Community TLDs: Extensions Built for Groups

## What Makes a TLD a "Community" Extension ICANN's New gTLD Program included a formal "community" application track alongside the standard commercial track. A community application claimed that the proposed string would serve a clearly delineated community with specific shared interests, and that the applicant represented that community's interests. In return for satisfying these additional criteria, community applications received priority in string contention situations where multiple parties applied for the same name. The distinction matters for how these extensions are governed. Community TLDs often have: - Eligibility requirements for registrants (must be a member of the defined community) - Policy advisory boards drawn from community stakeholders - Restrictions on use aligned with community values - Non-profit or community-benefit governance structures This governance model is philosophically similar to sponsored TLDs like .edu (accredited US higher education institutions) and .museum (verified museums), which have long operated with eligibility restrictions. ## Notable Community TLDs **Identity and Culture — .gay** Operated by Top Level Design, .gay was established to serve LGBTQ+ communities and organizations globally. The extension has a meaningful adoption base among LGBTQ+ businesses, nonprofits, media outlets, and individuals. Unlike many new gTLDs that claimed community status purely for competitive advantage, .gay represents genuine community ownership and use. The registry maintains an anti-abuse program specifically protecting .gay from use in anti-LGBTQ+ content. This active governance distinguishes it from open extensions where anyone can register. **Religious Communities — .catholic, .church, .bible** .catholic is operated by Pontificium Consilium de Comunicationibus Socialibus (the Vatican's media office) and restricted to entities in communion with the Catholic Church. Its governance is the most formally community-controlled of any religious TLD. .church and .bible are commercially operated open extensions with religious themes but no eligibility restrictions — anyone may register. This open model yields higher registration volumes but less community coherence. **Agriculture and Environment — .organic, .eco** .organic restricts registration to certified organic producers, processors, and retailers as verified against accredited certification bodies. The extension addresses a real trust problem: organic labeling fraud is widespread, and a verified .organic domain provides consumers with a signal of genuine certification. .eco, operated by Big Room Inc, requires registrants to make a pledge of environmental commitment and disclose their environmental work. While less rigorous than organic certification, it creates accountability through public pledges. **Sports — .sport** .sport is one of the most broadly scoped community TLDs, covering the entire global sports community. Operated by SportsDomain (a consortium of international sports federations), it received community priority in contention. Actual adoption has been modest — the breadth of "sports community" dilutes the identity signal that more specific extensions provide. **Professional Fields — .engineer, .accountant, .surveyor** These extensions launched under the assumption that professional communities would adopt identity-signaling domains. In practice, professional associations have been slow to mandate or encourage adoption. Individual professionals occasionally register these for personal portfolios, but mass adoption has not materialized. ## The Community Application Process Applicants seeking community designation in the 2012 round had to satisfy ICANN's evaluation criteria across six dimensions: (1) delineation of the community; (2) nexus between the string and the community; (3) registration policies enforcing community nexus; (4) communication channels to the community; (5) evidence of support from the community; (6) community establishment predating the application. These criteria were scored, and applicants needed to meet a threshold to qualify for community priority. The process was contentious — some applicants claimed community status strategically to gain priority in commercially valuable string contests, and ICANN's evaluation of genuine community representation was criticized as inconsistent. In the 2026 application round, ICANN is refining community application criteria with more specific evidence requirements. Applicants pursuing this track need to demonstrate sustained community engagement, not just assertions of community representation. ## When Community TLDs Make Sense For organizations that genuinely represent or serve the defined community, a community TLD offers two advantages: **Authentic identity**: A .gay domain signals authentic community membership in a way that .com cannot. A .organic domain communicates certified organic status. The TLD carries informational content. **Governance alignment**: Community TLDs often have abuse policies specifically tailored to their community's values. A .gay registry that actively removes anti-LGBTQ+ content is protecting its community in ways that generic registries never would. For organizations outside the defined community, the restrictions simply make registration ineligible or inappropriate. The community designation is precisely what gives these extensions their value. Use TLD Finder to check availability in community extensions relevant to your organization. See Industry-Specific New gTLDs for professional industry extensions that may also serve your needs.