Microgrants/2026 Community Microgrants

The 2026 Community Microgrants support small, practical activities that help local OpenStreetMap communities map, strengthen their skills, improve OSM data, or welcome new contributors.

The programme is administered by the OpenStreetMap Foundation's Local Chapters and Communities Working Group (LCCWG). A total of £5,000 is available, with grants of up to £500 per activity. Smaller requests are welcome and will not be penalised during evaluation.

This is a lightweight community grants round with a short application, a proportionate review process, and a short final report. It is not a relaunch of the 2020 OSMF Microgrants programme, which offered much larger grants. It is also separate from technical microgrants for software development administered by the Engineering Working Group.

At a glance

Item	Details
Total funding available	£5,000
Maximum grant	£500 per activity
Applications open	1 September 2026
Application deadline	30 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC
Community comment period	Until 7 October 2026
Awards announced	2 November 2026
Implementation period	November 2026 to March 2027
Final report	Within four weeks of completing the activity, and no later than 31 March 2027

Key dates

Date	Activity
28 August 2026	Grant programme announced at the Local Chapters and Communities Congress during State of the Map 2026
1 September 2026	Applications open
30 September 2026, 23:59 UTC	Applications close
1–7 October 2026	Community comment period
8–31 October 2026	Eligibility checks, evaluation and selection
2 November 2026	Selected grants announced
November 2026 – March 2027	Activities implemented
Within four weeks of each activity	Final report due
31 March 2027	Final deadline for all activities and reports

Who can apply

Applications are welcome from:

• Informal OpenStreetMap mapping groups;
• Local OpenStreetMap communities;
• Community organisations undertaking an OSM-related activity; and
• Recognised OSMF Local Chapters.

Applicants and the intended beneficiaries should have a record of OSM activity that is reasonably proportionate to the proposed activity. Newer communities may apply where they can demonstrate relevant participation and local support.

Applicants must:

• Be in good standing under the OSM Etiquette Guidelines and any applicable community moderation decisions;
• Consult the relevant OSMF Local Chapter where one exists in their country and describe that consultation in the application;
• Consult the relevant local OSM community where the proposed activity will have a local impact; and
• Have no more than one active application in this grant round for the same group or community.

OSMF membership is encouraged, but it is not a requirement for this grant round. Information about membership, including the fee-waiver programme, is available on the OSMF membership website.

What the grants can support

The programme supports small, concrete and time-bounded activities that help a local community map, improve OSM data, share knowledge, or grow. Examples include:

• A mapping party or mapathon, including reasonable venue, internet and refreshment costs;
• A one-day field-mapping activity;
• A validation or data-quality sprint, such as resolving notes, reviewing MapRoulette challenges, or correcting tagging problems;
• A short training session or workshop for new mappers;
• An OSM activity organised with a school, university, local organisation, or adjacent technology or civic community; and
• An editathon to translate OSM documentation or interface text into a local language.

These are examples rather than an exhaustive list. Applicants may propose other activities that meet the programme's purpose and eligibility conditions.

What the grants will not normally support

The following are unlikely to be funded:

• Travel to conferences, including State of the Map;
• Salaries, stipends, paid mapping, or payment for time normally contributed by volunteers;
• Prizes or incentives for mapping activity;
• Recurring expenses such as rent, subscriptions, or continuing hosting costs;
• Server hardware;
• Merchandise for all participants, although a small token recognising exceptional volunteer contribution may be acceptable;
• Academic scholarships or tuition;
• Ordinary OSMF or Working Group operating expenses;
• Individual research or personal projects with no meaningful community involvement;
• Activities that are not open to the public; or
• Activities whose outputs will not be published openly.

Technical software-development proposals should be directed to the appropriate OSMF technical funding programme rather than this community grants round.

Conditions of a grant

Successful applicants must agree that:

• The activity will take place between November 2026 and March 2027;
• Data created through mapping will be contributed to OpenStreetMap;
• Documentation will be published on the OSM Wiki or another openly accessible platform;
• Photographs and other media produced with grant support will use an open licence and will only identify people with their permission;
• Any software produced will be open source;
• Attendance at a funded event will be free;
• Other funding or in-kind support for the same activity will be disclosed;
• Any personal benefit will be clearly stated and must remain small in comparison with the community benefit;
• Grant funds will only be spent on the approved activity; and
• A short final report and evidence of expenditure will be provided.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted on the OSM Wiki. To apply:

1. Discuss the idea with the relevant local OSM community and Local Chapter, where applicable.
2. Create a proposal page under Microgrants/2026 Community Microgrants/Proposal/Project name using the application template.
3. Complete every section of the template, including the itemised budget and declaration.
4. Check that the total request does not exceed £500.
5. Publish the proposal by 30 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
6. Share the proposal with the relevant OSM community so that community members can ask questions or provide comments.

Applicants who cannot edit the OSM Wiki may email their completed application to local@osmfoundation.org. A member of the grants team can publish it on the wiki on their behalf. The application must still arrive before the deadline.

Information required in the application

Each proposal should contain:

Applicant information

The community or group name, relevant OSM usernames, country or area of activity, amount requested, and proposed activity dates.

About the community

A brief explanation of who the community is, where it maps, how long it has been active, approximately how many people are involved, and what it is working on. Suggested length: 100–200 words.

Proposed activity

A clear description of what will happen, where it will happen, who it is for, and why it is needed. Suggested length: 150–250 words.

Itemised budget

A breakdown of each requested expense, its unit cost, quantity, total cost, and why it is necessary.

Item	Unit cost (£)	Quantity	Total (£)	Why it is needed
Example: venue hire	60	1 day	60	A room with power for 25 participants

Expected results

Concrete and realistic results, such as the number of participants, new mappers trained, area mapped, features added or validated, documents translated, or materials produced. Suggested length: 100–150 words.

Community consultation

The local community or Local Chapter consulted and, where available, a link to the relevant forum post, mailing-list discussion, or other public record.

Other support

Any other funding or in-kind support already received or requested for the activity. Applicants should write “none” if there is no other support.

Openness

How the applicant will publish the mapping, documentation, media, or other outputs openly.

Payment feasibility

Whether the applicant can receive an international payment and the general route that may work, such as a bank transfer, Wise, PayPal, or payment through an organisation or Local Chapter. Applicants should also indicate whether reimbursement after spending would be practical for them.

Declaration

Confirmation that the application is accurate, that any award will only be used for the stated purposes, and that the applicant will provide receipts and a short final report.

Start an application

Enter a short, descriptive project name below. The new page will be created under the 2026 proposal directory and preloaded with the application template.

Privacy notice

Application pages and their revision histories are public and permanent. Do not publish bank details, account numbers, identity-document numbers, telephone numbers, home addresses, or other sensitive personal information on the wiki.

Only provide a public email address if the applicant or organisation is comfortable publishing it. Private contact and payment details will be requested by email if the application is selected.

Community comments

Community members may use the proposal's discussion page to ask questions, identify concerns, or endorse the activity. Applicants are expected to respond to substantive questions.

Comments and endorsements are advisory. They are not counted as votes, and proposals will not be selected or rejected solely according to their popularity.

The community comment period closes on 7 October 2026.

Evaluation and selection

Applications first undergo an eligibility check. An application may be found ineligible if:

• The amount requested exceeds £500;
• The budget is incomplete or does not add up;
• The activity falls within the list of activities that will not normally be supported;
• The applicant or beneficiaries have no discernible OSM activity relevant to the proposal;
• The outputs will not be published openly;
• The activity cannot be completed within the implementation period;
• The applicant is not in good community standing; or
• The application remains incomplete after one request for clarification.

Eligible proposals will be assessed using the following criteria:

Criterion	What the committee will consider
Community benefit	Whether the activity provides a clear benefit to a local mapping community or OSM data quality and whether that benefit is likely to continue after the activity.
Clarity and feasibility	Whether the activity has a specific and achievable plan, realistic dates, and people able to deliver it.
Value for money	Whether the budget is itemised and realistic and whether the grant will remove a genuine financial barrier.
Track record and local connection	Whether the applicant is active in OSM and has appropriately consulted the local community or Local Chapter.
Openness and documentation	Whether outputs will be open and whether there is a credible plan to document and share the results.

When reviewing the overall group of applications, the committee may also consider regional diversity, support for communities that have not previously received OSMF funding, and a reasonable balance of activity types. A proposal may be offered partial funding where the applicant confirms that a reduced scope remains practical.

The committee will consider community comments, but comments are not votes. Individual committee scores and deliberations will remain private. The selected activities, grant amounts, and a short summary of the grant round will be published.

Payment and implementation

Selected applicants will receive written confirmation stating the approved amount, purpose of the grant, payment arrangements, implementation period, reporting deadline, receipt requirements, and a committee contact.

Payment details will be collected privately. Reimbursement against receipts is the normal arrangement. Where reimbursement is not practical, applicants should explain this in their application so that another arrangement can be explored before an award is confirmed. Any alternative arrangement must be approved in writing.

Grant recipients are responsible for notifying the LCCWG as early as possible if an activity is delayed, significantly changed, or unable to proceed.

Reporting

A short final report is due within four weeks of completing the activity and no later than 31 March 2027. It may be published on the proposal page, as an OSM Diary entry, or as a community blog post linked from the proposal page.

The report should include:

• A brief account of what happened;
• Results compared with the original objectives, such as participant numbers, mapping completed, features validated, or materials produced;
• Two or three openly licensed photographs, where available, with permission from anyone identifiable;
• Relevant links, such as changesets, hashtags, Tasking Manager projects, wiki pages, translations, or repositories;
• What the organisers learned or would do differently; and
• A simple summary of expenditure.

Receipts should be sent privately to the committee rather than uploaded to the public wiki.

Proposals

Submitted proposals

Applications will be listed here after they are submitted.

Funded proposals

Selected proposals will be listed here after the announcement on 2 November 2026.

Proposals not funded

Proposals not selected for funding will be listed here after applicants have been notified.

Withdrawn proposals

Withdrawn proposals will be listed here.

Ineligible proposals

Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements will be listed here.

Contact

For questions about the Community Microgrants or assistance submitting an application, contact local@osmfoundation.org.