Grants:Programs/Hub Fund/Language Diversity Hub — Year 2 Pilot
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Applicant information
[edit]- Organization or group name. (required)
- Wikimedia Language Diversity Hub
- Provide your main Wikimedia Username. (required)
- Shahadusadik
- Have you contacted the Wikimedia Foundation Hub team before applying? (required)
- Yes
Is your group legally registered in your country? (required)
- No
- Do you have a fiscal sponsor?
- N/A
- Fiscal organization name.
- Wikitongues, Inc.
Main proposal
[edit]- 1. State the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)
- Language Diversity Hub — Year 2 Pilot
- 2. Proposed start date. (required)
- 2025-08-01
- 3. Proposed end date. (required)
- 2025-07-31
- 4. Where will this proposal be implemented? Provide the region or country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal. (required)
- Global reach
- 5. Does your group have a theory of change for your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (optional)
- Yes
- The Language Diversity Hub (LDH) began in 2021 as an initiative under the guidance of Wikimedia Norge to better support underrepresented language communities on Wikimedia projects. Recognizing the disparities in representation, access, and sustainability across language communities, LDH was envisioned as a participatory, grassroots-centered platform to bridge this gap.
In 2022, the Hub entered an interim phase of community experimentation, with support from Movement Communications Team (WMF) to explore multilingual mentorship models, community calls, and thematic working groups. The first grant proposal was submitted in 2023, where we tested a mentorship infrastructure and received strong feedback from involved communities. Building on that success, we are now presenting our second major proposal. This version is anchored in a strategic plan that reflects three years of community feedback, iterative design, and multi-stakeholder governance. With a diverse and regionally distributed Steering Committee, salaried mentors, and strong connections to Wikimedia affiliates and partners, the LDH is well-positioned to scale its support model and provide equitable, community-centered services to emerging language communities. Theory of Change The LDH believes that sustainable inclusion in Wikimedia must be driven by the communities themselves. Through a combination of mentorship, technical support, research grants, and transparent governance, LDH enables language communities to grow autonomously, contribute more effectively to Wikimedia, and advocate for their linguistic and cultural needs. Empowerment, capacity-building, and accountability are foundational to our approach.
- 6. Why do you believe your group is best positioned to drive this hub initiative? (required)
The Language Diversity Hub has demonstrated through experience, infrastructure, and strategic alignment that it is uniquely prepared to lead this thematic hub initiative. Our team comprises highly experienced individuals, each embedded in local language communities and fluent in multiple languages. We have a proven ability to design and deliver mentorship programs and organize multilingual engagement events. Our long-standing partnerships with Wikimedia UK, Wikitongues, and Rising Voices, combined with formal roles for affiliates across multiple continents, ensure global oversight. Over the past three years, LDH has built the trust, relationships, and operational capacity needed to be a central actor in driving forward the movement’s goals for language equity and inclusion.
- 7. Do you have a strategic plan that can help us understand your proposal? If your proposal relates to piloting a hub, share your piloting plan. If your proposal relates to research, share your research plan. (required)
- Yes
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1buRX1it4K9WY3jaiDqmSfRVb1VwXRSexN5GTRKnK0Yw/edit?usp=sharing
- 8. Describe the specific activities that will be carried out during this project. If your proposal is related to piloting a hub, describe the services you plan to offer and include how you are drawing on community consultation and needs assessments to define your activities. (required)
We have a comprehensive 2025–26 Strategic Plan that includes the following components.
The goal of Empowerment and Inclusion ensures that all language communities, especially underrepresented, indigenous, or minority ones, feel welcomed and included in the Wikimedia movement. The Hub amplifies community voices, provides platforms for dialogue, and ensures equitable representation in decision-making and resource access. As key indicators of success, we aim to involve at least nine language communities in mentorship calls or consultations and to publish six testimonials or stories from these communities.
The second goal, Sustainable Growth for Language Communities, focuses on creating systems and support mechanisms that enable long-term engagement and retention of emerging communities. This includes post-incubator follow-up, mentorship, funding access, and leadership development. Our key performance indicators include providing follow-up support to 100% of incubator graduates within six months of launch and assisting three communities in applying for or securing funding.
Capacity and Technical Support is the third goal. We will offer community-specific technical assistance and capacity building through mentorship calls, onboarding processes, workshops, and documentation. In collaboration with the WMF Language Team and external partners, we will support localization and software tools. KPIs include facilitating or mentoring four leadership roles within language communities, onboarding five community members with documentation or peer support, and initiating five collaborations with technical partners.
Finally, Community-Centered Governance emphasizes a transparent, agile governance model. Members participate in mentorship calls, vote in the General Assembly, and provide feedback. The Steering Committee, meeting at least quarterly with 80% attendance, guides strategy and ensures representation from at least three geographic or linguistic regions.
It should be noted that we are aiming for an adaptive strategic plan that can adjust to changing conditions and evolve based on new information gathered by different communities, the shifting environments of our movement, and emerging challenges or opportunities.
Throughout the year, we will implement a structured set of activities aligned with our strategic plan. Mentorship cycles will occur quarterly, supporting up to twelve regional leaders annually. Bi-monthly topical workshops will address specific areas such as grant writing and MediaWiki and Incubator basics. A helpdesk will offer ongoing email or chat-based support, and community questions will be synthesized into a public FAQ resource.
Monthly engagement hours will create space for listening to community needs and networking across regions. We will also offer mini-grants and mentorship for community-led research proposals and convene a “Community of Practice” to share emerging insights. At the close of the year, the General Assembly will conduct a strategic review, publish an annual report, and elect a new Steering Committee.
- 9. Did you involve communities during the drafting of this proposal? Share which specific communities you involved, the process you used to involve them, and how they will participate in this proposal. (required)
This proposal has been shaped through extensive community involvement over the past three years. Consultations occurred regularly during mentorship calls and open engagement hours, with affiliates and WMF dedicated support teams. Additionally, these communities will continue to play a central role in implementing this proposal, with several members actively involved in the Steering Committee, our mentorship activities, and other engagement activities.
- 10. Are you in communication with other initiatives or groups that either support similar communities or offer similar services to the ones in your proposal? Provide information about any initiatives, affiliates, and/or hubs that have the potential to duplicate or overlap with your proposal. (required)
Yes, we have been actively mapping overlapping efforts across affiliates, the Wikimedia Foundation, and regional user groups to ensure coordination rather than duplication. Through this mapping, we have gained valuable insights into the landscape of language-focused initiatives and services within the Wikimedia movement. Our unique strength lies in our global scope, multi-regional governance model, and focus on mentorship and sustained support for emerging and underserved minority language communities.
- 11. Who is your primary audience(s)? List the communities, affiliates, and groups. (required)
The primary audience of the Language Diversity Hub includes underrepresented language communities currently in or emerging from the Wikimedia Incubator. We also serve contributors, affiliates, and informal groups working to establish Wikipedia editions in minority, indigenous, and regional languages. Specific communities we focus on include those represented by affiliates and online volunteers from regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Central and South Asia, and Latin America. Our programming also supports unaffiliated volunteers seeking technical assistance, mentorship, and pathways to join the Wikimedia ecosystem through sustainable, community-led models.
- 12. If your proposal relates to piloting a hub, share the governance structure you plan to establish. If this governance structure is not yet in place, share how you are making decisions in the interim. (optional)
The governance structure of the Language Diversity Hub is designed to ensure participation, transparency, and strategic continuity. It is led by a Steering Committee composed of five members with full decision-making authority, each representing a key affiliate or regional initiative. These members currently include representatives from Wikitongues, Wikimedia UK, Rising Voices, Dagbani Wikimedians, and Igbo Wikimedians. Their responsibilities include strategic oversight, supervision of the Global Coordinator, and ensuring the Hub aligns with its mission and complies with movement policies. The Steering Committee is supported by non-voting observers from the movement and, potentially, key persons at the Wikimedia Foundation. These observers provide insights and may later stand for full committee positions.
- 13. Describe your team. (required)
The implementation of this proposal will be led by a dedicated team with both salaried and advisory roles. Tochi Precious serves as the Global Hub Coordinator, working 20 hours per week. She is responsible for overseeing operations, coordinating mentorship, managing communications, and supporting all core activities of the Hub. Sadik Shahadu acts as Outreach Mentor for 10 hours per week, focusing on building community engagement, onboarding new contributors, and facilitating local outreach. Oscar Costero works 20 hours per week as Partnerships Mentor, with a key role to foster external collaborations for mentees, especially in Latin America and among Spanish-speaking communities. Jon Harald Søby serves as Technical Mentor, offering 10 hours per week of on-demand support to help language communities navigate localization tools and MediaWiki infrastructure.
- 14. Upload a timeline of activities or provide a link to it. Timeline (operational calendar) is for your programs and activities. (required)
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1buRX1it4K9WY3jaiDqmSfRVb1VwXRSexN5GTRKnK0Yw/edit?usp=sharing
The timeline spans from July 2025 to June 2026, aligned with our strategic and operational calendar. In July, we will launch the mentorship and consultation cycle, onboard new Steering Committee members, and identify incubator communities for targeted support. August will feature the first engagement hour and outreach to promising communities. In September, we will open a call for community-led research proposals. October will include our first topical workshop and a strategic planning sync between the Steering Committee and the Global Hub Coordinator. In November, we will facilitate the second engagement hour, begin mentor pairings, and share mini-grant opportunities. December will conclude the first half of the year with an end-of-year impact report and the launch of the “Community of Practices.” In January, we will localize strategic adjustments and launch the second research cycle. February will focus on tools and localization support through the third engagement hour. April will highlight community-led initiatives and prepare for the Language Diversity Conference. May will include our final workshop, updates from funded projects, and preparation for the next Steering Committee rotation. The cycle concludes in June with the General Assembly, publication of the annual report, and the sixth engagement hour. This calendar is proposed and may be adapted in response to emerging needs and community feedback, being an adaptive strategic plan.
- 15. How do you intend to keep communities updated on the progress and outcomes of the project? Share your communication plans. (required)
We will use a multichannel communication strategy to ensure communities are consistently informed and engaged with the progress and outcomes of the project. Diffs Posts will summarize ongoing and upcoming activities, mentorship stories, event highlights, and learning resources. These will be distributed via email and shared in community Telegram groups.
Workshops and engagement hours will be recorded and made publicly available through our YouTube channel, accompanied by written summaries and shared presentation materials. The Language Diversity Hub will maintain a public resource hub in Meta-Wiki, including FAQs, toolkits, reports, and meeting notes, accessible to all participants and community members.
- 16. If your activities include community discussions, what is your plan for ensuring that the conversations are productive, inclusive, and safe? Provide a link to a Friendly Space Policy or UCoC that will be implemented to support these discussions. (optional)
We are committed to ensuring that all community discussions held under the Language Diversity Hub are inclusive, respectful, and safe for all participants. To this end, we will implement and adhere to the Universal Code of Conduct (UCoC) and the Wikimedia Friendly Space Policy. These policies will be explicitly referenced in all workshops, engagement hours, mentorship calls, and Steering Committee meetings.
- 17. Are there any other details you would like to share? Consider providing rationale, research or community discussion outputs, and any other similar information that will give more context on your proposed project. You can also upload any additional documents in the section below. (optional)
Metrics
[edit]- 18. Share quantitative and/or qualitative metrics that you plan to measure in order to showcase the impact of your activities. (required)
Budget
[edit]- 19. Your local currency. (required)
- USD
- 20. What is the requested amount in your local currency? (required)
- 108650 USD
- 21. Does this proposal include compensation for staff or contractors? (required)
- Yes
- 21.1. How many paid staff members and contractors do you plan to cover through the Hub Fund? (required)
Include the number of staff and contractors during the proposal period as well as their work status (full-time/part-time, indefinite/fixed). If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include them separately and mention their terms (period of work).
- Tochi Precious, global coordinator, part-time, indef.
Sadik Shahadu, mentor, part-time, indef. Oscar Costero, mentor, part-time, indef. Jon Harald Søby, mentor, part-time, indef.
- 22. Provide an overview of your overall budget categories in your local currency. (required)
| Budget category | Amount in local currency |
|---|---|
| Staff and contractor costs | 86400 USD |
| Operational costs | 12250 USD |
| Programmatic costs | 10000 USD |
- 23. Upload your detailed budget or provide a link to it. (required)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/1kuk7TB1cyEz7kaPcjGo9ZWjEC5ggwNOR6e4idXpasw4/edit
By submitting your proposal and funding request you agree with the Application Privacy Statement and Universal Code of Conduct
We/I have read and agree:
- Yes
Feedback
[edit]- Please add any feedback to the grant discussion page only. Any feedback added here will be removed.