Applications / .stiftung / IIUM2696T-T27855 · published by ICANN 7 October 2026 · snapshot 2026-10-08
.stiftung
StandardActiveindex Internet und Mediaforschung GmbH, DE Q1·Q25
Ultimately controlled by Jürgen Gerhard Grenz, Jürgen Gerhard Grenz, Jürgen Gerhard Grenz, Jürgen Gerhard Grenz Q108 · ICANN record ↗
§ 1 — Meaning of the string Q118·Q120
Foundation. A legal entity under German-speaking law (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg), in which dedicated assets are permanently committed to a purpose determined by the founder.
ˈʃtɪftʊŋ
§ 2 — Mission and purpose Q133
Question 1 – Mission and Purpose of the .stiftung gTLD
The mission of the .stiftung gTLD is to provide a commited, meaningful, and trusted online namespace for foundations that identify with or operate under the term „Stiftung“. The term designates a distinct legal entity in which dedicated assets are permanently committed to a purpose determined by the founder – a legal concept with no direct equivalent in English. This precise meaning makes .stiftung a natural and authoritative identifier, immediately understood by registrants, users, and the general public.
The intended registrants and users are:
- legally established foundations (Stiftungen) organized under civil or public law, including foundations under private law, public-law foundations, ecclesiastical foundations, and foundations operating under the law of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg, which carry the term legally "Stiftung" as part of their legally registered name or organizational identity.
- Umbrella organizations and sector associations that represent, support, or advance the foundation community globally, including international philanthropic networks, cross-border foundations, and organizations with a programmatic or legal connection to the Stiftung model.
To achieve this purpose, the following activities have been or will be carried out: enforcement of eligibility criteria tied to the legal definition of "Stiftung"; compliance and anti-abuse policies safeguarding namespace integrity; structured outreach to foundation associations, philanthropic networks, and supervisory authorities; and ongoing engagement with the foundation community to promote .stiftung as the authoritative digital home for foundations.
Question 2 – Sustainability of the Mission and Purpose Over Time
The sustainability of the .stiftung gTLD is grounded in the legally permanent nature of the Stiftung as a regulated legal entity and the steady growth of the foundation sector in German-speaking jurisdictions. As a legal entity type, the Stiftung is characterized by institutional durability: foundations are established with a perpetual mandate, endowed with dedicated assets, and legally required to pursue the purpose defined by their founder indefinitely. Unlike commercial entities, foundations cannot be dissolved at the discretion of their members — their continuity is legally protected.
Several factors underpin long-term sustainability:
Steady sectoral growth: The number of legally registered Stiftungen in German-speaking jurisdictions has grown consistently over recent decades, providing a structurally expanding base of eligible registrants with a long-term institutional interest in a sector-specific online identity.
Growing digital relevance: As foundations increasingly rely on digital channels for donor engagement and public accountability reporting, demand for a clearly recognizable, sector-specific domain identity will continue to rise.
Policy integrity: Eligibility is anchored in the legal definition of Stiftung under applicable law, ensuring that the namespace is reserved exclusively for legally recognized entities — preventing dilution and maintaining long-term registrant trust.
Mission-aligned governance: The registry will be operated consistently with the public-benefit-ethos of the foundation sector, prioritizing long-term stewardship over short-term commercial interests.
These factors collectively ensure that the .stiftung gTLD will remain a relevant, well-governed, and trusted namespace for the Stiftung sector for the long-term.
§ 3 — Commitments and safeguards Q164–Q188
| More trustworthy, consumer risk, regulated sector, government reporting, harm, government function Q164–Q169 | Yes to: more trustworthy (Q164), consumer risk if abused (Q165), licensing or accreditation (Q166), government reporting (Q167) |
|---|---|
| Voluntary Safeguard PICs Q170·Q171 | None · 90 applications in the round offer some |
| Registry Voluntary Commitments Q172·Q173 | None · 5 do |
| Code of Conduct exemption requested Q185·Q188 | No |
§ 4 — All other published answers
Every other answer ICANN published for this application, in the order of the form. Contact details (Q17–Q24) are left to the ICANN record.
Q212Q4.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. If financial statements are provided by a Qualified Parent Entity (QPE), the CEO, President, CFO, and/or equivalent officer of the QPE must co-sign the certification document. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC4.2-1.1 - The applying entity and/or a QPE will fund the startup and long-term operation of all applied-for gTLD strings and (if applicable) currently operated gTLDs of a QPE. SC4.2-1.2 - The applying entity or QPE has at a minimum of US$50,000 plus 25% of the application base fee for each applied-for gTLD string in Cash and Cash Equivalents on the balance sheet of the provided financial statements, up to a maximum of US$300,000, designated to support the startup and operation of all of the applying entity’s applied-for gTLD strings. SC4.2-1.3 - The applying entity and/or its officers are bound by law in its jurisdiction to represent financial statements accurately and the applying entity is in good standing in that jurisdiction.
Q4.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. If financial statements are provided by a Qualified Parent Entity (QPE), the CEO, President, CFO, and/or equivalent officer of the QPE must co-sign the certification document. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC4.2-1.1 - The applying entity and/or a QPE will fund the startup and long-term operation of all applied-for gTLD strings and (if applicable) currently operated gTLDs of a QPE. SC4.2-1.2 - The applying entity or QPE has at a minimum of US$50,000 plus 25% of the application base fee for each applied-for gTLD string in Cash and Cash Equivalents on the balance sheet of the provided financial statements, up to a maximum of US$300,000, designated to support the startup and operation of all of the applying entity’s applied-for gTLD strings. SC4.2-1.3 - The applying entity and/or its officers are bound by law in its jurisdiction to represent financial statements accurately and the applying entity is in good standing in that jurisdiction.
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q220Q5.1-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.1-1.1 - The applying entity will appropriately protect confidentiality of data and prevent unauthorized access to data and services. SC5.1-1.2 - The applying entity will maintain a mature, appropriately funded and staffed security program, following a recognized, modern security framework based on risk management (such as the ISO27000 series, COBIT, HITRUST CSF, legally required security frameworks, or equivalent). The security program must be in place prior to delegation, and exist through at least the period of the registry agreement. SC5.1-1.3 - The applying entity is aware of and has designed its systems and business to comply with the relevant privacy and security regulations for all countries in which it operates.
Q5.1-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.1-1.1 - The applying entity will appropriately protect confidentiality of data and prevent unauthorized access to data and services. SC5.1-1.2 - The applying entity will maintain a mature, appropriately funded and staffed security program, following a recognized, modern security framework based on risk management (such as the ISO27000 series, COBIT, HITRUST CSF, legally required security frameworks, or equivalent). The security program must be in place prior to delegation, and exist through at least the period of the registry agreement. SC5.1-1.3 - The applying entity is aware of and has designed its systems and business to comply with the relevant privacy and security regulations for all countries in which it operates.
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q221Q5.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.2-1.1 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the Top Level Domain (TLD), establish a dedicated abuse point of contact responsible for addressing matters requiring expedited attention and providing a timely response to abuse complaints concerning any name registered in the TLD. SC5.2-1.2 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the TLD, establish, publish, and provide to ICANN the location of a mechanism for members of the public to submit reports of abuse in accordance with the current obligations of the Base RA and any Consensus Policies. SC5.2-1.3 - The applying entity has developed proposed measures for removal of orphan glue records for names removed from the zone when provided with evidence in written form that the glue is present in connection with malicious conduct (see Specification 6). SC5.2-1.4 - The applying entity has or will have at time of delegation, established policies for handling complaints regarding abuse. Such policies are to be maintained and posted publicly so that anyone can review the policies via the Internet and any other means deemed appropriate by the applying entity. The applying entity’s policies at a minimum should contain appropriate confirmation of the receipt of the abuse report, the process of review of the report, and actions that will be taken if the applying entity confirms the report is legitimate. SC5.2-1.5 - The applying entity understands that DNS Abuse is Phishing, Malware, Botnets, Pharming and Spam (when used to deliver other forms of DNS Abuse). The applying entity understands and is prepared to contribute to the mitigation or disruption of DNS Abuse in domains in the TLD zone. SC5.2-1.6 - The applying entity’s abuse response capabilities are resourced appropriately to ensure a timely and adequate investigation and response to reports of DNS Abuse. This includes capabilities to receive and evaluate evidence of DNS Abuse in reports, and to take action to stop or disrupt the DNS Abuse. SC5.2-1.7 - The applying entity is prepared to conduct periodic scans of its zone to identify if domains are being used to perpetrate DNS Abuse, and to maintain statistical reports of the scans, the findings, and actions taken.
Q5.2-1 - Provide the applying entity’s self-certification document, signed by the CEO, President, CFO and/or equivalent officer of the applying entity. The self-certification document must represent and warrant: SC5.2-1.1 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the Top Level Domain (TLD), establish a dedicated abuse point of contact responsible for addressing matters requiring expedited attention and providing a timely response to abuse complaints concerning any name registered in the TLD. SC5.2-1.2 - The applying entity will, no later than delegation of the TLD, establish, publish, and provide to ICANN the location of a mechanism for members of the public to submit reports of abuse in accordance with the current obligations of the Base RA and any Consensus Policies. SC5.2-1.3 - The applying entity has developed proposed measures for removal of orphan glue records for names removed from the zone when provided with evidence in written form that the glue is present in connection with malicious conduct (see Specification 6). SC5.2-1.4 - The applying entity has or will have at time of delegation, established policies for handling complaints regarding abuse. Such policies are to be maintained and posted publicly so that anyone can review the policies via the Internet and any other means deemed appropriate by the applying entity. The applying entity’s policies at a minimum should contain appropriate confirmation of the receipt of the abuse report, the process of review of the report, and actions that will be taken if the applying entity confirms the report is legitimate. SC5.2-1.5 - The applying entity understands that DNS Abuse is Phishing, Malware, Botnets, Pharming and Spam (when used to deliver other forms of DNS Abuse). The applying entity understands and is prepared to contribute to the mitigation or disruption of DNS Abuse in domains in the TLD zone. SC5.2-1.6 - The applying entity’s abuse response capabilities are resourced appropriately to ensure a timely and adequate investigation and response to reports of DNS Abuse. This includes capabilities to receive and evaluate evidence of DNS Abuse in reports, and to take action to stop or disrupt the DNS Abuse. SC5.2-1.7 - The applying entity is prepared to conduct periodic scans of its zone to identify if domains are being used to perpetrate DNS Abuse, and to maintain statistical reports of the scans, the findings, and actions taken.
Answered with a document. Attachments are not published by ICANN.
Q119Script of String
Script of String
Latin
Q121As per Section 3(d) of Specification 11 of the Base Registry Agreement, a registry operator of a “generic string” may not impose eligibility criteria for registering names in the TLD that limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity and/or that person’s or entity’s “Affiliates” (as defined in Section 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). “Generic String” means a string consisting of a word or term that denominates or describes a general class of goods, services, groups, organizations or things, as opposed to distinguishing a specific brand of goods, services, groups, organizations or things from those of others. Confirm that the applied-for string is not a “generic string” in which the applying entity intends to limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity.
As per Section 3(d) of Specification 11 of the Base Registry Agreement, a registry operator of a “generic string” may not impose eligibility criteria for registering names in the TLD that limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity and/or that person’s or entity’s “Affiliates” (as defined in Section 2.9(c) of the Registry Agreement). “Generic String” means a string consisting of a word or term that denominates or describes a general class of goods, services, groups, organizations or things, as opposed to distinguishing a specific brand of goods, services, groups, organizations or things from those of others. Confirm that the applied-for string is not a “generic string” in which the applying entity intends to limit registrations exclusively to a single person or entity.
true
Q223By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it is submitting this Application with a good faith (“bona fide”) intent to operate the gTLD for which it has applied, and that the applying entity has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it is submitting this Application with a good faith (“bona fide”) intent to operate the gTLD for which it has applied, and that the applying entity has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
true
Q224By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
By submitting this Application, the applying entity confirms that it has read and understands the provisions of Section 5.2.3.1 Prohibited Communications and Activities of the Applicant Guidebook regarding the New gTLD Program rules prohibiting certain communications and activities to prevent parties from privately resolving string contention among themselves.
true