Oxford, UK – 25th March 2026: Nominet, the guardians of .UK, is pleased to announce the first projects to receive support from its new Nominet DNS Fund – created to invest in the stability and resilience of open source domain name system (DNS) technologies that keep the internet running smoothly.
The DNS is a vital part of how the internet works – the layer that turns the names we type into our browsers into the addresses computers use to connect. It needs to be reliable, secure and well-maintained, yet many of the open source tools and services behind this are run by small teams with limited funding. Through the Nominet DNS Fund, Nominet is helping to address that gap and give these teams the support they need to carry out work that benefits everyone who uses the internet.
To shape the programme, an expert advisory panel was created. It features a range of independent experts from across the internet and open source community, including experts from ICANN, Sovereign Tech Agency, Linux Foundation, and Nominet membership. They assessed all applications and made recommendations on which proposals should be funded – focusing on the impact of the technology.
Up to £370k was available with the initial application window.
The first funded projects are:
Cascade by NLnet Labs
A new DNSSEC (DNS Security Extensions) signing tool. The project focuses on strengthening trust in domain names by helping the systems behind website addresses work more reliably and safely. Funding from Nominet helps and gives the non-profit team behind it the ability to design and build Cascade for the long-term.
Validns by OARC
This provides a safety check for a domain name by going through the DNS data and running a series of technical tests to make sure they are correctly formed and cryptographically verifiable, before they are published. This reduces the chances of problems caused by misconfigurations and helps ensure that domain names point to the right place. Backing from the Fund allows the maintainers to keep pace with new standards, record formats, and security improvements so that the wider internet community can continue to rely on this shared tool.
OpenSSL Library(OpenSSL Foundation)
Supporting one of the most widely used cryptographic libraries in the world by significantly improving the level of testing. Better testing means more issues can be found and fixed before they affect real world services.
Quad9
A non-profit that runs a public interest DNS service with a strong focus on security, privacy and accessibility. Quad9 acts as an independent layer of protection, using threat intelligence from more than 30 partners to block harmful domains while respecting users’ privacy. Support from the Fund will help the team tackle technical debt, strengthen their infrastructure and continue providing safer DNS services to communities around the world.
BIND 9 by ISC
The open source DNS system used by many root, TLD and second‑level domain operators around the world. The team from Internet Systems Consortium, which is behind BIND 9, aims to use this funding to improve its scalability and performance on modern hardware so it can continue to meet the demands of today’s internet.
“The internet only works when its underlying infrastructure is strong, secure and well maintained. The organisations we are supporting through the Nominet DNS Fund are doing essential work that most people never see, but that everyone relies on every time they go online. We’re proud to back projects that improve security, resilience and trust across the DNS, and to play our part in supporting the wider internet community.”
– Paul Fletcher, CEO of Nominet
Nominet is supporting some smaller organisations and maintainers as part of this round of funding, which will be announced in the coming months along with the opening of the next DNS Fund application window – inviting further proposals from organisations that are working to protect, strengthen or evolve the DNS and its related open source technologies. Sign up for alerts on our website.
About Nominet
Nominet is the guardian of the UK’s national domain name registry, driven by a commitment to be a force for good in the nation’s digital economy and the global internet community. Since 1996, Nominet has operated at the heart of the internet, protecting and connecting over 10 million domains within the .UK namespace, and underpinning critical internet infrastructure that government services rely on. Through our work and the projects we fund, we aim to create positive societal impact; transforming lives by shaping a safer, more interconnected and inclusive world.
Find out more at nominet.uk