community cultvation grants

Help the community follow the same path, by amplifying the voices of those who define that path. ~ Drupal Association 2019 goal

The Drupal Association Community Cultivation Grant program is helping to transform, support, and educate Drupal communities around the world, particularly in emerging areas. We provide financial support that kickstarts projects produced by local Drupal communities. By enabling you to bring your community-building project to life, we're meeting our goal to amplify your voice and follow the same path, together.

Grants are Drupal Association member-funded and are decided by a volunteer body of three community members: Mike Anello (ultimike), Amber Himes Matz (amber-himes-matz), and Thomas Turnbull (tom_o_t).

Are you an organizer of local Drupal events? Is your community outside of the regions primarily represented in Drupal? Do you have a brilliant idea to grow your local community?

Apply for a grant

How does it work?

Submissions are open now. Each year, there's a limited budget (2019 has a budget of $12,000) to award on a first-come, first-served basis among qualified applicants. Grant awards will range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per project.

Could my project be funded?

These are not intended to act as “just another sponsorship” for a project. Projects in geographic areas that have an established network of sponsors are generally not funded. Community Cultivation Grants should be thought of as kickstarter funds to get a project off the ground.

There are no requirements regarding who can be awarded a grant. They can go to individuals, ad-hoc Drupal user groups, or organizations of any type. Applicants will be required to submit a follow-up report that will be made public to the community.

The status of grants awarded in previous cycles are available for review.

We are looking for organized, creative ideas with a solid plan for success that foster and support the Drupal software project and its amazing community. We look to fund projects that:

Educate people about Drupal

  • The FOSS@Amrita club of Amrita School of Engineering held a Drupalathon in 2017 that introduced 40 students to Drupal and also fostered a bond between club members and Drupal developers who supported their event organizing.

Engage the community to learn more about—and become more involved in—the project

  • Lakes & Volcanoes DrupalCamp in Nicaragua received a grant to help cover speaker costs in 2017. This event included a contribution day (sprint) with a live commit ceremony to give attendees the full experience of committing to Drupal.

Engage current and potential community members in learning more about the community through in-person events

  • DrupalCamp Goa received a grant in 2018 to bring Drupalers from different parts of India together for the first camp in this city.

Build Drupal community with a unique project

  • The Origin Eight team received a grant in 2015 to teach basic Drupal site building to kids who came to The Boys & Girls Club after school hours.

Expose new industry sectors to the benefits of the Drupal software and its community

  • CMS Garden received a grant in 2014 to co-market Drupal along with other open source projects at CeBIT to broaden the reach for Drupal in Germany.

How can I prepare a successful application?

Applications that are inclusive of a wide range of skill levels are more likely to be considered than events that are exclusive to only advanced or expert users.

Keep in mind that you should make effort to be self-sufficient by building a network of sponsors or other sustainable funding sources in addition to applying for this grant.

Grants will not be used for software development, as this is a community-building program. Specifically, these will not be funded:

  • Drupal development

  • Custom module development

  • Customizations to Drupal core

How do I apply?

Apply here

We encourage you to apply at least a month before the start of the event/project. The primary criteria that will be used when considering applications is how effective the project will be in building and supporting the Drupal community. Travel requests will be asked for more information to better help the grant team understand the community outcomes. Other criteria include, but are not limited to, amount of the request, level of marketing efforts for the project, ability to measure the success of the project, number of people who will benefit (directly and indirectly), and grant applicants prior experience working within the Drupal community.

It is very important that you follow up with the CCG Committee if you are asked to clarify your grant application. If you do not respond, you will not be considered for funding.

Grant recipients will be required to account for (on a per-project basis) how all grant moneys are spent. The Association may also request copies of expense receipts for tracking purposes and to ensure that our membership funds are being spent wisely. All recipients will be required to provide a link to a publicly available (preferably somewhere on Drupal.org) 250-word report on the project within 60 days of the completion of the event/project.

I have a question!

Questions regarding the Drupal Community Cultivation Grants can be submitted via the Drupal.org contact form (please select the “Drupal Community Cultivation Grants” category).