The Masters of Grants bootcamp is the pilot WMEU capacity-building initiative on fundraising designed for Wikimedians. It launched in October 2025 and consisted of three 2-hour sessions with experts on grant readiness, EU funding, and project management.

Materials

Access all the materials used during the three sessions of the bootcamp.

Slides

Recordings

Module 1 - Grant Readiness
Module 2 - European Funding
Module 3 - Project Management

Results

In figures

32 trained participants from Europe (27), Africa (2), Asia (2), and South America (1)

75% average retention across the bootcamp sessions

Over 90% of feedback form respondents said they will likely or very likely apply the learnings in their work (average across modules)

Participants’ confidence in the bootcamp topics increased after the training (from 2.8 to 3.6 on average across modules)

4.5/5 overall rating (average across modules)

Participants appreciated

Practical checklists and readiness tools

Clear guidance on roles, partnerships, and internal organisation when dealing with grants

Actionable frameworks for grant and project success

Ideas for improved sessions

Broader focus on smaller grants and individual projects

More time to work together and more examples

Reflections from the participants

"I consider that the step-by-step approach to reading calls and evaluating eligibility will directly inform how we plan our next funding strategy and develop partnerships within the Wikimedia community and beyond."

"[...] All these insights are extremely useful for identifying realistic opportunities and aligning our mission with EU priorities such as inclusion, participation, and cultural cooperation."

"Thank you very much for organizing this bootcamp, and for the quality of the people you invited. This was very valuable information and use cases to learn about."

"We will gain confidence through practice, but I really appreciate WMEU's efforts in making this bootcamp possible. Thank you for all your hard work. Well done!"