ community, raised €122K through Kickstarter to apply for .meow.
The organization has been accepted for ICANN’s Applicant Support Program, which will reduce its application fee by 75%. It will also get reduced fees for the first three years of operation. Still, the board is having to lend money to the entity to get the domain off the ground.
In its latest project update, it said it has selected CORE as its registry service provider for .meow.
Additionally, it said one of the challenges it is facing in finishing the ICANN application is on the financial side. It said that crowdfunding is complicated from a tax and accounting standpoint and that it must collect the documentation required to satisfy ICANN.
The foundation also said its home base in Belgium creates added work around NIS2. Belgium’s implementation of NIS2 requires all registry operators to comply, regardless of size (some countries have small-operator carve-outs). The registry is preparing to become NIS2-compliant by delegation.
