Dear Wikimedia Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce initial eligibility of all applicants submitting a Letter of Intent for 2014-2015 Round 1 of the Annual Plan Grants / FDC process. Only applicants confirmed as eligible by 15 September 2014 may submit proposals to the Funds Dissemination Committee by the 1 October 2014 proposal deadline. We have published the initial eligibility checklist here, so that applicants may review eligibility before it is confirmed on 15 September 2014: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Eligibility/2014-2015_round1.

No major changes or exceptions have been made to the eligibility requirements or the process for determining eligibility in this round. Of the fifteen organizations submitting a Letter of Intent, three are already considered eligible provided they continue to meet eligibility requirements throughout the duration of the FDC process, one is not eligible to participate in this round, and eleven could be considered eligible if all eligibility gaps listed in this table are met by the 15 September 2014 deadline. During the next two months, the FDC staff will work with all potential applicants to make sure eligibility requirements are clear and to form plans together to meet these requirements. Once applicants are confirmed by WMF staff as eligible, they must continue to meet these requirements throughout the duration of the Annual Plan Grants / FDC process.

Please expect another update once eligibility is finally confirmed on 15 September 2014, leading up to the 1 October 2014 proposal deadline. Proposal forms will be available by 1 September 2014.

Here is a breakdown of upcoming milestones for 2014-2015 Round 1, which you may also find here: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Calendar.

* Eligibility confirmed: 15 September 2014

* Proposals due: by 1 October 2014

* Community review: 1 October 2014, until 31 October 2014

* Staff assessments published: by 8 November 2014

* FDC deliberations: middle of November 2014

* FDC recommendation published: by 1 December 2014

* Board decision: by 1 January 2015

* Start of new grant terms: 1 January 2015

We welcome your questions or comments about the Annual Plan Grants / FDC process at any time: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:APG/Comments. Feel free also to reach out to us over email at FDCstaff@wikimedia.org. We would be happy to speak with any organization about specific questions they may have about eligibility.

Best regards from FDC staff!

Winifred Olliff FDC Support Team Wikimedia Foundation