$25,989 raised of $90,000 goal
Campaign ends
Campaign closed
The Pitch
Furries make the internet go, and we need infrastructure that belongs to us. You may remember around 2012 that there were suddenly more ways for our websites to end, including .social, .engineering, and the ever popular .dog. We believe the time has come to add .furry to this esteemed list.
These endings are called generic Top Level Domains (gTLD for short). ICANN, the organization in charge of this canonical list, has begun the process of creating a new wave of gTLDs. Getting a new TLD approved is an expensive affair — on the order of $250,000. That’s where we have good news.
Our hackerspace and non-profit, Pawprint Prototyping, has been accepted to a new program ICANN has introduced called the Applicant Support Program (ASP). This program aims to provide access to smaller organizations like us, who would normally be unable to participate in gTLD creation due to prohibitive expense. Under this program, a large majority of the typical fees are waived. Which may leave you asking why we’re crowdfunding.
The ASP reduces gTLD application fees by 75%. We’re raising $90,000 to cover the remaining application fees, legal costs, and operational expenses required to bring .furry to life.
100% of the profit from .furry will be used to fund:
- Furry and LGBTQIA+ organizations and spaces.
- The ongoing educational mission of our non-profit hackerspace.
- Future development focused on digital sovereignty within our community.
As a non-profit, Pawprint Prototyping has no shareholders — no one trying to bleed customers dry to line pockets. The foundational structure of our organization requires that we use profits to better the communities that we serve.
Perks
When you back our campaign, even at the foundational tier, you’ll get a voucher good for one year of .furry domain registration at wholesale cost. Multiple vouchers can be combined for a single domain or split arbitrarily across multiple. You’ll save on initial registration and directly support the launch of the TLD.
Contribute at one of these levels to secure your perks:
| Level | Price | Perks |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Paws | $10 | Our undying gratitude and supporter credit on our website |
| Paws & Ears | $30 | 1 domain voucher at wholesale cost and dotfurry stickers |
| Paws, Ears & Tail | $60 | 2 domain vouchers, stickers, & a digital wallpaper |
| Partial | $69 | 3 domain vouchers, stickers, wallpaper |
| Full Suit | $130 | 5 domain vouchers, stickers, wallpaper, and a hand-made gift |
| Mascot | $420 | 20 domain vouchers, stickers, wallpaper, embroidered patch, and a personalized gift |
| Popufur Legend | $1,000 | 50 domain vouchers and the full swag experience: stickers, wallpaper, and a T-shirt |
| The Dragon (Hoarder of Domains) | $5,000 | 256 domain vouchers Unique signed artwork featuring our mascot |
Why .furry?
“Furry” has always been a part of the internet. Before the World Wide Web even existed, we were finding our own niches in MUDs, Usenet, and IRC. Our goal with .furry is to cement our place in the foundations of the internet while providing a domain that our community can congregate within.
Over time, the internet has grown more and more centralized and commoditized. Communities that previously found a home on the internet have been increasingly marginalized — forced to hop from platform to platform, bending to the whims of those seeking to profit from their engagement. While we can’t magically address restrictive platforms, we hope to provide another step towards digital sovereignty within our community. The .furry TLD will provide an inseparable niche for our community while helping fund further development.
The .furry domain will have open registration. This means that anyone may purchase and operate a domain under .furry — individuals, artists, conventions, community hubs, and companies alike. Open registration also allows for entities outside of our community to register a domain, helping us fund further development within our community.
Who We Are
We are Pawprint Prototyping (aka Totally Legit Agency), Santa Clara’s premiere furry hackerspace. We are a collection of hackers, artists, makers, and tinkerers with a mission to foster creative endeavors and the hacker community at large. We have been accepted into ICANN’s Applicant Support Program and are applying to operate the .furry top-level domain. We believe we are uniquely suited as a technology-driven and community-rooted organization to make .furry a reality.
Rechner Fox (he/him)
A Software Infrastructure Engineer in default life, Rechner has served as CTO at Pawprint Prototyping since its inception. Deeply involved in the furry convention community, he has volunteered in various technical capacities: from IT Director to open-source software engineer for registration solutions. An avid electronics tinkerer and licensed ham radio operator, he also dedicates time to teaching soldering and electronics assembly classes at his local hackerspace.
Geo (he/them)
Hacker by trade and by passion, Geo brings over 10 years of experience performing offensive security assessments and providing security guidance to some of the largest companies in the world. They first encountered the fandom nearly 20 years ago, as a child performer at Renaissance festivals, and have been deeply involved ever since.
Kataze Skunk (he/him)
A long-time furry and fandom organizer. He has helped found local furry conventions and continues to contribute in leadership roles at some of the largest cons in America. He also helped found Pawprint Prototyping and currently serves as President. In his day job, he has over fifteen years of technical experience and is excited to bring that to this project for the future of the Internet.
In addition to this core team, the project will be supported by the many members and friends of Pawprint Prototyping — a growing and diverse community of creatives, tinkerers, and animals like you!
The ICANN Journey
The current 2026 gTLD round opened on April 30th, with a base application fee of $227,000 before additional fees. However, this round includes something new: the Applicant Support Program (ASP). We have been formally accepted into the ASP and will be receiving at least a 75% reduction in fees.
However, this still leaves us with significant costs to cover:
- The discounted base application fee.
- Various additional ICANN fees depending on application processing.
- Legal and compliance work.
- Operational costs before launch.
- Platform fees.
To cover these fees and ensure that .furry is as well positioned to succeed as possible, we’re aiming to raise $90,000. Our team has already committed significant time and money to this project, and will continue to do so, but we will not be able to do this alone. As a non-profit, our funding options are quite limited. Most traditional funding sources are motivated by brands and profit — that is why we need your help. We want to be for furries, by furries.
In addition to this crowdfunding campaign, we are seeking support via grants and sponsorship. If you know of any relevant opportunities or have interest in formal sponsorship, please reach out to us via email at [email protected].
Rewards & Vouchers
Delivered regardless of what ICANN says:
- Exclusive .furry merchandise (stickers, pins, prints, etc.)
- Digital wallpapers, avatars, and 88x31 button.
- Thank you credits on our website.
These rewards will be delivered as they become available.
Delivered if .furry successfully launches:
If all goes well, ICANN says yes, and we fully launch the .furry TLD, you will receive domain registration vouchers based on your pledge. One year of registration per voucher, redeemable at participating registrars. Multiple vouchers may be used for multiple domains, multiple years on a single domain, or a combination of the two.
You will be able to choose your domain name when registration opens. However, this will be first-come-first-served and subject to availability. Opportunities for priority registration may occur at a later date, but we unfortunately can’t make that guarantee yet.
Risks & Challenges
Although we are doing everything we can to ensure that .furry will become a reality, no project is devoid of risk. We want you to be aware of the potential risks, possible outcomes, and the timelines involved.
- ICANN rejection. Although we have been approved as part of ICANN’s Applicant Support Program, ICANN may still decline our application. If this occurs, we will work to return all funds not yet spent on non-refundable costs (filing fees, legal, etc).
- Timeline. The 2026 gTLD round is expected to take a significant amount of time. ICANN states that the estimated duration of a conventional application will fall within 14.5 to 19.5 months. However, processing order and conditional processes may extend that timeline. We are hoping for a launch around late 2027 to early 2028. ICANN estimates a maximum completion date for all 2026 round processing to be mid 2030.
- Market adoption and partner support. As an open registration TLD, we will need registrars to support purchasing .furry domains. Your support via this funding campaign directly helps us demonstrate to potential registrars that there is a market for the .furry TLD.
Stay In Touch
Sign up for updates on the .furry campaign. We’ll keep it short and sweet — expect updates about once or twice every few months.