Announcing the STRENGTHEN / Grants4Wiki Program

Dear Wikimedia Community,
We (Matthew Vetter & Brett Buttliere) are excited to announce a new initiative focused on external grantmaking and collaboration for Wiki related projects sponsored by the WMF general support fund (G-GS-2509-20319<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/General_Support_Fund/Strengthening_Wikimedia_Communities_Through_Shared_External_Grantmaking_Knowledge_and_Collaboration>).

The Basics

The initiative consists of three main aspects:

  1.
facilitating a cohort-based learning program about grantmaking,
  2.
creating and sharing a database of Wikimedia related external grants which can be applied for.
  3.
finally, we will work to convene collaborative teams for grants where possible.

The basic idea is that over the learning program (10 colloquium sessions), participants will choose a grant, develop a project, and apply for that grant - using the cohort and group both for partnership making and feedback.
Rationale
While Wikimedia has a rich ecosystem of internal funding opportunities, funding needs have grown more than WMF makes available, creating a need to develop external funding opportunities. The Strengthening Wikimedia Communities Through Shared External Grantmaking Knowledge and Collaboration project is intended to help make that knowledge more accessible and shareable across the movement.
Colloquium Sessions
Colloquium sessions will combine short presentations from experienced grant-makers with discussion and hands-on activities designed to produce practical outcomes, including project pitches, funding strategies, concept papers, and proposal drafts.
As a part of that, we wish to invite you to the first session:
STRENGTHEN Colloquium #1: Introduction to the Program and Grantmaking Fundamentals
📅 September 4
⏰ 4:00 p.m. EET / 2:00 p.m. UTC
💻 Online
Please register to attend: <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1
The first colloquium will introduce the STRENGTHEN program and explore the basics of external grantmaking.
The session will feature a guest presentation followed by discussion and workshop activities. Whether you have extensive grant writing experience or have never applied for external funding, we welcome you to join us.
Get Involved
We invite Wikimedia community members, affiliates, organizers, and anyone interested in strengthening the movement's capacity to pursue external funding to join us for this first colloquium. Register on the <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1> meta event page<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1>.
Sign up for the monthly emails to get updated information about grants and our program via this <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScD52JQYhYp84H5Id73JCvxHSqpKenC2xHuDlxOkMZTUfePCA/viewform?usp=dialog> google form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScD52JQYhYp84H5Id73JCvxHSqpKenC2xHuDlxOkMZTUfePCA/viewform?usp=dialog>.
Share Grant opportunities. To tell us about a grant you think could be relevant to a Wikimedia project or that you think someone from the Wiki community should apply for, visit <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScD52JQYhYp84H5Id73JCvxHSqpKenC2xHuDlxOkMZTUfePCA/viewform> this google form<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScD52JQYhYp84H5Id73JCvxHSqpKenC2xHuDlxOkMZTUfePCA/viewform>.
Add your name to the program's landing page on meta<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/STRENGTHEN>.
We hope you will be able to participate and contribute your experiences, questions, and ideas to the conversation.
Warm regards,
Matt Vetter and Brett Buttliere
Program landing page: <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/STRENGTHEN> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/STRENGTHEN

Colloquium #1 <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1

Grant proposal page: <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/General_Support_Fund/Strengthening_Wikimedia_Communities_Through_Shared_External_Grantmaking_Knowledge_and_Collaboration> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Programs/Wikimedia_Community_Fund/General_Support_Fund/Strengthening_Wikimedia_Communities_Through_Shared_External_Grantmaking_Knowledge_and_Collaboration

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