Community Resources and Partnerships/India General Support Project

India General Support Project

Partnership

The General Support Project is one of the pilot resourcing projects for Wikimedia community members from India. You can learn more about the partnership on the main page.

How will this pilot impact me?

If you are an existing movement organiser or an affiliate (recognised/ unrecognised) in India and would like to continue/start implementing projects, you can do that by putting in a project application. Your project should support the achievement of Wikimedia's mission and strategic direction. It should aim at improving one or more of Wikimedia projects. To be in alignment with the global Wikimedia movement in project resourcing, please read the following sections before putting in an application: How to apply; What we fund; Eligibility requirements; Application process; and Timeline.

Additional care should be taken at these points:

Pre-planning: Contact the South Asia regional programme officer, Jacqueline Chen (sa_fund wikimedia.org) as you start to think about your application. They can support you in your application process and work with you to time your applications with the relevant rounds. Where needed, your programme officer may also connect you with an institutional partner who will support compliance with India’s Foreign Contribution Regulation Act. Your programme officer will inform you of the reporting requirements of both WMF and that of the institutional partner.

First-time applicants: For first-time applicants there are several eligibility criteria. Learn about them below before contacting the programme officer.

Documentation required upon submission of the project application: Proof of identity for individuals (i.e. Aadhaar card, PAN card); proof of non-profit status for organisation and Goods and Services Tax identification number. These are also captured in the application form.

Budgeting: When putting together your project budget, you will need to apply the following line items to your project subtotals:
- A flat rate for institutional development fee. This is a percentage of the project subtotal. Do note that the rate may vary as we continue to onboard more partners. For CIS, it is 15%. The rates will be published as we onboard more partners onto the program.
- Chartered Accountant fee - Based on local context, while we understand the existing practice is to allocate INR 4000 – 8000 for this, do adjust your budget estimates based on the quote you received from your Chartered Accountant. The requirement of the Chartered Accountant is to provide a utilisation certificate for your project expenses (i.e. verified and signed on their letterhead to serve as the final financial statement). This should be submitted together with your final project report as a supporting document. Similar to your application, your final report and relevant project supporting documents (e.g. utilisation certificate) will be published on Meta-Wiki automatically within two days

Your selected institutional partner will also be reviewing your proposed budgets for the above as part of their screening process.

Tax implications: In the event that you plan to budget for an honorarium fee in your project (i.e. fees for independent contractor,professional or technical services), and if the amount exceeds INR 30,000, your appointed institutional partner will deduct a TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) at 10% on the amount above INR 30,000, together with documentary evidence of remitting such taxes to the Government of India in Form 16A.
In addition, Good and Services Tax (GST) will not be applicable to any services provided for your project. Your appointed institutional partner will honour all supporting bills from you (and your project team) that includes GST, provided the bills are GST-compliant.

Project cash flow: Your appointed institutional partner will be disbursing your project funds in two tranches
- Wire 1 (80% of project budget) upon completion of the onboarding process; and
- Wire 2 (20% of project budget) will be released when you notify them to release the rest of the funds. See also the section on reporting.

Application process: The current application process from submission of application to disbursement of payment is expected to take about 3 months in total. As this working partnership model continues to evolve, We look to streamline the workflow and cadence of different institutional partners so that the process can be more efficient. We will gather the learnings from planned retrospectives to inform similar partnerships in future and invite your patience, grace and feedback on this iterative journey.

Onboarding process: Once your project is resourced, your institutional partner will reach out to you to start the process of onboarding you as an Individual Contractor. The steps of the onboarding process include:
- Issuing you an Individual Contractor Agreement
- Providing necessary information on policies related to project administration
- Making entry and registering you as an Individual Contractors in their system
- Registering your required personal information and banking details
- Financial transaction

When will this pilot be implemented?

The pilot will kick off in December 2024 and we hope to continually learn and adapt with each general support project cycle. We also plan to hold space to do a review of the pilot in time. Please reach out to your South Asia regional programme officer, Jacqueline Chen (sa_fundwikimedia.org) if you would like to be part of the review and we can formally invite you to participate in the process when it happens.

How can I find out more?

You can reach out to your your South Asia regional programme officer, Jacqueline Chen (sa_fund wikimedia.org) or join a scheduled conversation hour.

How to apply

Read about what we fund and who can apply below.
Required step: Contact the Program Officer at sa_fund wikimedia.org as you start to think about your application. They can support you in your application process and work with you to time your applications with the relevant rounds.
Go to Wikimedia Foundation Funds Portal (Fluxx) and log in.
- If you do not have an account, click Register Now and provide the requested information. You will receive confirmation of your registration within one working day.
Go to the For community members from India section on the main page and click the Apply for General Support Project button on the main page. Click Save and Continue or Save and Close to save the application.
Follow the instructions on the application form. Click Submit to submit the application for review.

Project applications will be published to Meta-Wiki automatically within two days. This is done for community review and feedback.
You can prepare the application offline. Make a copy of the application form, answer the questions and copy the text to Fluxx.

Application form: [India] General Support Project application form (v3.0)

Budget template: [India] Budget Template for India Wikimedia General Support Project Applicants.xlsx

What we fund

General Support Project can fund both annual plans and more narrow but distinct projects that require more funding than Rapid Project can support. Ideally, the minimum length of programming for a General Support Project is 6 months of work implementation.

Examples of projects we fund as part of the annual plan

Education projects
Cultural and heritage projects that support the contribution of content, curation of the content and promote accessibility of that content.
Gender and diversity projects
Community support and engagement projects
Coordination of global campaigns.

Examples of expenses we support

Operating expenses – working space, services, and other common costs needed for an affiliate to operate.
Programmatic expenses – data costs to support access to online events, prizes, outreach, and other common costs needed to support programs.
Staff expenses – compensation for well-defined roles that do not replace volunteer activities, including (but not limited to) graphic design, training, childcare services, translation, project or organisation management, and Wikimedian-in-Residence roles.
Learning or training expenses – costs related to learning or training for community members or affiliate staff.
Travel and participation expenses for staff and organisers.

Examples of projects we do not fund

Projects that fit certain criteria are not eligible for review in the Wikimedia Community Fund:
- Projects that are primarily focused on research.
- Projects that are primarily focused on large-scale software development are not eligible for review.

Regional Fund Committees have flexibility to fund projects and expenses that applicants identify based on their specific context and situational needs, and may support additional requests not described here.

Available funding

The minimum amount for a General Support Project application is 10,000 USD.
The maximum annual funding amount of a General Support Project is dependent on regional funds budgets and individual assessment of the applications by the Regional Funds Committee Members and Program Officer.
The General Support Project fundamentally awards unrestricted funds, however, exceptions might apply.

Eligibility requirements

The General Support Project is open to Wikimedia Movement organisations and organised groups of Wikimedia volunteers from India, to support the effective programmatic work of those implementing their work related to and focusing exclusively on Wikimedia projects.

Organisations outside the Wikimedia Movement that occasionally collaborate with Wikimedia projects, but whose activities are not related to and focusing on Wikimedia projects, are not eligible.

Any General Support Project applicant must be in contact with the application's Regional Program Officer at least one month before the deadline for application.

The following are basic criteria that must be met by all applicants:

Proposed programs and activities are aligned with the mission of the Wikimedia Foundation.
Works and contributions must be able to be published under ethical, open-access agreements
Applications must be for future, planned work
Applicants that are organisations must be designated as a Wikimedia affiliate, or must be an organisation with a demonstrable history and primary focus related to the mission of the Wikimedia Foundation, such as improving Wikimedia projects and supporting its volunteer contributors.

For first-time applicants

Proven track record of activity in the Wikimedia movement and on Wikimedia projects (i.e. evidence of past programming activities involving Wikimedia volunteers, documented activities on Meta-Wiki or other Wikimedia Projects).
Minimum length of programming in general is 6 months of work implementation
Organisational stability, existing governance structure, financial accountability.
Previous experience with accessing resourcing through the Wikimedia Foundation.
Priority may be provided to those who have been active in the movement but have never accessed resourcing before.
Priority may be provided to those without affiliation status in the movement who cannot apply anywhere else for funding.
To reduce duplication of efforts, competition for resourcing and community conflict, activities and target groups should not overlap with those already active in the country.

Legal and conduct requirements

Primary and secondary contacts, agreement signatories, bank account signatories, and any individuals in roles that direct the implementation of project activities, must:

Follow the Universal Code of Conduct and Friendly Space Policies.
Comply with all requirements and be in good standing for any current activities supported through the Wikimedia Foundation and partner organization.
Be in good standing in regard to ethical behavior within the community (e.g. social behavior, financial behavior, legal behavior, etc.), as determined through the due diligence process of the program.
Have no recent or recurring violations:
- Must not be blocked on any Wikimedia project, even if the proposed work is unrelated to that project.
- Within the past year, must not have been blocked, banned, or flagged by Wikimedia Foundation staff or affiliates for violations of the Universal Code of Conduct, Friendly Space Policies, or other conduct issues.
- Must not have been repeatedly blocked or flagged for the same issue on a Wikimedia project.
- If prior issues or blocks have occurred, must demonstrate learning and understanding in regard to the cause for the issue, such that they are ready to serve as a role model for others.
Not appear on the United States Department of Treasury Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List (SDN).
Not be staff members or contractors of Wikimedia Foundation or partner organization working more than part time (over 20 hours per week).
Provide all information and documentation needed to receive the funding from the Wikimedia Foundation.

Youth safety

Youth Safety Policy must be in place for any activity that involves underage community members.

If the proposal indicates direct contact with children or youth, it also outlines compliance with international and local laws for working with children and youth, and provides documentation of the local laws in the annex.
The proposal demonstrates how they will ensure the safe engagement of young people in all of the project’s activities.
The proposal demonstrates that any adults who will be working in close contact with young people have been properly vetted and trained.
The proposal outlines an action protocol in the case that incidents occur relating to the physical and psychological safety of young people.

Eligibility for other resourcing projects

General Support Project recipients are eligible to apply for Conference and Event Projects. But they are not eligible to apply for Rapid Projects.

Application Process

We work together to be strategic thought partners with applicants. Here's the summary of the application and review process:

Applicant submission: Applicants submit their applications.Due diligence: Program Officers and Administrators organise the applications and supporting documents for committee review. The Institutional partner also supports the screening for regulatory, financial, and operational feasibility of project applications based on local context.
Community and Regional Committee review and initial feedback: Committees may publish questions to clarify any aspects of the application. Community members may also be posting comments, questions or feedback that applicants should respond to.
Structured feedback from the Regional Committee: The whole committee meets to discuss each project to consolidate a unified feedback document that will be sent to applicants. Program Officers share their review of each application with Committee members.
- Committee/Applicant meetings: In certain cases, committee members may request a live session with the applicants to discuss this feedback and ask questions. Program Officers may also organise these spaces to provide applicants with support to review this feedback.
- Applicant responses and revisions: Applicants have a set time to make necessary adjustments or clarifications.
Deliberations: Committee members hold a second round of formal deliberation sessions to make their final decisions on the funding. In this stage, they take into consideration all the recommendations and adjustments, as well as the overall budget for the region.
Committee funding decision and remarks: Applicants are informed of the funding decision via email, Fluxx and Meta-Wiki. If approved, the onboarding and administration process begins.

Timeline

Round 2

Applicant support and eligibility check: February 14 – March 13, 2025
Submission deadline: March 13, 2025
Review and translation (where applicable): March 13 – April 21, 2025
Review feedback and applicant engagement: April 21 – May 5, 2025
Decision announced: May 23, 2025
Onboarding, agreement and first payment: June 6 – June 30, 2025
Midpoint conversation: January 15, 2026
Final (or first year) report due: July 31, 2026 / August 15, 2026

Reporting requirements

There are two types of required reports if your General Support Project request is approved: Final report (written) and Conversation report (online meeting).

Final report

This is a written report to submit within 30 days after the project end date.

Go to Wikimedia Foundation Funds Portal (Fluxx) and log in.
Find the Reports section on the left sidebar. Select the Upcoming link and you will see all upcoming reports.
Select the report and click Edit. Answer the questions in the form. You can write it in any preferred language.
When the report is complete, click Submit to send it for review. The report will be published on Meta-Wiki within two working days.

You can prepare the report offline. Make a copy of the report form, answer the questions and copy the text to Fluxx.

Reporting form link: Final or yearly reporting form for General Support (to be added soon)

In addition to the above, you are also required to reconcile your project cash flow with your institutional partner at two points:

(Point 1) After spending 80% of project budget
(Point 2) After spending 100% of the project budget. Your final financial report should be verified and signed by a registered chartered accountant on their letterhead.

You can use the same financial reporting format for documentation to your institutional partner and WMF.

Conversation reports

There are two conversation reports. You will meet the Program Officer online two times a) in the middle of the project implementation and b) after completing the project. For more information on the format of these conversations, refer to the relevant documents below.

You can review the questions before the online meeting. You do not need to fill out these forms.

Program Officer conversation after midterm report (PO's copy to register your answers) (to be added soon)
Program Officer conversation after final or yearly report (PO copy to register your answers) (to be added soon)

Financial Compliance and Audit

While budgeting and financial reporting practices may differ for each project, to improve overall financial and operational governance of organizations, in compliance with the Wikimedia Movement’s new affiliate health criteria, and to provide Regional Fund Committees a good shared understanding of how funds are being spent and what financial practices are being maintained, and how affiliate leadership is involved in the financial management, more detailed financial and Board Membership information might be asked from applicants.
Project recipients, with a budget over a certain amount defined by the Regional Fund Committees for their specific region, will be required to provide more detailed financial reports or external audits. Project recipients, who already provide annual public externally audited financial reports as part of their compliance with local legislation for registered non-profit organizations, can submit that financial report instead of an additional audit.
A Chartered Accountant is required. The requirement of the Chartered Accountant is to provide a utilisation certificate for your project expenses (i.e. verified and signed on their letterhead to serve as the final financial statement). This should be submitted together with your final project report as a supporting document.

The institutional partner reserves the right to request or perform a financial audit of the project expenses in accordance with local regulations.

Review proposals

FY 2024-25

Round 1