Guidelines and criteria

Learn the information you need to apply for a Conference Grant, including eligibility, important steps in the application process and timelines.

Eligibility Criteria

If you have any questions about whether your group is eligible for a conference grant, please review the Funding FAQ's on the 'Events Team Portal', or contact a WMF program officer at conferencegrants wikimedia.org before you begin the application process.

  1. Groups and organizations who are in compliance with grants and WMF agreements may apply. This means all outstanding grant reports for the grantee and fiscal sponsors must be complete prior to the proposal submission. Please see all compliance requirements.
  2. Groups who do not have a shared bank account or individuals applying on behalf of a group must provide confirmation of an eligible fiscal sponsor who can accept grant funds on their behalf.
  3. Individuals or groups who have never received a grant from the WMF over $5,000 USD should email conferencegrants wikimedia.org to discuss any challenges that might prevent WMF from sending you funds.
  4. Organizations who are funded through General support Grants are not eligible for Conference & Event Grants, however they may act as fiscal sponsors for groups who are eligible. Chapters who are receiving an annual grant may request a Conference & Event Grant for movement-wide or region-wide event, such as GLAMWiki conference, Wikisource Conference, WikiIndaba, CEE Meeting, etc.
  5. Grantees must adhere to the Friendly space expectations and have some type of Friendly space policy for in-person events.
  6. All sections in the grant proposal must be completed by the submission deadline.

Important information:

  • For grants under $5,000 USD, please see the Rapid Grants program
  • Contact us at conferencegrantswikimedia.org as soon as you begin planning an event to discuss timelines and eligibility. It is recommended to inform the conference grant program officer of your plans to apply at least two months before the application cycle begins.

Funding Criteria

Proposals are reviewed according to the following criteria.

Evaluation criteria
Community engagement
  • Clear demonstration of community engagement in the planning process.
Impact potential
  • Is there a demonstrated need for the event?
  • Are goals and intended outcomes clearly articulated, high priority, and reasonably achievable?
  • Is there a plan for follow up after the event?
Ability to execute
  • Are there enough community members with the time and ability to plan and execute the event?