Grants:Policies/WMF staff eligibility

Policy

In rare circumstances, an individual who is a Wikimedia Foundation ("WMF") staff member (part-time or full-time), intern or fellow (paid or unpaid), work-study participant, or contractor ("WMF individual"), may be eligible to receive funds for project expenses as part of a grant made by WMF, regardless of whether the grant is made to WMF individuals or people not affiliated with WMF, if all eligibility criteria for the grant program are met, as well as the following conditions:

1. The funds may not be used to purchase equipment nor attend Wikimania through the scholarships program;
2. The funds must be spent according to the purposes described in the grant proposal;
3. The funds must be for project expenses incurred in the WMF individual's capacity as a volunteer, including but not limited to travel and/or materials;
4. Funds may not used to (a) pay for the WMF individual's time organizing or implementing the project; (b) provide wages, salaries, or other forms of compensation; or (c) pay for expenses exclusively incurred by the WMF individual in their capacity as a WMF staff member, intern or fellow, work-study participant or contractor;
5. The WMF individual must only spend time on the grant-funded project during non-work hours ;
6. The WMF individual may only incur expenses for activities and/or purposes that are unrelated to any activity that they may complete in their role as a WMF staff member, intern or fellow, work-study participant or contractor;
7. The WMF individual (or the grantee if the grantee is not the WMF individual) must demonstrate that the work outlined in the grant request could not be done by a volunteer who is not a WMF staff member, intern or fellow, work-study participant or contractor;
8. The WMF individual may not be a member of the WMF Community Resources team that oversees the grants programs;
9. Where the grant is for a group project and is initiated by someone other than the WMF individual, the WMF individual’s labor in their capacity as a WMF staff member, intern or fellow, work-study participant or contractor may not directly benefit the grant initiator; and
10. The individual (or the grantee if the grantee is not the WMF individual) must provide reasonable evidence that the above conditions have been met when requested by the WMF Community Resources team.
11. If requested, the individual (or the grantee if the grantee is not the WMF individual) must provide receipts or documentation for all expenses incurred as a result of the grant.

WMF Community Resources staff will recuse themselves from funding decisions about WMF individuals, deferring the decision to a relevant volunteer-led grant committee. For grants programs with no volunteer committee (e.g. Rapid Grants), a group of a minimum of 3 volunteers will be recruited from the other grant programs’ committees to make a decision.