STRENGTHEN
 | Welcome! This initiative brings together Wikimedians interested in identifying, pursuing, and supporting external grant opportunities that strengthen Wikimedia communities around the world. |
Strengthening Wikimedia Communities Through Shared External Grantmaking Knowledge and Collaboration
[edit] | |
|---|---|
| Strengthening Wikimedia Communities Through Shared External Grantmaking Knowledge and Collaboration | |
| Information | |
| Home | m:STRENGTHEN |
| Started in | 2026 |
| Contact | |
| Primary | Matthewvetter (talk); Brett Buttliere (talk) |
STRENGTHEN Grants4Wiki is a community of practice dedicated to helping Wikimedia volunteers, affiliates, researchers, and partners identify and secure funding from sources beyond the Wikimedia Foundation. Rather than competing for a limited number of movement grants, we aim to expand the overall funding ecosystem available to Wikimedia communities by:
Activities
[edit]- identifying new funding opportunities
- sharing proposal-writing knowledge
- building collaborations across affiliates
- mentoring new grant applicants
- documenting successful practices
- developing reusable proposal resources
Our work focuses especially on opportunities that benefit from Wikimedia's unique global network and collaborative model.
Goals
[edit]- Increase awareness of external funding opportunities.
- Build community expertise in grant writing.
- Foster collaborations across regions and affiliates.
- Lower barriers for first-time applicants.
- Create openly licensed grantmaking resources.
- Increase sustainable funding for Wikimedia initiatives.
Get involved
[edit]Everyone is welcome. You might participate by: sharing funding opportunities, joining monthly meetings, collaborating on proposals, reviewing draft applications, mentoring new applicants, contributing resources or documentation
Current Activities
[edit]Colloquium Series
[edit]The STRENGTHEN Colloquium Series is a practical, cohort-based learning program designed to help Wikimedia community members and affiliates build the knowledge, skills, and collaborative capacity needed to successfully pursue external funding. Across the series, participants move step-by-step through the full grant lifecycle—from developing fundable ideas, to identifying opportunities, building partnerships, interpreting funding calls, writing proposals, and managing awarded grants. Each session combines a short expert presentation, interactive discussion, and hands-on workshop activities designed to produce tangible outputs such as project pitches, funding strategies, proposal drafts, and collaboration plans. The goal of the colloquium is not only to improve individual grant proposals, but to strengthen the Wikimedia movement’s long-term capacity to secure and manage external funding through shared knowledge and collaboration.
- Access the schedule with learning outcomes at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/STRENGTHEN/Colloquium.
Upcoming Colloquiums
[edit]- Colloquium #3, "Building Collaborative Grant Teams" - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN3
- 📅 November 6, 2026
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #4, "Informal Proposal Workshop" - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN4
- 📅 December 4, 2026
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #5, "Reading and Responding to Funding Opportunities" - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN5
- 📅 January 8, 2027
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #6, "Private vs. Public Funding: Understanding the Grantmaking Landscape" 5 February 2027 - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN6
- 📅 February 5, 2027
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #7, "Planning and Writing the Grant Proposal" - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN7
- 📅 March 12, 2027
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #8, "Proposal Workshop" -https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN8
- 📅 April 2, 2027
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #9, "From Grant Budget to Grant Administration" 7 May 2027 - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN9
- 📅 May 7, 2027
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
Previous Colloquiums
[edit]- Colloquium #1 https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1
- 📅 September 4, 2026
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
- Colloquium #2, "Finding Opportunities and Mapping Strategic Outcomes" - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN2
- 📅 October 2, 2026
- ⏰ 2:00–3:30 p.m. UTC
Monthly Community Meetings
[edit]We host regular online meetings to discuss:
- newly identified funding opportunities
- proposal development
- collaboration matchmaking
- lessons learned from funded projects
- questions from community members
Schedule
[edit]- Informal Community Meeting: 18 September 2026, 14:00 UTC - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:STRENGTHEN1Informal
Colloquium Recordings
[edit]Colloquium 1 - 4 September, 2026
[edit]- on meta: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StrengthenColloquium1.webm
- View cloud-hosted: https://iupvideo.zoom.us/rec/share/lpV-zjadUjA8LXaQ_6PTu1SMNFmMlLXyrjcFgu7fwpEeDONiQwvpg5jxEbnjg2Bg.yzg_WYds-0Rs2QWg
- supplementary lecture on grantmaking fundamentals
Colloquium 2 - 2 October, 2026
[edit]- on meta: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:StrengthenColloquium2.webm
- View cloud-hosted: https://iupvideo.zoom.us/rec/share/6Synq9q6eaXeSVyqekfhym-XCXTywugp3V8tOjk-YlVel7AH4CQS9iPgw3EpsfXh.Xe1Et8bn5SMYdtte
Grant Opportunity Database
[edit]We are developing a searchable collection of external funding opportunities relevant to Wikimedia communities. This is a time sensitive document of grant opportunities which expire at some point, meaning that it cannot simply be created once and left. Thus,
We need your help! Add a grant opportunity to the database through this form - https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeccc1XP_ZLEGtAycj9e-M0d2YdotVyEWMlmvPyK9njxMumUg/viewform
Access the database - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_XMQPYAs9objraaxd7fBOdq-uiz8pzT9huZHphiO8d4/edit?usp=sharing
Resources
[edit]Proposal Resources
[edit]- Affiliate fundraising materials: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Affiliate_fundraising_materials
- Proposal templates
Concept paper template: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:STRENGTHEN_Concept_Paper_Template.pdf
- Budget templates
- Sample narratives
- Evaluation resources
- Partnership guidance
- Frequently Asked Questions
Learning Resources
[edit]- Grant writing tutorials
- Recorded workshops
- Recommended readings
- General Resources:
- Glossary for Grantmaking, https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strengthen_Glossary.pdf
- Keyword bank for searching for opportunities: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:STRENGTHEN_Keyword_Bank.pdf
Working Groups
[edit]Community members may organize around topics such as:
- Education
- Research
- GLAM
- Open Science
- Technology
- Capacity Building
- Regional collaborations
- Cultural Heritage
- Gender / LGBTQ
- Language
Open to collaborating? Sign your name next to one of the topics above or add a new topic.
Colloquium Recordings
[edit]| Colloquium | Recordings | Slides |
|---|---|---|
| Colloquium #1 |  | |
| Colloquium #1 Supplemental | | |
| Colloquium #2 |  |
Participants
[edit]Add your username if you would like to participate.
- Matthewvetter (talk)
- Airypedia (talk) 11:19, 19 August 2026
- Bukky658 (talk) (UTC)
- Ojewuyib (talk)
- Mammysou17 (talk)
- AndeyWiki (talk)
- Gogontsi (talk)
- Emmanuella643 (talk)
- Lucy Iwuala (talk) 15:53, 19 August 2026 (UTC)
- Royalesignature (talk)
- RukayatAjeigbe (talk) (UTC)
- ZS Khumalo (talk)
- Jeanne Noiraud (talk) 16:36, 20 August 2026 (UTC)
- Husseyn Issa
- Kaizenify (talk)
- Denaya Dennis (talk)
- Andikan Efiok Eduok (talk) 15:43, 25 August 2026 (UTC)
- Orokbest1 (talk) 15:44, 25 August 2026 (UTC)
- Kuuzy (talk) 15:45, 25 August 2026 (UTC)
- Tiputini (talk) 15:22, 30 August 2026 (UTC)
- Pavan Santhosh Surampudi (talk) 08:37, 1 September 2026 (UTC)
- Alli Khalil (talk) 08:57, 1 September 2026 (UTC)
- Kambai Akau (talk) 13:15, 3 September 2026 (UTC)
- iopensa (talk) 13:54, 4 September 2026 (UTC)
- Anita Braga (talk) 10:11, 7 September 2026 (UTC)
- Yug (talk) 14:56, 8 September 2026 (UTC)
- -J. Ansari Talk 22:52, 28 September 2026 (UTC)
- Goodymeraj (talk) 14:49, 2 October 2026 (UTC)
- NabuKudurru (talk) 13:29, 14 October 2026 (UTC)
Contact
[edit]Questions, ideas, or collaboration proposals are welcome on the talk page. You may also email project directors mvetter (at) iup.edu or brettbuttliere (at) gmail.com.