Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund

Wikimedia Community Fund

The Wikimedia Foundation provides support to individuals, groups, organizations and affiliates around the world that are actively working on promoting knowledge equity aligned with the strategic direction of the Wikimedia movement.

We will increase investment of resources in underrepresented Wikimedia communities around the world.

Questions? Please contact us.

What we fund and funding programsEdit

The Wikimedia Community Fund broadly supports volunteer efforts in the movement, especially those that promote knowledge equity. We emphasize the need for underrepresented communities and historically marginalized communities in the movement to have access to resources they need to accomplish their goals.

The Wikimedia Community Fund has three general areas of support:

Rapid Fund

Short-term, low-cost projects by individuals, groups, or organizations contributing to Wikimedia projects. This program is comparable to the previous Rapid Grants program.

45 days processing time; average funding amount: 500 - 5,000 USD

Please note, you can also request swag from Wikipedia Store. Please review the Requesting swag page for more details.

Apply

Conference & Event Fund

Funding and planning support to groups, individuals or organizations to organize local, regional, and thematic conferences that bring together Wikimedians for experience sharing, skill building, and networking. This program is comparable to the previous Conference & Events Grant program.

2 months processing time; average funding amount: 10,000 - 90,000 USD

Apply

General Support Fund

Flexible general operating support for individuals, groups, or affiliates that have developed larger projects or programs or a strategic plan that requires sustained investment over time to be able to achieve its goals. Multi-year grant funding is available if appropriate to the goals and objectives of the applicant. This program is comparable to the previous Simple Annual Plan Grant, Annual Plan Grant, and Project Grant programs.

2 months processing time; average funding amount: 10,000 - 300,000 USD

Apply

Forms and ResourcesEdit

For further information, see Knowledge Sharing.

Review Application and Reporting Forms and Guides before applying.
Recommendations for developing fund proposals

Eligibility criteriaEdit

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

Applicant must follow the Universal Code of Conduct and Friendly Space Policies
Youth Safety Policy must be in place for any activity that involves underage community members
Applicant is within a country that can legally receive funding for the described activities and expenses based on laws on sending and receiving funds in the United States and their country
Applicant does not appear on the United States Department of Treasury Specially Designated Nationals And Blocked Persons List (SDN)
Applicants must be in compliance with all requirements and in good standing for any current activities funded through the Wikimedia Foundation
Works and contributions must be able to be published under ethical, open access agreements
Applications must be for future, planned work
Proposed activities that meet the United States Internal Revenue Service definition of lobbying cannot be funded.^[1]
Applicants receiving funding must not be Wikimedia Foundation staff members or contractors working more than part time (more than 20 hours per week).
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 software development should be submitted to the Wikimedia Technology Fund.

↑ https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/lobbying

Youth SafetyEdit

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.

Some examples of what we fundEdit

Individuals coordinating local events related to a global campaign in their community.
Cultural and heritage projects that support contribution of content, curation of the content and promote accessibility of that content.
Strategic and annual plans from Wikimedia Movement Affiliates
Local, regional, and thematic conferences that bring together Wikimedians
Common expenses supported through previous grant programs such as (but not limited to):
- Working space, services, prizes, outreach, and other common costs needed to support edit-a-thons, contests, photowalks, and promotional campaigns.
- Data costs to support access to online events
- Travel for organizers and participation
Compensation for well-defined roles that do not replace volunteer activities, including (but not limited to) graphic design, training, childcare services, translation, project management, and Wikimedian-in-Residence roles.

Regional Committees will 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.

When to apply?Edit

For General Support Fund:

Individuals, groups, organizations, and affiliates interested in applying can do so at anytime of the year. They need to contact their regional Program Officer who will support in their application interest and process. The Program Officer will also support in understanding what round of funding would be suitable to apply for.

How we fundEdit

The Foundation Program Officers and the regional funds committees work together to be strategic thought partners with applicants. The funding decisions are based on eligibility and committee deliberation.

The principles that are foundational and underline the grants 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

Application processEdit

Current Wikimedia grant regions: Middle East and Africa South Asia East, Southeast Asia, and Pacific (ESEAP) Latin America (LATAM) and The Caribbean United States and Canada Northern and Western Europe Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central Asia

We encourage all applicants to reach out to their Regional Program Officer as they are developing their proposal and before submitting a final application. This is especially recommended for first time applicants. We want to ensure everyone understands and is supported throughout the process.

Preparation by Regional Program Officer, including proactive communication and outreach about Funding Programs
Open Call for Funds, including office hours and program officer support for proposal development
Review of proposals, including eligibility check, due diligence, community review, committee review and deliberation
Decision

Timeline and award amountsEdit

Rapid FundEdit

For further information, see Rapid Fund.

45 days processing time from application to decision
Average grant size 500-5,000 USD
Unrestricted funding^{[unrestricted 1]}
If your grant budget falls below 500 USD or exceeds 5000 USD please contact us for support.

Conference & Event FundEdit

2 month processing time from application to decision
A Conference Grant amount can range between 10,000 - 90,000 USD, average grant size
Unrestricted funding, with notification to program officer when reallocations exceed 20% of total budget^{[unrestricted 1]}

Proposed open call period for applications
Region	Round 1	Round 2
All regions	September - November	February - March

General Support FundEdit

2 month processing time from application to decision
Average annual grant size varies on application proposal 10,000 - 300,000 USD
Unrestricted funding^{[unrestricted 1]}
Multiyear funding optionally available for 2- to 3-year grant period. A multiyear strategic plan is required for multiyear funding requests.

↑ ^a ^b ^c 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.

2022-23 Fiscal Year timelineEdit

Region	Round	Application Due	Announcement
Middle East and Africa	1	Friday September 9, 2022	Thursday November 17, 2022
Middle East and Africa	2	Friday March 10, 2023	Thursday May 11, 2023
CEE and Central Asia Community + Alliances Fund	1	Friday September 9, 2022	Thursday November 17, 2022
CEE and Central Asia Community + Alliances Fund	2	Friday March 10, 2023	Thursday May 11, 2023
United States and Canada Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 8, 2022	Thursday November 17, 2022
United States and Canada Community + Alliances Fund	2	Friday March 10, 2023	Thursday May 11, 2023
Latin America and The Caribbean Community + Alliances Fund	2	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
Latin America and The Caribbean Community + Alliances Fund	2	Thursday March 2, 2023	Thursday May 18, 2023
Northern and Western Europe Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
Northern and Western Europe Community + Alliances Fund	2	Thursday March 2, 2023	Thursday May 18, 2023
ESEAP (East Asia & Pacific) Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
ESEAP (East Asia & Pacific) Community + Alliances Fund	2	Thursday March 16, 2023	Thursday May 18, 2023
South Asia Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
South Asia Community + Alliances Fund	2	Thursday March 16, 2023	Thursday May 18, 2023

2021-22 Fiscal Year timeline (Round 2)Edit

2021-22 - Group A (Round 2)

Applicants from the following funding regions: CEE and Central Asia, USA and Canada, Middle East and Africa. (Wikimedia Community Fund and Alliances Fund)

Activity	Dates for group A, round 2	Estimated time
Program Officer working with grantees to prepare their application	February 1 - March 4, 2022	One month
Applicants working on final submission of application	March 4 - 17, 2022	Two weeks
Final Submission Deadline	March 18, 2022
Committee Review, Staff Review, Community Review	March 21 - April 11, 2022	Two weeks
Applicants Engaging with Committee Feedback	April 11 - 28, 2022	Three weeks (accounting for holiday)
Proposal adjustment if needed	April 11 - 28, 2022	Three weeks (accounting for holiday)
Final review and decision	May 18, 2022
Appeal process if needed		(TBD)

2021-22 - Group B (Round 2)

Applicants from the following funding regions: Northern & Western Europe, Latin America and The Caribbean, South Asia and ESEAP. (Wikimedia Community Fund and Alliances Fund)

Activity	Dates for group B, round 2	Estimated time
Program Officer working with grantees to prepare their application	February 28 - March 31, 2022	One month
Applicants working on final submission of application	April 1-14, 2022	Two weeks
Final Submission Deadline	April 14, 2022
Committee Review, Staff Review, Community Review	April 16 - May 1, 2022	Two weeks
Applicants Engaging with Committee feedback	May 2-13, 2022	Two weeks
Proposal adjustment if needed	May 2-13, 2022	Two weeks
Final decision	May 29, 2022
Appeal process if needed		(TBD)

Applicants should email your Regional Program Officer if the schedule conflicts with your own timeline for proposal development and submission, and we will work with you individually to accommodate your needs.

Reporting requirementsEdit

Fund	Midterm learning report	Midterm conversation between PO and grantee partners	Final or yearly learning report (Yearly for multi-year funds) ^[1]	Final conversation between PO-grantee partners
General Support Fund (all non-multi-year)	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)
General Support Fund, Multi-year grantee partners^[1]	No	No	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)
Wikimedia Alliances Fund	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)	Yes (reporting form)
Rapid Fund	No	No	Yes (reporting form)	Yes / No (reporting form)
Conference Fund	No	No	Yes: two months after the conference has taken place. (reporting form)	Yes: once the final learning report has been analysed by the PO. Between 2-4 weeks after the report has been submitted (reporting form)

General Support FundEdit

General information	Midterm learning report	Midterm conversation between Program Officers and Grantee Partners	Final or yearly learning report (Yearly for multi-year funds)^[1]	Final or yearly conversation between Program Officers and Grantee Partners
Is it required?	Obligatory for grantee partners required to present this report. If payments are in installments the payment will be made after the presentation of this report and the conversation with Program Officers within 2 weeks of this submission.	Obligatory for grantee partners required to present this report.	Obligatory for grantee partners required to present this report. Multi-year grantee partners will use this format for their yearly learning reports. They should report one year at a time, rather than the cumulative multi-year period. Non-multi-year grantee partners (with funding for 1 year or less) will use this template to report on the final learning and results, including the period already reported on in the midterm learning report.	Obligatory for grantee partners required to present this learning report
Who is responsible?	Grantee partners	Program Officers (POs) schedule the call and register the conversation. grantee partners will have access to the conversation report on Fluxx and will be able to edit the conversation registration.	Grantee partners	Program Officers (POs) schedule the call and register the conversation. grantee partners will have access to the conversation report on Fluxx and will be able to edit the conversation registration.
When?^[2]	In the middle of the grant implementation. Reporting dates will depend on each grantee partner according to their project timelines. These dates are found on Fluxx.	Once the report has been analysed by the Program Officer. Between 2-4 weeks after submission.	One month after the end of the grant implementation.	Once the final (or yearly) report has been analysed by the Program Officer. Between 2-4 weeks after submission.
How will it be used?	This learning report is aimed at: Registering key learnings from interesting results and approaches and registering any challenges that may require adjustments and foundation or peer support. Gathering data to show progress in terms of some of the metrics and identifying needs for support in data collection efforts. It will also be used for Committee members to better understand how your work is progressing. It is not an evaluative tool to determine future funding.	This conversation is aimed at a deeper reflection based on the analysis of the report. It is also used to give the Foundation feedback on ways to better support grantee partner's work.	This learning report is aimed at: Registering key learnings from key outcomes, approaches, and challenges. Gathering data that can be aggregated to show regional/thematic results and can be used for joint reflection amongst grantee partners, Foundation and Regional Funds Committees. It will be used by Committee members as contextual analysis for future proposal review.	This conversation is aimed at a deeper reflection based on the analysis of the report. It is also used to give the Foundation feedback on ways to better support grantee partner's work in the future.
Where will it be filled out?	On Fluxx	On Fluxx	On Fluxx	On Fluxx
Will it be published on Meta?	Yes	No	Yes	No

↑ ^a ^b ^c Multiyear funding: If you have a multi-year grant agreement and will request more than a 20% increase from the pre-approved amount, the regional fund committee will need to review the request. Therefore you will need to submit a short explanation and budget for your expected increase. This can be done as early as possible yet should be completed no later than your reporting deadline.
↑ Note: Reporting dates will be adapted to each grantee partner according to their project timelines. Grantee partners will be able to see their proposed reporting dates on the portal on Fluxx. If you have any doubts or concerns about these dates please reach out to your Program Officer. Likewise, if you have any doubts about how to submit these reports or how they will be used.

Review reports

Contact usEdit

Rapid FundEdit

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

Region	Email address
Middle East and Africa	mea_rapid wikimedia.org
South Asia	sa_rapid wikimedia.org
East, Southeast Asia, and Pacific (ESEAP)	eseap_rapid wikimedia.org
Latin America (LATAM) and The Caribbean	lac_rapid wikimedia.org
United States and Canada	usca_rapid wikimedia.org
Northern and Western Europe	nwe_rapid wikimedia.org
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central Asia	ceeca_rapid wikimedia.org

Please note, you can also request swag from Wikipedia Store. Please review the Requesting swag page for more details.

General Support FundEdit

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

Region	Email address
Middle East and Africa	mea_fund wikimedia.org
South Asia	sa_fund wikimedia.org
East, Southeast Asia, and Pacific (ESEAP)	eseap_fund wikimedia.org
Latin America (LATAM) and The Caribbean	lac_fund wikimedia.org
United States and Canada	usca_fund wikimedia.org
Northern and Western Europe	nwe_fund wikimedia.org
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central Asia	ceeca_fund wikimedia.org

Conference FundEdit

If you have any questions about the Conference Fund for all funding regions, please reach out to the Program Officer via email: conferencegrants wikimedia org

[1] ttps://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/lobbying

[unrestricted-2] 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.

[multiyear-3] Multiyear funding: If you have a multi-year grant agreement and will request more than a 20% increase from the pre-approved amount, the regional fund committee will need to review the request. Therefore you will need to submit a short explanation and budget for your expected increase. This can be done as early as possible yet should be completed no later than your reporting deadline.

[4] Note: Reporting dates will be adapted to each grantee partner according to their project timelines. Grantee partners will be able to see their proposed reporting dates on the portal on Fluxx. If you have any doubts or concerns about these dates please reach out to your Program Officer. Likewise, if you have any doubts about how to submit these reports or how they will be used.

[1]

[unrestricted 1]

[1]

[2]