Pershendetje, Greta & Arianit!

Arianit, I wanted to follow up with you since I remember from our session on grants during the Wikimedia Conference that you were interested in learning more about Annual Plan Grants. I understand that your group has some experience making successful Rapid Grant applications already. It's good for your group to be in touch with the grants program officers right away to discuss your plans. That way we can make sure that you're on the right track to reach your goals. Now you know who I am, so you can Email me if you ever want to talk more about APG :)

Running an Annual Plan Grant is a bit different from running a successful project or rapid grant. It requires you to plan your activities in advance for the entire grant period, and to consult with your community in advance. You will also need to be able to juggle several projects simultaneously, which means that your group will need to have solid project management skills. You will want to make sure your leadership team is stable and able to commit to work throughout the entire grant period. More effort may be needed to monitor your finances, manage your group, and do the reporting required. This decision will require a lot of discussion within your group, to make sure you can make these commitments. It's important to know that you can't apply for any other grants if you receive an APG. The APG needs to include all of your expenses for the grant period.

If you want to grow your group and your activities, you have several different options. 

1. Rapid Grants. Sticking with Rapid Grants will allow you the most flexibility and require the least commitment.

2. Project Grants. A Project Grant might be a good option if you prefer to focus on developing one of your programs in depth an build your groups skills in project management. The Project Grants team can offer you coaching in how to implement your project. You would have the option to pursue multiple project grants or rapid grants at the same time, so you have some flexibility.

3. APG. Your first APG would probably be 6 months long and include basic operating expenses as well as funding for 1-2 programs. You would have to stick to your 6-month plan and couldn't apply for any additional grants during the grant term. In APG, we focus less on project management and more on helping groups develop their long term plans and keep their organizations running smoothly. This means that you will already need to have enough experience to manage several projects on your own.

We are happy to talk with you more about the best options for your group, and your plans for the future.

Te gjithe mirat!