Small grants

Wikimedia Australia offers a series of Small Grants to its members to assist them with their work on Wikimedia projects or other activities directly related to Wikimedia Australia's mission. Up to $200 per application is available to assist with funding activities which members may otherwise be unable to undertake – see footnotes for further detail.

Please note that under Rules no. 37, no monies can be distributed to members except as bona fide compensation for services rendered or expenses incurred on behalf of the organisation – if you're unsure as to whether or not your idea falls within this remit, please do apply, or raise the matter, and further advice will be forthcoming.

The small grants program was developed at the January 2010 Operational planning meeting, announced at the end of March 2010[1] and has been extended and expanded by committee resolutions since then.

How to apply

  1. The program is open to applications until further notice.
  2. Applications for grants should be made by email to contact-at-wikimedia.org.au.
  3. Your application email should contain:
    • Your membership and contact details and the title of your proposed project.
    • A brief description of your proposed project or purchase.
    • A brief explanation of how your proposed project fits with the chapter's Statement of Purpose.
    • A brief description of your project goals and how the success of your project will be measured.
    • The amount of money you would like! And how you would like to receive it.
    • The application should not be long – a couple of paragraphs is sufficient.
  4. Receipt of your application will be confirmed by the secretary who will then present it to the committee for consideration. The committee may request further clarification or an alteration or adjustment to the proposed project.
  5. Once the committee has reached a decision, the secretary will notify you of the result of your application.

If you have any questions or need assistance with any aspects of your application, please contact the secretary contact-at-wikimedia.org.au.

Example projects

Some examples of projects that could be funded include:

  • The purchase of new photography equipment which will be used to create new content for Wikimedia Commons.
  • Venue hire or catering to host a local Wikimedians meetup in a city or town that has not been able to successfully organise a meetup before.
  • Access fees for a non-public library or academic journal to enable better sourcing of Wikipedia articles.
  • Digitisation fees for significant public domain items in an archive.
  • Printing information sheets or stickers for use in an "introduction to Wikipedia" presentation.
  • Attendance fees for a short course in the use of software or learning a skill related to your Wikimedia work.
  • etc.

Receiving the grant

Small grants are generally paid by cheque payable to the member. For accounting purposes, the committee prefers successful applicants to make their approved purchase first and then submit a copy of the receipt for reimbursement of the agreed amount. However, in some cases it may be necessary for the grant to be paid in advance of the purchase. If you wish to receive the grant in advance, please indicate this on the application and explain the reason. If the requested grant will only cover a proportion of the total cost of your project, please indicate the total cost of your project and the source of the remaining funds.

Result of application

The secretary will confirm receipt of applications and applicants will be advised of the status of their proposal after the committee meeting following their application. Meetings are held on the third Sunday of each month. Successful applications will also be published in the minutes of the meeting and publicly announced. Unsuccessful applications will be kept confidential.

Completion of project

Once the project is completed, the recipient of the small grant will be asked to write a brief report for the members, explaining what their project was, how successful it was, any problems they encountered etc. The report does not need to be long and will be sent to the members mailing list.

Grants awarded to date

'Noodle Snacks' who received a small grant

Footnotes

A current financial member of Wikimedia Australia at the time of the application. Whilst you may apply for more than one small grant, preference will be directed to members submitting their first applications. This funding is not available to current members of the Wikimedia Australia elected committee. The total pool of funds for this project is limited but may be expanded at the discretion of the Chapter committee if the first round of small grants are deemed successful.

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