Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund

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Wikimedia Community Fund

Who we 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 programs

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 Resources

For further information, see Knowledge Sharing.

• Review Application and Reporting Forms and Guides before applying.
• Recommendations for developing fund proposals
  • Editing Events, Writing Contents and Content Campaigns
  • GLAM
  • Education Projects

Eligibility criteria

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
• All applications must be compliant with the COVID-19 policy and risk matrix
• Proposed activities that meet the United States Internal Revenue Service definition of lobbying cannot be funded.
• Applicants receiving funding must not be Wikimedia Foundation staff members or contractors working more than part time (more than 20 hours per week).

Youth Safety

• 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 fund

• 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.

How we fund

The Foundation Program Officers and the participatory 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

See also: How are General Support Fund proposals reviewed for Wikimedia Community Fund?

Application process

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 amounts

Rapid Fund

For further information, see Rapid Fund.

• 45 days processing time from application to decision
• Average grant size 500-5,000 USD
• If your grant proposal falls below or exceeds please contact us for support.

Conference & Event Fund

• 2 month processing time from application to decision
• A Conference Grant amount can range between 10,000 - 90,000 USD, average grant size

Proposed open call period for applications

Region	Round 1	Round 2
All regions	September - November	February - March

General Support Fund

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

2022-23 Fiscal Year timeline

Region	Round	Application Due	Announcement
Middle East and Africa	1	Friday September 9, 2022	Thursday November 10, 2022
	2	Friday March 10, 2023	Thursday May 11, 2023
CEE and Central Asia Community + Alliances Fund	1	Friday September 9, 2022	Thursday November 10, 2022
	2	Friday March 10, 2023	Thursday May 11, 2023
United States and Canada Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 8, 2022	Thursday November 10, 2022
	2	Friday March 10, 2023	Thursday May 11, 2023
Latin America and The Caribbean Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
	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
	2	Thursday March 2, 2023	Thursday May 4, 2023
ESEAP (East Asia & Pacific) Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
	2	Thursday March 16, 2023	Thursday May 18, 2023
South Asia Community + Alliances Fund	1	Thursday September 29, 2022	Thursday December 8, 2022
	2	Thursday March 16, 2023	Thursday May 18, 2023

2021-22 Fiscal Year timeline (Round 2)

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.

Contact us

Rapid Fund

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_rapidwikimedia.org
South Asia	sa_rapidwikimedia.org
East, Southeast Asia, and Pacific (ESEAP)	eseap_rapidwikimedia.org
Latin America (LATAM) and The Caribbean	lac_rapidwikimedia.org
United States and Canada	usca_rapidwikimedia.org
Northern and Western Europe	nwe_rapidwikimedia.org
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central Asia	ceeca_rapidwikimedia.org

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

General Support Fund

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_fundwikimedia.org
South Asia	sa_fundwikimedia.org
East, Southeast Asia, and Pacific (ESEAP)	eseap_fundwikimedia.org
Latin America (LATAM) and The Caribbean	lac_fundwikimedia.org
United States and Canada	usca_fundwikimedia.org
Northern and Western Europe	nwe_fundwikimedia.org
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Central Asia	ceeca_fundwikimedia.org

Conference Fund

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