Funder: Wikimedia Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (Type 1–2 letters of intent) | April 2027 (Invited Type 1–2 full proposals and all Type 3 proposals)
Funding Amounts: Over $2,000; up to $50,000 for 12 months or $150,000 for 24 months, depending on category
Summary: Supports research on Wikimedia projects and events or community-building activities that strengthen the Wikimedia research community.
Key Information: Applicants should be established Wikimedia researchers or established researchers entering Wikimedia research; applications and reports must be in English.
Description
The Wikimedia Foundation’s Research Fund supports basic and applied research on or about Wikimedia projects, alongside events and community-building activities. It welcomes work across disciplines, including humanities, social sciences, computer science and engineering, education, and law. Research may produce scholarly publications, generalizable knowledge, or datasets important to Wikimedia communities, evaluate technical and socio-technical solutions, or inform community policy decisions.
The fund focuses on important research gaps that existing Wikimedia Movement organizations and initiatives are less likely to address. Particular interests include the Movement’s 2030 strategic direction, its Multigenerational strategy, evidence of causal effects, and less commonly studied Wikipedia languages. Community-building support aims to strengthen, expand, and diversify the community of researchers studying Wikimedia projects and increase its collective impact.
