GraphQL Community Grant
The GraphQL Community Grant program is funded by the GraphQL Foundation and administered by the GraphQL Technical Steering Committee (TSC). The goal of the program is to provide financial support and incentives for key technical and community initiatives within the GraphQL Foundation’s projects.
The GraphQL Community Grant program accepts both spontaneous applications and responses to call for projects. Grant applications are reviewed by the TSC based upon funding that is received as membership dues for the GraphQL Foundation. This is one way in which the GraphQL Foundation directly supports the ongoing health of the GraphQL developer ecosystem.
We encourage you to be creative in your grant application and propose tasks that are straightforward to articulate, and bounded in scope and time.
Examples include:
- Finishing an outstanding RFC task that has been untended
- Getting a major pull request to a Foundation project ready to be merged
- Community advocacy, such as writing a deep-dive blog documenting a specific feature, writing a whitepaper, or developing newcomer onboarding guides and materials
- Maintaining projects or infrastructure hosted in GraphQL repositories
- Other user experience improvement ideas for the graphql.org website and/or github.com/graphql
We are not funding work on projects outside https://github.com/graphql/ at this time.
How to apply
To apply, please complete the GraphQL Community Grant Program application.
Applicants can only have one active grant at a time.
FAQs
Do I need to be developing the specification or code to apply?
While we expect most applications will be for new technical development and documentation, we also encourage applications for community-building activities. Examples include community gardening and neutral advocacy for GraphQL adoption.
What work is expected?
Applications should describe work that can be completed in less than twelve months. Additionally, we’ll ask you to write a blog post report describing your work and its impact on the GraphQL community.
What amount of money is available per grant?
Call for projects offer a fixed amount (typically $5000).
Spontaneous applications are expected to be between $1,000 and $10,000 USD. When you apply you can select what size of grant you feel would be appropriate, but if approved you may be offered a different amount, and it will be your choice whether to proceed.
When can I expect to receive a response about my application?
Call for projects include a full timeline, including responses deadlines.
Spontaneous applications are reviewed on a case bpy cases basis. We endeavor to review applications as they come in, and you will receive a response within 3 to 4 working weeks.
How often can I apply?
You may only have one grant application open at a time, but otherwise as frequently as you like.
Who is eligible?
Any individual working in the GraphQL developer community who can legally receive a payment from a US-based organization, including meeting any local tax or legal requirements. Please note that this program is not work-for-hire, and this is not an employment arrangement.
Only individuals are eligible to receive funding.
Are there any restrictions on what I produce?
Yes. All outcomes from the grant must be for the benefit of the GraphQL community, meaning that code must be contributed to public repositories under an appropriate open source license (generally MIT). Publications and documentation should be available to the public and not behind a paywall. We also expect every recipient to write a blog post summarizing the work they’ve done and how it benefits the community at large.
In summary, the GraphQL Community Grant Program is for the benefit of the GraphQL community. We want everything that is produced under this program to be usable by our community. Currently, we’re primarily interested in work that directly improves the GraphQL Foundation projects.
Do I have to sign anything?
Yes, if your proposal is selected you will need to sign the GraphQL Grantee Agreement (preview) in order to receive the funding. It is your responsibility to read and understand the contents of the agreement.
What currencies are grants awarded in?
All grants are awarded in United States Dollars (USD), so they should be requested in USD. The amount specified in the grant agreement is fixed in USD and will not be adjusted for currency fluctuations, conversion rates, or any other exchange-related considerations. Recipients are responsible for any associated currency conversion or banking fees.
When are grant funds disbursed?
Grants are typically disbursed in full upon successful completion of the agreed deliverables. However, in select cases, individuals with a demonstrated history of substantial contributions to GraphQL Foundation projects may be eligible to receive a small portion of the grant amount as an advance. Any such advance is entirely at the discretion of the GraphQL Foundation and must be agreed upon in writing prior to the commencement of the grant work. The remainder will be disbursed only upon successful completion of the agreed deliverables.
How does the review process work?
Call for projects include a full timeline, including submission and responses deadlines.
Spontaneous applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
In both cases, the GraphQL TSC’s appointed grants representative is notified and typically reviews the application within two working weeks. If the grant is clearly out of scope, it will be declined with an explanation. If more information is needed, it will be requested. Otherwise, the application proceeds to the full TSC for review, discussion, and voting.
The TSC aims to provide feedback within a further 2–3 working weeks, though this may take longer depending on availability or complexity. If it takes longer than 3 weeks, the applicant will be informed.
Submissions are evaluated based on their ability to meet the following criteria:
- How well the submission addresses a common problem in the GraphQL ecosystem
- Audience, societal, and environmental impact
- Current or planned involvement of the applicant in the GraphQL community
Note: Timelines are best-effort and may shift due to holidays, travel, or other factors.
More information
If you have questions, please contact operations@graphql.org.