What is .foundation?
.foundation entered the DNS root zone on February 11, 2014, 12 years ago. It came out of ICANN's New gTLD Program, the 2012 application round that grew the root from 22 generic TLDs to well over a thousand.
Public Interest Registry also runs 10 other TLDs, including .charity, .gives, .giving, .ngo and .ong.
On the technical side, .foundation is served by 6 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .foundation, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.foundation).
Same registry, other endings
10 other TLDs share this operator.
.foundation FAQ
What does .foundation mean?
.foundation is a generic top-level domain named for the word "foundation", and it's aimed at finance, money & crypto and community, nonprofit & causes. It doesn't belong to any country.
What is .foundation used for?
.foundation is mostly used for finance, money & crypto and community, nonprofit & causes. Like most gTLDs, it's a label of intent rather than a guarantee — check the site, not just the ending.
What country is .foundation?
None. .foundation is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .foundation domain extension?
Public Interest Registry operates .foundation as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .foundation created?
.foundation was delegated to the DNS root zone on February 11, 2014.
Is .foundation a valid domain?
Yes. .foundation is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2014, so .foundation addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .foundation domain?
.foundation names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read Public Interest Registry's policy if you're unsure.
Is .foundation DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .foundation.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed August 14, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
