Hello African Wikimedians, We are writing to let you know that the time is quickly approaching for the next round of the Wikimedia Foundation’s Project Grants program. On January 21 we will launch the Round 2020/1 open call, with a final proposal deadline of February 20 for all submissions. Importantly, this will be the only open call for Project Grants in the current fiscal year, so we’d love to get your help in making sure that your community is aware of this funding opportunity, and has time to plan a proposal, if desired. Should you become aware of prospective applicants, you can let them know that: - Prospective grantees are welcome to reach out to projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org with questions before the open call begins. - We offer these pages on Meta to help applicants plan projects and complete a grant proposal: - Tutorials for writing a strong application < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Tutorial> - General planning page for Project Grants < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Plan> - Program guidelines and criteria < https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Learn> Every round, we make our best effort to recruit committee members, who volunteer to help review and make funding decisions about grant applications. Would you also please take a moment to consider whether you can suggest any individuals you think might make a strong contribution in this role? Please consider: - Are there individuals who could offer strong insights into the regional community that you would recommend? - Are there thematic areas you think are especially important for the movement right now? Are there individuals with strong expertise in those areas you think might be willing to volunteer for Project Grants committee work? - Are there individuals whose judgement or skill sets have impressed you, who might be willing to serve in this capacity? Please let us know! We appreciate your help with these requests. The full 2020/1 Round schedule is also listed on the Project Grants proposal webpage <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project>, and is also copied here for easy reference. Round 1 2020 schedule - Open call: January 21 - February 20, 2020 - We will be planning virtual proposal workshops co-hosted by Project Grants Program Officers and thematically relevant Wikimedia Foundation staff members with expertise in GLAM, education, software, ets. The workshops will support live, real-time discussions to support applicant proposals. - Proposal deadline: Thursday, February 20, 2020 - Staff eligibility review: February 21 - March 2, 2020 - Community review: March 3 - March 16, 2020 - Committee review: March 17 - April 8, 2020 - Grantees announced: Friday, May 15, 2020 - Grants disbursed: June 2020 You can contact us at projectgrants(a)wikimedia.org (reaching Marti Johnson, Chris Schilling and Janice Tud) if you would like more information about Project Grants or the upcoming round. With thanks, Chris and Marti *Chris Schilling* (him/his/they/their) User:I JethroBT (WMF) <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:I_JethroBT_(WMF)> Program Officer, Wikimedia Foundation Grants Wikimedia Foundation <https://wikimediafoundation.org/>