Wikimedia Foundation

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OVERVIEW: The Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit known for producing, hosting and maintaining some of the worlds most well-respected information sharing projects, makes grants to support information equity. This funder prioritizes projects that benefit underrepresented and marginalized communities around the world.

IP TAKE: The Wikimedia Foundation has only recently begun supporting organizations outside of its purview, having made a strong commitment to supporting organizations working toward information equity around the world in 2020. This is an important source of funding for those involved in digital information sharing, education and journalism projects that seek to dismantle systems of oppression by connecting marginalized people to digital information and resources.

The Wikimedia Foundation is a surprisingly accessible and approachable funder, although its various grantmaking programs differ dramatically in theme, purpose and application procedures. To apply, first select the relevant program from Wikimedia’s programs page. Each page offers detailed application guidelines and, in many cases, examples of successful and unsuccessful proposals. Applicants from outside of the U.S. may wish to consult the foundation’s regions page, which presents personnel and grantmaking opportunities that are relevant for specific areas.

The foundation also provides contact information for its program officers on its Community Resources Team page, so don’t hesitate to reach out to this approachable team with questions and ideas.

PROFILE: Established in San Francisco in 2003, the Wikimedia Foundation is best known for the organization that hosts and maintains the Wikipedia, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons and several other online collaborative knowledge projects. In addition to these free resources, the Wikimedia Foundation runs several grantmaking programs that work globally “to increase the diversity, reach, quality, and quantity of free knowledge.” The foundation runs a total of seven funding programs, some of which only support individuals, organizations and projects within the spectrum of Wikimedia’s information and knowledge products, as well as some that serve the foundation’s broader goal of democratizing and sharing knowledge with people around the world. Across all programs, grantmaking prioritizes “decentralized decision-making, regional committees, and reaching underrepresented communities.” The Wikimedia Foundation names geographic areas of priority that span most of the world, but two-thirds of Wikimedia’s recent funding has gone to organizations based in the U.S.  

Grants for Journalism, Civic and Democracy, Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights

The Wikimedia Foundation’s grantmaking programs support various aspects of the democratization of knowledge around the world, strongly prioritizing underserved communities that have experienced a dearth of knowledge sharing and equitable access to information. The foundation’s current programs include the following:

  • The Wikimedia Community Fund supports people and organizations “that are actively working on promoting knowledge equity aligned with the strategic direction of the Wikimedia movement.” This program prioritizes “underrepresented communities and historically marginalized communities in the movement to have access to resources they need to accomplish their goals.” The fund makes grants through three subprograms.

  • The Rapid Fund makes small grants of up to $5,000 to individuals or groups “contributing to Wikimedia projects” with a turnover time of just 45 days from application to disbursement.

  • The Conference and Event Fund, similarly, supports the organization and production of conferences and workshops that “bring together Wikimedians for experience sharing, skill building and networking.” These grants range from $10,000 to $90,000 and are generally available to grantees two months after application submission.

  • And the General Support Fund provides operating support to organizations engaged in long-term projects and in need of sustained support. Grants range from $10,000 to $300,000 and are also disbursed two months after application submission.

  • The Wikimedia Alliances Fund supports organizations that work toward knowledge equity in geographic areas and communities that are “underrepresented in our movement, and can partner with the Wikimedia Movement to amplify each other's work.” The program support two grant types. Rapid funds “are time bound and have a clear collaboration with the local Wikimedia communities,” including “edit-a-thons, hack-a-thons, meet-ups, celebrations, campaigns.” The program also awards Programmatic Support to organizations engaged in long-term projects that expand, enhance or interface with Wikimedia projects. Recent grantees of the Alliances Fund include Open Environmental Data, Inc.; Perkumpulan OpenStreetMap Indonesia; the Analysis & Policy Observatory at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia; and the African Library and Information Associations and Institutions.

  • Wikimedia’s Research and Technology Fund operates two separate grantmaking opportunities. The Research Fund supports individuals and groups pursuing “to improve and expand our understanding of the Wikimedia projects and their impact, introduce technical and socio-technical solutions that can enhance the technology in support of the Wikimedia projects, and advance the Wikimedia Movement.” Grants are awarded in amounts of up to $50,000 for one year. Recipients are required to share research findings and results in accordance with the foundation’s Open Access Policy and often chose to present findings at one or more Wikimedia research events or conferences. The Wikimedia Technology Fund will make its first round of grants sometime after 2022 with the goal of supporting the development and improvement of “technology and tools to nurture a more responsive and accessible environment for contributions.”

Movement Strategy and Implementation Grants support individuals and group collaborators with Wikimedia projects as they pursue any of the 12 initiatives of Wikimedia’s 2030 Movement Strategy. The programs initiatives include:

  • Increasing the sustainability of the Wikimedia movement

  • Improving user experiences

  • Promoting safety and inclusion throughout operations and content

  • Ensuring equity in decision-making practices

  • Increasing coordination among project stakeholders

  • Investing in “skills and leadership development”  

  • Managing internal knowledge

  • Identifying topics and themes of high-impact for the movement

  • Innovating in knowledge sharing practices

  • Evaluating progress and adapting practice based on findings

Funding is limited to projects that clearly explain how they promote the movement’s goals, and grants are awarded in amounts of up to $25,000. Examples of funded projects include translation projects, programs that introduce and instruct new and inexperienced users to Wikimedia products and programs that instruct volunteers in Wikimedia technologies and protocol.

The Wikimedia Knowledge Equity Fund was established in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd with a $4.5 million commitment to support “external organizations that support knowledge equity by addressing the racial inequities preventing access and participation in free knowledge.” This fund is the foundation’s largest source of grants going to programs and projects outside of Wikimedia. The program’s first round of funding focused on the promotion of racial equity in the areas of scholarship, advocacy, journalism, internet access, digital literacy skills and “non-traditional records of knowledge” such as oral histories and music with grants that ranged from $200,000 to $260,000. Grantees from this early round included the Borealis Racial Equity in Journalism Fund, Howard University’s Institute of Intellectual Property and Social Justice, the Media Foundation for West Africa and InternetLab, a Brazilian thinktank pursuing issues of digital inclusivity and rights.

Grants for Education

Grants for education stem from the Wikimedia Foundation’s Education Grants program. The program mainly supports projects and initiatives internal to the Wikimedia Foundation that “foster a relationship between education and the Wikimedia movement.” Grants have supported program incubation, evaluation, research and collections of educational materials within Wikimedia. For examples of projects supported by this initiative, see Wikimedia Education’s news page.

Important Grant Details:

According to its tax filings, the Wikimedia Foundation made about $10 million in grants in a recent year. Grants are awarded in specified ranges according to each grantmaking program. The foundation’s largest grants appear to stem from its Knowledge Equity Fund and range from $200,000 to $260,000. This funder supports organizations of all sizes, prioritizing those that support knowledge and information equity for marginalized people and communities of color in the U.S. and abroad.

The Wikimedia Foundation accepts applications for each of its grantmaking programs, although some programs are limited to volunteers and affiliates of Wikimedia organizations and initiatives. The foundation provides detailed information about eligibility, guidelines, due dates and the types of proposals that have been successful on its individual program pages. Prospective grantseekers may also consult a regional page, which provides information on relevant personnel and grantmaking programs for specific parts of the world. The foundation also provides contact information for its grantmaking staff on its community resources team page.

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