Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund

General Support Fund

Who?

Individuals, groups, Wikimedia affiliates or organisations from Wikimedia movement

What?

For annual or strategic plans that require sustained support and for larger projects and programs.

When?

4 months processing time, 2 rounds in a year

How much?

On average 10,000 - 300,000 USD of unrestricted funding[1]



2023-24 round 2 submissions closed. 2024-25 round 1 info coming soon.

How to apply

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  1. Read about what we fund and who can apply below.
  2. Required step: Contact the Regional Program Officer as you start to think about your application. They will help to understand what round to apply for and will support you in the process.
  3. Go to Wikimedia Foundation Grantee 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.
  4. Select the Apply for General Support Fund button on the main page. Click Save and Continue or Save and Close to save the application.
  5. Follow the instructions on the application form. Click Submit to submit the application for review.

  • We accept applications in any language. We will support translation for applications and discussions as needed.
  • 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.
 
General Support Fund Application Form (Google Docs)
 
General Support Fund Budget Template (Google Sheets)

What we fund

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Examples of projects we fund as part of annual plan
  • Education projects
  • Cultural and heritage projects that support 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.
  • Public policy advocacy projects that aim to influence legal and regulatory environments (at the national, regional or international level) in order to protect the people, model and the values of the free knowledge movement. These projects could target national legislation, trade agreements, human rights frameworks, and any other regulations and norms set by governments and lawmakers.
Examples of expenses we support
  • Operating expenses - working space, services, and other common costs needed for an affiliate to opereate.
  • 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 funded applications
Examples of proposals we do not fund
  • Proposals that fit certain criteria are not eligible for review in the Wikimedia Community Fund:
    • Proposals that are primarily focused on research activities should be submitted to the Wikimedia Research Fund.
    • Proposals that are primarily focused on large-scale software development are not eligible for review. Smaller-scale software development projects may be eligible for review in the Rapid Fund pending review from Community Resources and Technology department staff.

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.

Eligibility criteria

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Any General Support Fund applicant must be in contact with their Program Officer at least one month before the deadline for application. If you have not had a conversation with your Program Officer about applying for General Support Funding, you will need to apply in the subsequent rounds of funding.

The following are basic criteria that must be met by all Wikimedia Community Fund applicants in order for a proposal to be reviewed:

  • 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.
Behavioral and legal requirements
Eligibility for other funding programs

General Support Fund recipients are eligible to apply for some other Wikimedia Foundation funding programs:

General Support Fund recipients are not eligible to apply for:

If additional funding is needed, please contact your regional program officer to discuss the need for budgetary adjustments and other funding opportunities.
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.

Application process

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For further information, see Application and review process.
 
Current Wikimedia fund regions:      Middle East & North Africa      Sub-Saharan Africa      South Asia      East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific      Latin America & Caribbean      North America      Northern & Western Europe      Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia

We work together to be strategic thought partners with applicants. The funding decisions are based on eligibility and committee deliberation.

Here's the summary of the application and review process:

  • Applicant submission: Applicants submit their proposal.
  • Due diligence: Program Officers and Grant Administrators organise the proposals and supporting documents for committee review.
  • Regional Fund Committee review: Committee members review the proposals and supporting documents individually based on a series of criteria and questions.
  • Initial feedback: Committees may publish questions to clarify any aspects of the proposal. Community members may also be posting comments, questions or feedback that applicants should respond to.
  • Structured feedback from Regional Committee: The whole committee meets to discuss each project to consolidate a unified feedback document that will be sent to applicants.
  • Staff feedback shared with committee: Program Officers share their review of each proposal 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, grant administration process begins.

Multi-year funding process

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Multi-year grant funding is available for returning applicants if appropriate to the goals and objectives of the applicant for a 2- to 3-year grant period and if approved by the Regional Funds Committee. For multi-year applications, the Regional Funds Committee will evaluate potential increases for years 2 and 3 on a case-by-case basis once the budgets for the upcoming fiscal years are known.

Renewal process

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Details about renewal process and other upcoming changes are published at: Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposed changes to General Support Fund in 2023-24.

Timeline

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General Support timeline is different based on the applicant's funding region. See below for the regional calendar. If you don't know your funding region, look for it at find your region page.

Round 1 (2024-25)

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Sub-Saharan Africa · Middle East & North Africa

August 11 – September 8, 2024

Applicant support and eligibility check

August 12, 2024

Renewal deadline

September 8, 2024

Submission deadline

September 11 – October 16, 2024

Review and translation

October 16 – November 4, 2024

Review feedback and applicant engagement

November 15, 2024

Decision announced

November 22 – December 12, 2024

Agreement and first payment

July 1 – July 31, 2025

Midpoint conversation

January 30, 2026 / March 31, 2026

Final or first year report due

East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific · South Asia

August 9 – September 9, 2024

Applicant support and eligibility check

September 9, 2024

Renewal deadline

September 9, 2024

Submission deadline

September 9 – October 31, 2024

Review and translation

October 31 – November 15, 2024

Review feedback and applicant engagement

November 29, 2024

Decision announced

December 13, 2024 – January 17, 2025

Agreement and first payment

July 1 – July 31, 2025

Midpoint conversation

January 30, 2026 / March 31, 2026

Final or first year report due

Latin America & Caribbean

September 2 – September 30, 2024

Applicant support and eligibility check

September 9, 2024

Renewal deadline

September 30, 2024

Submission deadline

September 30 – October 24, 2024

Review and translation

October 31 – November 15, 2024

Review feedback and applicant engagement

November 29, 2024

Decision announced

December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025

Agreement and first payment

July 1 – July 31, 2025

Midpoint conversation

January 30, 2026 / March 31, 2026

Final or first year report due

Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia · North America

September 2 – September 30, 2024

Applicant support and eligibility check

September 2, 2024

Renewal deadline

September 30, 2024

Submission deadline

September 30 – October 24, 2024

Review and translation

October 24 – November 15, 2024

Review feedback and applicant engagement

November 29, 2024

Decision announced

December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025

Agreement and first payment

July 1 – July 31, 2025

Midpoint conversation

January 30, 2026 / March 31, 2026

Final or first year report due

Northern & Western Europe

September 2 – September 30, 2024

Applicant support and eligibility check

September 2, 2024

Renewal deadline

September 30, 2024

Submission deadline

September 30 – October 24, 2024

Review and translation

October 31 – November 15, 2024

Review feedback and applicant engagement

November 29, 2024

Decision announced

December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025

Agreement and first payment

July 1 – July 31, 2025

Midpoint conversation

January 30, 2026 / March 31, 2026

Final or first year report due

Full timeline for all regions
SSA MENA SA ESEAP LATAM CEECA NA NWE
Renewals deadline August 12, 2024 August 12, 2024 September 9, 2024 September 9, 2024 September 9, 2024 September 2, 2024 September 2, 2024 September 2, 2024
Applicant proposal support starts August 11, 2024 August 11, 2024 August 9, 2024 August 9, 2024 September 2, 2024 September 2, 2024 September 2, 2024 September 2, 2024
Eligibility check August 11 – September 8, 2024 August 11 – September 8, 2024 August 9 – September 9, 2024 August 9 – September 9, 2024 September 2 – September 30, 2024 September 2 – September 30, 2024 September 2 – September 30, 2024 September 2 – September 30, 2024
Submission deadline September 8, 2024 September 8, 2024 September 9, 2024 September 9, 2024 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2024 September 30, 2024
Application translation support September 11 – September 18, 2024 September 11 – September 18, 2024 September 9 – September 23, 2024 September 9 – September 23, 2024 September 30 – October 6, 2024 September 30 – October 6, 2024 September 30 – October 6, 2024 September 30 – October 6, 2024
Review starts September 20, 2024 September 20, 2024 September 23, 2024 September 23, 2024 October 7, 2024 October 7, 2024 October 7, 2024 October 7, 2024
Feedback received October 16, 2024 October 16, 2024 October 31, 2024 October 31, 2024 October 24, 2024 October 24, 2024 October 24, 2024 October 24, 2024
Engaging with feedback October 16 – November 4, 2024 October 16 – November 4, 2024 October 31 – November 15, 2024 October 31 – November 15, 2024 October 31 – November 15, 2024 October 31 – November 15, 2024 October 31 – November 15, 2024 October 31 – November 15, 2024
Decision announced November 15, 2024 November 15, 2024 November 29, 2024 November 29, 2024 November 29, 2024 November 29, 2024 November 29, 2024 November 29, 2024
Agreement signed November 22, 2024 November 22, 2024 December 13, 2024 December 13, 2024 December 16, 2024 December 16, 2024 December 16, 2024 December 16, 2024
First payment sent November 29 – December 12, 2024 November 29 – December 12, 2024 December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025 December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025 December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025 December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025 December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025 December 16, 2024 – January 17, 2025
Midpoint learning conversation July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025 July 1 – July 31, 2025
Final report due January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026 January 30, 2026
Yearly report due for multi-year funds March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026 March 31, 2026

Round 2 (2024-25)

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Sub-Saharan Africa · Middle East & North Africa

February 10 – March 1, 2025

Applicant support and eligibility check

February 10, 2025

Renewal deadline

March 1, 2025

Submission deadline

March 3 – April 11, 2025

Review and translation

April 11 – May 1, 2025

Review feedback and applicant engagement

May 16, 2025

Decision announced

May 20 – June 25, 2025

Agreement and first payment

January 15, 2026

Midpoint conversation

July 31, 2026 / August 15, 2026

Final or first year report due

East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific · South Asia

February 14 – March 13, 2025

Applicant support and eligibility check

March 14, 2025

Renewal deadline

March 13, 2025

Submission deadline

March 13 – April 21, 2025

Review and translation

April 21 – May 5, 2025

Review feedback and applicant engagement

May 23, 2025

Decision announced

June 6 – June 30, 2025

Agreement and first payment

January 15, 2026

Midpoint conversation

July 31, 2026 / August 15, 2026

Final or first year report due

Latin America & Caribbean

February 10 – March 1, 2025

Applicant support and eligibility check

February 10, 2025

Renewal deadline

March 1, 2025

Submission deadline

March 3 – April 4, 2025

Review and translation

April 4 – May 2, 2025

Review feedback and applicant engagement

May 16, 2025

Decision announced

May 30 – June 14, 2025

Agreement and first payment

January 15, 2026

Midpoint conversation

July 31, 2026 / August 15, 2026

Final or first year report due

Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia · North America

February 17 – March 7, 2025

Applicant support and eligibility check

February 17, 2025

Renewal deadline

March 7, 2025

Submission deadline

March 10 – April 4, 2025

Review and translation

April 4 – May 2, 2025

Review feedback and applicant engagement

May 16, 2025

Decision announced

May 30 – June 14, 2025

Agreement and first payment

January 15, 2026

Midpoint conversation

July 31, 2026 / August 15, 2026

Final or first year report due

Northern & Western Europe

February 21 – March 14, 2025

Applicant support and eligibility check

February 21, 2025

Renewal deadline

March 14, 2025

Submission deadline

March 14 – April 4, 2025

Review and translation

April 4 – April 20, 2025

Review feedback and applicant engagement

April 30, 2025

Decision announced

May 15 – June 13, 2025

Agreement and first payment

January 30, 2026

Midpoint conversation

July 31, 2026 / August 14, 2026

Final or first year report due

Full timeline for all regions
SSA MENA SA ESEAP LATAM CEECA NA NWE
Renewals Deadline February 10, 2025 February 10, 2025 March 14, 2025 March 14, 2025 February 10, 2025 February 17, 2025 February 17, 2025 February 21, 2025
Applicant proposal support starts February 10, 2025 February 10, 2025 February 14, 2025 February 14, 2025 February 10, 2025 February 17, 2025 February 17, 2025 February 21, 2025
Eligibility check February 10 – March 1, 2025 February 10 – March 1, 2025 February 14 – March 13, 2025 February 14 – March 13, 2025 February 10 – March 1, 2025 February 17 – March 7, 2025 February 17 – March 7, 2025 February 21 – March 14, 2025
Submission deadline March 1, 2025 March 1, 2025 March 13, 2025 March 13, 2025 March 1, 2025 March 7, 2025 March 7, 2025 March 14, 2025
Application translation support March 3 – March 10, 2025 March 3 – March 10, 2025 March 13 – March 27, 2025 March 13 – March 27, 2025 March 3 – March 10, 2025 March 10 – March 17, 2025 March 10 – March 17, 2025 March 14 – March 21, 2025
Review starts March 14, 2025 March 14, 2025 March 28, 2025 March 28, 2025 March 14, 2025 March 17, 2025 March 17, 2025 March 21, 2025
Feedback received April 11, 2025 April 11, 2025 April 21, 2025 April 21, 2025 April 4, 2025 April 4, 2025 April 4, 2025 April 4, 2025
Engaging with feedback April 11 – May 1, 2025 April 11 – May 1, 2025 April 21 – May 5, 2025 April 21 – May 5, 2025 April 4 – May 2, 2025 April 11 – May 2, 2025 April 11 – May 2, 2025 April 4 – April 20, 2025
Decision announced May 16, 2025 May 16, 2025 May 23, 2025 May 23, 2025 May 16, 2025 May 16, 2025 May 16, 2025 April 30, 2025
Agreement signed May 20, 2025 May 20, 2025 June 6, 2025 June 6, 2025 May 30, 2025 May 30, 2025 May 30, 2025 May 15, 2025
First payment sent May 25 – June 25, 2025 May 24 – June 7, 2025 June 6 – June 30, 2025 June 6 – June 30, 2025 May 30 – June 14, 2025 May 30 – June 14, 2025 May 30 – June 14, 2025 May 16 – June 13, 2025
Midpoint learning conversation January 15, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 15, 2026 January 30, 2026
Final report due July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026 July 31, 2026
Yearly report due for multi-year funds August 15, 2026 August 15, 2026 August 15, 2026 August 15, 2026 August 15, 2026 August 15, 2026 August 15, 2026 August 14, 2026

Principles and values

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The principles that are foundational and underline the Wikimedia Foundation Funds' strategy are based directly on the Movement Strategy Principles:

  • Subsidiarity & Self Management
  • Equity & Empowerment
  • Collaboration & Cooperation
  • People Centeredness - listening and reflection
  • Efficient Data & Iterative Practices - promoting innovation and learning

Reporting requirements

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

Final learning report

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

  1. Go to Wikimedia Foundation Grantee Portal (Fluxx) and log in.
  2. Find the Reports section on the left sidebar. Select the Upcoming link and you will see all upcoming reports.
  3. Select the report and click Edit. Answer the questions in the form. You can write it in any preferred language.
  4. 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.

 
Final or Yearly Report Form for applications approved in FY 2023-24 (Google Docs)
 
Final or Yearly Report Form for applications approved before FY 2023-24 (Google Docs)
Conversation reports

There are two conversation reports. You will meet the Program Officer online two times in the middle of the grant implementation and after completing the grant. They will ask questions and complete the forms.

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

 
Midterm Conversation Questions (Google Docs)
 
Final or Yearly Conversation Questions (Google Docs)
Multi-year funding reports

If you have a multi-year funding, the required reports are slightly different.

  • Yearly learning report: The same form as final learning report but submitted yearly.
 
Final or Yearly Report Form for applications approved in FY 2023-24 (Google Docs)
 
Final or Yearly Report Form for applications approved before FY 2023-24 (Google Docs)
  • Yearly conversation between PO-grantee partners: The same meeting as final conversation meeting but organised yearly.
 
Final or Yearly Conversation Questions (Google Docs)

Resources

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Updates

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Contact us

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If you have any questions about the General Support Fund, please reach out to your Regional Program Officer via email:

Region Regional Program Officer Email address
Middle East & North Africa Farida El-Gueretly mena_fund wikimedia.org
Sub-Saharan Africa Veronica Thamaini ssa_fund wikimedia.org
South Asia Jacqueline Chen sa_fund wikimedia.org
East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific Jacqueline Chen eseap_fund wikimedia.org
Latin America & Caribbean Mercedes Caso lac_fund wikimedia.org
North America Chris Schilling na_fund wikimedia.org
Northern & Western Europe Agnes Bruszik nwe_fund wikimedia.org
Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia Chris Schilling ceeca_fund wikimedia.org

Notes

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  1. Unrestricted funding means that grantees are able to reallocate funding in their budget to new or existing mission-aligned activities or expenses at their own discretion during the funding period. You do not need to obtain permission from the Foundation for reallocation for these changes in your budget. For the General Support Fund and Conference & Event Fund, when reallocations exceed 20% of your total budget from the funding program, please notify your program officer of these changes. This notification would not be to request approval, but to generally inform the Community Resources team what circumstances or opportunities are prompting more significant changes in your budget.