Grants:Regions/South Asia/en
This region includes the following countries: Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; India; Maldives; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka.
Program Officer
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Regional calendar
Please reach out to your Program Officer if you are interested in applying before making any application or if you need flexibility on dates.
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
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
Contact us
Rapid Fund
If you want to apply or if have any questions about the Rapid Fund, please reach out to the Regional Program Officer at: sa_rapid
wikimedia.org
General Support Fund
If you have any questions about the General Support Fund, please reach out to the Regional Program Officer at: sa_fund wikimedia.org
Regional Committee
- आर्या जोशी, August 2021 - Contributor to Marathi Wikimedia projects and works with many not for profit organizations in Maharashtra. A passionate researcher and enthusiastic learner always.
- Balajijagadesh, August 2021 - Open source enthusiast, active in community engagement activities in Tamil Wiki projects. Contributes to Wikisource and Wikidata.
- Medhavigandhi, August 2021 - Lead Co-organizer at Art+Feminism, active in GLAM space, open GLAM work; leads The Heritage Lab project.
- Nawaraj Ghimire, August 2021 - Wikimedian contributing to the Wikipedia in Classroom project and outreach activities in Nepal.
- Tarunno, October 2021 - Wikimedian active in Bangla Wikimedia projects. Open source enthusiast.
- Nabin K. Sapkota, August 2024 - Event and outreach co-ordiantor in projects under Wikimedians of Nepal
- Ravidreams, August 2024 - Serving Tamil Wikimedia projects since 2005. Have worked with the Wikimedia India Chapter and the WMF in the past towards the development of South Asian Wikimedia communities through various programs like Project Tiger.
Conversation hours
Questions from Office hour 27 July 2021
- User:Manavpreet Kaur
- For Organizations asking for Staff support, will their salaries/remuneration be considered as income?
Criteria of eligibility, are non-affiliate groups eligible? As discussed, their eligibility consideration is dependent on what the committee feels about them. How aware is the committee of all such groups’?
- Considering some mentorship programs are being discussed within affiliates, there might be a chapter supporting a user group to organize, plan and run some activities. So who would apply for this grant? The trainer or the trainee?
- In continuation of the last question, say both apply for grant for specific activities, but one regional committee approves but other refuses. How will the CRS team evaluate such cases?
- About Alliance funding, will it only be available to nonprofits or for profit organizations as well?
Regarding specific funds allocation for a region, if we are actually going to promote this funding for underrepresented communities, considering there are other major grantees in the region, cushion might not be sufficient.
- So what if there is an Allied organization asking for funds for the first time and come up with a great plan for engagement in India and ask for an equal or more amount than the existing grantees, would you consider funding the new organization?
- Are there any plans on training the regional committees? Or How will you ensure that everybody who's on the regional committee, irrespective of the region, is trained on similar standards?
- All communities stand at different levels regarding the sensitivity towards various aspects of engagement, grants, etc. Are there any plans for sensitization activities?
- Drafting Grants’ policies- Will the process be inclusive to the community for review?
- If an affiliate is being supported by other grantees in the region, will this association act as a barrier for the grant the affiliate wishes to apply directly for expansion of the group's activities?
- About Grant structure, would there be a Global criteria or would there be a regional criteria for evaluation & funding?
- When we're talking about increasing the funding opportunities for the under-represented communities, Do you have any kind of plans on capacity building? *Like designing a pilot for new Affiliates, identifying some, extending training on handling finances and later they apply for a grant. This will enable them to efficiently apply for & manage future grants. This will be an actual capacity building and increasing the funding to the underrepresented communities. Otherwise like, or is it just an opportunity without any capacity building support.
- User:Bodhisattwa
- How will Rapid Funds support long term but short budget projects as it is written that it is only meant for short term projects?
- Will individuals or smaller affiliates have to compete with big players w.r.t. General Support Fund,?
- How will you ensure legally to make the grant applicants submit the reports and financial receipts?
- How will you prevent people from disappearing with the money or submit vague/false reports?
- How will the transparency of the grant projects be ensured?
- What is the transaction limit by which an individual will not face FCRA wrath from the Government and how will it be ensured to remove the FCRA barrier for smaller affiliates?
- If an individual/affiliate wants to hire a paid person to execute some project, how will the money be transferred to that person?
- What will be the exact legal way to save tax when money comes to someone’s account for a project?
Browse Applications
Wikimedia Community Fund
General Support Fund
Rapid Fund
The Community Resources team at Wikimedia Foundation supports the Wikimedia Foundation Funds. We offer funding opportunities, guidance, and other resources to the Wikimedia Movement.