Grants:Project/Rapid
 | • September 22, 2023: Wikimedia Alliances Fund updates are published. Due to the reduced funding, the application process is by invitation for non-profits from Sub-Saharan Africa and East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific regions.
• September 21, 2023: The updated review framework for the General Support Fund is published. • August 8, 2023: New application form is published for General Support Fund (Wikimedia Community Fund). How to apply? • July 19, 2023: Thematic topics of General Support Fund now include public policy advocacy. |
Rapid Funds
The Rapid Fund program funds Wikimedia community members – individuals, groups, or organizations contributing to Wikimedia projects such as Wikipedia or Commons – to organize projects throughout the year with a budget of 500 USD up to 5,000 USD.
Eligibility criteria
Specific criteria
- All requests between 500 USD and up to 5,000 USD are considered (or its equivalent in another currency at the time of the application).
- Individuals, groups, and organizations can apply.
- Grant requests and reports can be submitted in any language.
- Grants can be up to 12 months in length.
Grant amounts and limits for all Rapid Funds received:
- Individual Rapid Fund limit is 10,000 USD per fiscal year of Wikimedia Foundation (e.g. July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024)
- Groups (formal and informal), organizations, and affiliates Rapid Fund limit is 10,000 USD per fiscal year of Wikimedia Foundation (e.g. July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024). Groups will be encouraged to have access to a joint account.
- All grant applications will be distributed in the applicant’s local currency unless advised otherwise. In some cases when it is not possible, we will send the amount in USD.
Open grants:
- Individuals can have up to one (1) open project funded through Rapid Funds. Before applying for a new rapid grant you will need to complete the currently funded project and submit the report. In some cases, the Program Officer may request to review the report before applicant is able to submit a new grant request.
- Affiliates and other organizations can have two (2) open projects through Rapid Funds.
Experience and team:
- Applicants need to demonstrate current editing history and experience on the target Wikimedia project(s) mentioned in their grant application. They also need to have organizing experience or training experience. For example, if the applicant is planning to train people on creation or improvement of Wikidata items, the applicant should demonstrate editing and training history on Wikidata.
- Team members involved in the grant application need to be aware of their involvement in the project. It is the applicant's responsibility to inform team members about the project and application. Team members can confirm their involvement on the grant discussion page on Meta-Wiki.
Individuals and groups:
- Board members, leaders (contacts submitted to AffCom), presidents, bank account signatories[1], executive directors, and other paid staff or contractors of Wikimedia affiliates/groups/organizations with existing Wikimedia Foundation Fund awards (General Support Fund, Rapid Fund, Research Fund, Conference Fund, Movement Strategy Implementation Grants) are not eligible for individual grant requests. When there is no significant overlap between the volunteer role (especially board members), group activities, and individual grant, the program officer may make exceptions to this criterion.
- Individuals cannot apply and receive funding on behalf of two different groups or organizations.
- Staff and contractors of the Wikimedia Foundation are not eligible for the Rapid Fund program.
Funding travel and equipment:
- No funding for travel scholarships or conference participation. Rapid Funds are project-based resources and only fund travel related to the direct implementation of the project.
- Equipment purchase is allowed for groups, organizations and affiliates. Equipment-based grants need to clearly demonstrate how the equipment will be shared with other community members. An equipment log or list must be publicly available for community members and included in the application. Examples of equipment funded with Rapid Funds are: laptops, cameras and projector, routers, external drives.
Funding software development:
- Smaller-scale software development projects may be eligible for funding pending review from Community Resources and Technology department staff.
- Project code must be publicly available and published under a free software license compatible with relevant Wikimedia projects.
- A documentation plan should be incorporated as a part of the proposed activities.
- Proposals that depend on multiple or continuous Rapid Funds for long-term maintenance or development goals are generally ineligible.
Funding research:
- Applications to complete proposed research related to the Wikimedia movement are not eligible. Please review the Special:MyLanguage/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Research & Technology Fund/Wikimedia Research Fund for these funding opportunties.
- Applications for open access publication fees to publish completed research are not eligible at this time. We encourage researchers to review the WikiJournal User Group, which publishes a set of open-access, peer-reviewed academic journals with no publishing costs to authors.
General Support Fund recipients:
- General Support Fund grantee partners are not eligible for the Rapid Fund program. Grantee partners needing additional funding need to share the request with the Regional Program Officer as an amendment to the current General Support Fund.
Recommendations:
- We recommend applying for micro-funding programs and other similar opportunities in local communities where they are available. Where you can coordinate and work with other groups in your geography.
- Applicants with requests for equipment hire to support their activities – will be requested to share information on how those involved as participants will be supported beyond the training to enable continued learning and engagement with the target Wikimedia projects.
Basic Criteria
The following are basic criteria that must be met by all Wikimedia Community Fund applicants in order for a proposal to be reviewed:
- Proposals should support the achievement of Wikimedia’s mission and strategic direction.
- Projects should aim at improving one or more of Wikimedia's existing websites. Projects aimed at improving third-party applications are not eligible for funding.
- 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.[2]
- Behavioral requirements
- Applicants should 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 grant program.
- Within the last year, applicants have not been blocked, banned, or otherwise flagged by Wikimedia Foundation staff or another affiliate for violations of Universal Code of Conduct and Friendly Space Policies, or for other types of violations or conduct issues. If such issues have occurred in the past, the applicant is required to 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 as a grantee.
- Within the last year, applicants have not been repeatedly blocked or flagged for the same issue and/or have not been banned on the Wikimedia Projects. If a block/ban is recorded in the applicant's account history, the applicant is required to demonstrate learning and understanding in regard to the cause for the block, such that they are ready to serve as a role model for others as a grantee.
- 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.
Application Process
See also: Grants:Project/Rapid/Review process
Applications are submitted on the Fluxx Grantee portal. Revised application and reporting forms are used.
After submission, the application will be processed with the following steps:
| Activity | Period |
| Submission deadline of applications for Cycle 1 | |
|
7 days |
|
28 days |
|
2-4 days |
|
14 days |
|
Right after the previous step. |
|
1 week after the decision day |
|
30 days after the project end date |
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
- Project related travel for organizers
- 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.
Timeline
Cycle 1 - July 1 - August 28, 2023
| Date | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2023 | Submission deadline of applications in Cycle 1 | |
| July 3 - July 10, 2023 |
|
7 days |
| July 10 - August 7, 2023 |
|
28 days |
| August 7 - August 10, 2023 |
|
2-4 days |
| August 14 - August 28, 2023 |
|
14 days |
| August 28, 2023 |
|
|
|
30 days after project end date | |
| September 1, 2023 |
|
1 week after the decision day |
Cycle 2 - September 1, 2023 - October 26, 2023
| Date | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| September 1, 2023 | Submission deadline of applications for Cycle 2 | |
| September 2, 2023 - September 8, 2023 |
|
7 days |
| September 9, 2023 - October 7, 2023 |
|
28 days |
| October 8, 2023 - October 11, 2023 |
|
2-4 days |
| October 12, 2023 - October 26, 2023 |
|
14 days |
| October 26, 2023 |
|
|
|
30 days after project end date | |
| October 26, 2023 - November 1, 2023 |
|
|
| November 1, 2023 | Submission deadline for the next cycle |
Cycle 3 - November 1, 2023 - January 9, 2024
| Date | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2023 | Submission deadline of applications for Cycle 3 | |
| November 2, 2023 - November 10, 2023 |
|
7 days |
| November 11, 2023 - December 9, 2023 |
|
28 days |
| December 10, 2023 - December 13, 2023 |
|
2-4 days |
| December 14, 2023 - January 9, 2024 |
|
14 days |
| January 9, 2024 |
|
|
|
30 days after project end date | |
| January 9, 2024 - January 15, 2024 |
|
|
| January 15, 2024 | Submission deadline for the next cycle |
*this cycle is longer due to the holiday period
Cycle 4 - January 15, 2024 - March 16, 2024
| Date | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| January 15, 2024 | Submission deadline of applications for Cycle 4 | |
| January 16, 2024 - January 22, 2024 |
|
7 days |
| January 23, 2024 - February 20, 2024 |
|
28 days |
| February 21, 2024 - February 24, 2024 |
|
2-4 days |
| February 25, 2024 - March 10, 2024 |
|
14 days |
| March 16, 2024 |
|
|
|
30 days after project end date | |
| March 18, 2024 - March 25, 2024 |
|
|
| April 1, 2024 | Submission deadline for the next cycle |
Cycle 5 - April 1, 2024 - May 26, 2024
| Date | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2024 | Submission deadline of applications for Cycle 5 | |
| April 2, 2024 - April 8, 2024 |
|
7 days |
| April 9, 2024 - May 7, 2024 |
|
28 days |
| May 8, 2024 - May 11, 2024 |
|
2-4 days |
| May 12, 2024 - May 26, 2024 |
|
14 days |
| May 26, 2024 |
|
|
|
30 days after project end date | |
| May 26, 2024 - May 31, 2024 |
|
|
| June 1, 2024 | Submission deadline for the next cycle |
Cycle 6 - June 1, 2024 - July 18, 2024
| Date | Activity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| June 1, 2024 | Submission deadline of applications for Cycle 6 | |
| June 2, 2024 - June 6, 2024 |
|
7 days |
| June 6, 2024 - June 27, 2024 |
|
28 days |
| June 27, 2024 - July 1, 2024 |
|
2-4 days |
| July 1, 2024 - July 15, 2024 |
|
14 days |
| July 16, 2024 |
|
|
|
30 days after project end date | |
| July 16, 2024 - July 31, 2024 |
|
Conversation hours
Please join the Rapid Fund conversation hours if you have any question about the program.
| Date | Time | Language | Topic | Grantee Partner Type | Link to meeting |
|---|
Resources
See also: Grants:Knowledge Sharing
- Swag request
- You can request swag from Wikipedia Store. Please review the Requesting swag page for more details.
- Application forms and guides
- Recommendations for developing fund proposals
- Grantee Portal – Fluxx tutorials
- Tutorials about the Fluxx registration and portal.
- Other grants
- Many Wikimedia affiliates offer grants to their local communities. Check out some of their programs here.
Contact us
Please send your grant submissions, reports, any questions or feedback to:
| Region | Regional Program Officer | Email address |
|---|---|---|
| Middle East & North Africa | Veronica Thamaini | mena_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Veronica Thamaini | ssa_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| South Asia | Jacqueline Chen | sa_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| East, Southeast Asia, & Pacific | Jacqueline Chen | eseap_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| Latin America & Caribbean | Mercedes Caso | lac_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| North America | Chris Schilling | na_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| Northern & Western Europe | Agnes Bruszik | nwe_rapid wikimedia.org
|
| Central & Eastern Europe & Central Asia | Chris Schilling | ceeca_rapid wikimedia.org
|
References
- ↑ Individuals who have access to the organizational bank account.
- ↑ https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/lobbying.