This post was originally published at indigenousconnectivity.org

We established the Indigenous Connectivity Institute with the firm understanding that to properly work for the digital interests of Indigenous communities, it must grow to become a truly Indigenous-led, Indigenous-housed organization.

Today, I’m thrilled to share that the ICI has taken the next step towards that goal as we transition to a new host organization: Clear Sky Connections — an Indigenous nonprofit technology provider based on reserve land in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

As the ICI continues to build towards becoming an independent nonprofit organization in its own right, the partnership with Clear Sky Connections will allow us to best deliver on our mission to advance Indigenous digital equity and catalyze Indigenous-controlled broadband networks.

This is a huge milestone to celebrate — and a testimony to the progress we’ve made since launching in 2022. In the coming weeks, we also hope to announce an Executive Director who will steer the Indigenous Connectivity Institute in the next leg of its journey.

While there’s lots happening in the background, in the short term it will be business as usual as we keep developing programs and scaling our impact.

Though there will be some practical changes — like becoming an organization based in Canada — this won’t have a material impact on our work, which will continue to span across Turtle Island and Inuit Nunaat.

In the coming years, the ICI’s work will cover four broad areas:

• Convening the community at events like the Indigenous Connectivity Summit to share resources, shape policy, and build skills around internet infrastructure and digital equity.
• Creating a workforce development program to train the next generation of broadband builders and meet the industry’s growing demand for technical expertise.
• Awarding grants to help build and grow community-focused broadband networks to serve Indigenous communities.
• Guiding research to enhance knowledge about how to best support Indigenous people and communities on their connectivity journey. 

You can learn more on the brand-new Indigenous Connectivity Institute website, developed by Design DePlume, an Indigenous-owned web design company.

As we enter the next phase of our journey, I wanted to thank Connect Humanity — and in particular co-founders Jochai Ben-Avie and Chris Worman — who heard the need for an organization like this, believed it was possible, and shared their institutional privilege to bring the ICI to life. The collaborative spirit and resources that Connect Humanity committed allowed us to hire our founding team, supported the development of our vision and programs, built our brand, and gave us the infrastructure we needed to get to work as we laced up our boots and took our first steps.

We are also extremely grateful for the leadership of the ICI’s Advisory Committee through this process, and will continue to seek their guidance moving forward. 

What we’ve achieved with a small team during this time is significant. Together we have:

1. Convened leaders in the Indigenous digital equity community at two Indigenous Connectivity Summits in Winnipeg and Anchorage
2. Trained more than 400 people across Turtle Island and Inuit Nunaat
3. Organized seven Tribal Broadband Bootcamps with representation from nearly 50 tribes. 
4. Supported the launch of community networks in partnership with North End Connect in Winnipeg, and two networks in the Yukon Territory
5. Advocated for policies in Canada and the United States that will support the development of Indigenous community networks 

Believe me when I say, we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to share more in the weeks and months ahead. To stay tuned, subscribe to the ICI mailing list.