Updating the ecosystem of Wikimedia organizations/Recognition and Funding for Movement Organizations

Recognition and Funding for Movement Organizations

• Introduction
• Affiliation
• Funding Eligibility

A table visualizing the proposed criteria for affiliation and tiers of funding eligibility can be found here.

About this Proposal

This proposal details Wikimedia Foundation's recommendations for establishing (1) a new model and set of expectations for movement affiliates; (2) new, connected requirements to determine eligibility for receiving Community Fund grants from the Wikimedia Foundation; and (3) updated criteria for affiliate recognition processes. It also formalizes expectations and funding eligibility for hubs and movement partner organizations. The present text has been revised based on the valuable feedback from various community stakeholder groups, including the Affiliations Committee, the Global Resources Distribution Committee, and directors of existing movement organizations.

Following a period of public feedback [on the Talk pages of Introduction, Affiliation, and Funding Eligibility] that will conclude on August 31, 2026. We plan to submit the proposal about Affiliation to the Board of Trustees in December 2026 for approval. Please see the proposed implementation timeline for details on when these proposed changes would go into effect.

Note: All existing multiyear funding commitments will be honored through FY28-29, the last year that any multiyear grant made under the previous eligibility guidelines is funded for.

July 2026	WMF will begin requiring grantee use of the Event Registration tool as outlined in the funding eligibility guidelines.
August 2026	In consultation with the Global Resources Distribution Committee (GRDC), WMF will publish preliminary benchmarks for outcome expectations for new and existing editors engaged, content added to Wikimedia projects, and a rubric for expectations about movement context building activities.
September 2026	WMF will request Board of Trustees' approval of this new affiliation model. On approval, the Affiliations Committee (AffCom) will lift the pause on new affiliate recognition.
September 2026- March 2027	WMF's Community Investment & Partnerships team will conduct an audit of existing affiliates per the approved model and make recommendations to AffCom for derecognition and focus overlap areas to resolve. In partnership with AffCom, WMF's Community Investment & Partnerships team will identify and notify all existing grantees whose future funding eligibility will change. Grantees facing changes in eligibility will be notified by WMF staff no later than 15 March 2027.
September 2026 - March 2027	WMF's Community Investment & Partnerships team will co-design a transition plan with all affected grantees. Depending on grantee needs, transition plans will include steps for organizational capacity building, changing recognition status, merging with other groups or affiliates, alternative funding pathways, or sunsetting operations.
July 2028	Funding eligibility requirements go into effect.

Context

The Foundation has taken several steps over the last decade to make funding more accessible to the global movement. In 2015, the Foundation removed the requirement that only chapters could access annual operational funding. In 2021, the Foundation then changed its grantmaking strategy with the goal of making access to grant funds more equitable by geography and increasing grantees' ability to plan for the future. These changes-- the introduction of multi-year funding commitments and progressively increasing the budget for historically underserved regions year over year-- have been effective to increase grantee sustainability and to create a more equitable distribution of funds outside North America and Northern & Western Europe, where funding was historically concentrated.

However, the lack of organizational and impact guidelines for funding has also led to confusion and frustration across the movement. As the affiliate ecosystem has organically grown and diversified, our frameworks for affiliation, funding, and accountability have not evolved at the same pace. This has left us without a clear understanding of the different roles affiliates are expected to play, how those roles should be evaluated, and how operational and programmatic funding should support them.

The Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia movement have entered an era of increased uncertainty. Changing user trends linked to the rise of generative AI have impacted both our movement funding model and the attraction and retention of contributors to our projects. It is critical to rethink how our funding is allocated and how affiliation structures can clearly define responsibility and measurable impact across the movement.

This framework was developed in the context of recent recommendations found in the following documents: Towards a Healthy Ecosystem of Movement Organizations, Affiliations Committee Recommendations, the Future Affiliate Landscape, and Key Challenges for a New Grantmaking Strategy.

Purpose of These Changes

The following principles guide the proposed changes.

Affiliation

Increased clarity will lead to greater affiliate effectiveness and impact. Read more about the details of proposed changes to affiliation.

• The Affiliations Committee, the Global Resource Distribution Committee, the Wikimedia Foundation, and the movement ecosystem as a whole will benefit from increased clarity around the purpose and expectations of affiliate groups.
• Increased clarity will also support a structured and transparent recognition and derecognition process for affiliates.
• Affiliates need a clear roadmap for developing organizational practices and capacities if they wish to enter a new level of accountability and funding eligibility. Groups and organizations do not need to grow or professionalize if they do not wish to, however, organizational growth should not be restricted by a lack of clarity about how to do so.
• User groups, chapters, and thematic organizations must have clear roles and distinct requirements for their expected organizational maturity and activity portfolio to inform clearer funding eligibility.

Funding eligibility

In its grantmaking practices, the Wikimedia Foundation needs to balance resourcing emerging groups and communities while also setting clear boundaries and expectations around which types of organizations can receive which categories of Community Funds. Read more about the details of proposed changes to Community Fund eligibility.

• To continue welcoming new and emerging communities, as well as to enable flexibility for project execution in our ecosystem, Rapid funding should remain accessible to Wikimedians and Wikimedian organizations and movement partners engaging in Wikimedia-related work, regardless of affiliation.
• With different requirements and expectations, user groups will no longer be eligible for General Support funding. Those user groups with a history of high-impact programming will be eligible for Project Funds.
• Only chapters and thematic organizations, meeting the affiliation requirements outlined in the project page with details, will be eligible to apply for General Support funding.
• Unaffiliated movement partners engaging in Wikimedia-related work are eligible to apply for Rapid Funds, but can only apply for General Support Funds by explicit invitation from the Wikimedia Foundation in rare circumstances. Such partners should be financially supported in their Wikimedia-related work only. With increasingly limited resources, the Wikimedia Foundation can no longer fund the operating expenses of these movement partners.