Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/MIT Media Lab — Wiki x AI Hackathon 2025
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Applicant details
[edit]- A. Are you applying as a(n)
Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)
- B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.
N/A
- F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?
Yes
- F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.
Sj
- F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.
jenny8lee
- G. Are you legally registered?
No
If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.
- I. Fiscal organization name.
N/A
Objectives and Strategy
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal.
MIT Media Lab — Wiki x AI Hackathon 2025
- 2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.
2025-11-22
- 2.2. When is the last day of your event?
2025-11-23
- 3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?
2025-09-26T00:00:00Z
- 3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?
2025-12-15T00:00:00Z
- 4. In which country will the conference take place?
United States of America
- 4.1. In which city will the conference take place?
Cambridge
- 5. Is it a remote or in-person event?
In-person only event
- 5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)
75
- 6. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope.
Regional
- 6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.
Open globally; most travel from US, CAN, UK; working language English.
- 7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.
Meta-Wiki hub (to be created): AI Hackathon: Workflow Tools
Co-organizer: https://www.womeninai.co/
- 8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.
No
- 8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.
- 9. Please describe the target participants for this event.
Toolbuilders & editors working on writing workflows (text, media, audio): Pywikibot/PAWS/Toolforge users, Commons/Wikidata contributors, accessibility & audio specialists, newcomers with Python/JS.
No strict experience required; must complete pre-event wiki checklist.
- 10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.
To be created: Above Meta-Wiki hub (Projects / Teams / Results / Schedule / Resources) subpages
The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.
- 11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?
100
- 11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?
Building on previous WikiCredCon hackathon at MIT (2019), where we shared a survey to 150 attendees:
A second survey is ongoing now, out to 100 people
- 12. How many people responded to the survey?
45
- 13. What are the main objectives of the event?
Attendees will build open tools that make it easy to create, review, and maintain Wikimedia content: citation triage, multimedia review, alt-text creation, and other accessibility tasks.
We will host an AI and workflow hackathon to encourage creative ideas for tools that help improve these and other common tasks. A workflow-mapping workshop (with Mermaid diagrams!) will surface backlogs, obstacles, and time-consuming steps in common workflows, to inspire ideas for those who don't arrive with a concept.
After the event, a portal page will host winning tools, docs, and adoption guides to encourage ongoing development and promote integration in the ecosystem.
- 14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?
The community wants to experiment with AI tools safely, focus on friction points (citations, accessibility, template errors), and share outputs openly on-wiki.
Participants will ship project pages and work towards small pilots (<100 pages) or demos, and get feedback from others there.
Hands-on clinics will cover core APIs and tools, including Pywikibot and PAWS, and working with structured data on WD and on Commons. We will have mentors on hand to help with accounts and ensure all projects are adhering to hackathon guardrails (reviewer-in-the-loop, BLP/COI issues).
- 15. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.
Content Gender gap, Geography, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context)
- 15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).
Through partnership with Women in AI (12,000 members), outreach will focus on women and gender minorities in AI, addressing the gender gap in technical contributions. Tools that surface unsourced claims, suggest citations, improve alt-text/transcripts, and structured media data (SDC) lower barriers for smaller language communities and under-resourced regions. Open documentation makes these solutions portable across languages and geographies.
- 16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.
Culture, heritage or GLAM , Open Technology
- 17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?
Gender Identity, Geographic , Linguistic / Language
- 18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?
We will partner with Women in AI, a global think tank of 12,000 members. Rula, UK Lead, is co-organiser, mentor, and judge, and will invite women and gender minorities in AI from the UK and North America. MIT/Harvard students, accessibility and audio communities, and Boston OSS groups will also be invited. The intent is to infuse Wikimedia with new skills (AI, accessibility, data) while diversifying the contributor base. Sponsors may provide in-kind compute credits; they will have no editorial control; judges with COI will recuse.
- 19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?
All projects will be hosted on a central wiki hub with links to repos, demos, and pilot pages. Top teams will be paired with mentors for 30/60-day check-ins. We aim to convert 3–5 projects into. A recap will highlight outputs and invite maintainers. Mini-grants for winners of hackathon to be supported for further development.
- 20. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.
Improve User Experience, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Innovate in Free Knowledge
Logistical Aspects
[edit]- 21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?
MIT Media Lab, Cambridge, MA. Auditorium and breakout rooms; strong Wi-Fi; Audio/Visual for demos; fully accessible; transit-adjacent. Venue hire and catering included in budget.
- 22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?
Yes
- 23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
6–10 travel micro-grants ($200–$500 each) for women and gender minorities via Women in AI, plus under-represented languages/regions.
- 24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?
Transport and basic lodging (no alcohol). Receipts required. Reimbursement by default; pre-purchase for hardship cases.
- 25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?
Eligibility: complete pre-event wiki checklist, propose a project idea tied to tracks, and agree to Friendly Space Policy/UCoC.
Rubric: Impact & fit (35), Preparation (25), Need (25), Diversity/reach (15). A 3-person committee will review; COI recusal required. An anonymised summary will be published.
- 26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?
Lead technical clinics (APIs, Pywikibot, Toolforge); run a Trust & Safety office hour (safe pilots); provide communications support (Diff, social media). Optional mentoring/judging roles.
Up to 3 WMF staff (roles: Trust & Safety, Developer Advocacy, Community Tech).
- 26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.
We plan to invite Isaac, who is not far; and would love to invite others. (of course all are welcome)
Up to 3 WMF staff (roles: Trust & Safety, Developer Advocacy, Community Tech).
- 27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.
Coordinator: Rula (Women in AI UK Lead), also mentor & judge (participant in 2019). Women in AI: outreach to 12,000 members; DEI support; mentors/judges. Community liaisons: SJ / Jennifer 8. Lee. Program lead: tracks, mentors, judging. SJ Scholarships lead: micro-grants. Jennifer 8. Lee. Comms/design: wiki sites & assets. TBD (may be a small contract including light event swag) Logistics: venue, A/V, registration - Volunteers, MIT student lead (discussion w/ Phoebe Ayers)
Tech mentors (5–8): APIs, Pywikibot, PAWS, Toolforge, Commons SDC. Judges (4–6): mix of Wikimedians, Women in AI community, ML students
- 28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?
Yes
- 28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.
Women in AI as partner (outreach, DEI, mentors/judges). Local Wikimedia community and university partners for volunteers/venue. WMF staff for clinics and comms if possible. Sponsors for prizes and micro-grants (no editorial control).
- 29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?
Funding: applying for $30k now; parallel sponsor outreach; lean fallback. Timing: booked Nov 22–23 (avoids Thanksgiving). Tool safety: human-in-the-loop, sandbox, Participation mix: Wikimeida community members, students, Women in AI partnership + micro-grants + newcomer prep. Venue: confirm early, test Wi-Fi/A-V, backup rooms.
- 30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.
A version of https://nyc.wikimedia.org/wiki/Friendly_space_policy with our contact details.
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation
[edit]- 31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?
Do pre-event wiki guides + micro-challenges improve build time & prototype quality? Can teams produce on-wiki, reviewable outputs within 2 days? Which guardrails best balance innovation with safety? Which tracks deliver the highest adoption post-event? Do micro-grants measurably diversify participation and sustain engagement?
- 32. Main open metrics
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| on-wiki prototypes | prototypes with on-wiki project pages. | 12 |
| demos | safe pilots/sandbox demos. | 4 |
| suggestion accuracy | suggestion acceptance rate, in % (human-approved), for the best tools. | 60 |
| retention | continued use of top tools after 60 days, in % | 30 |
| Diversity impact | Diversity impact: micro-grant uptake, newcomer % (qualitative report). | 30 |
Financial Proposal
[edit]- 33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.
30000
- 34. Select your local currency.
USD
- 35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.
- 36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?
Yes
- 36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?
Prize sponsorship (2-5k), compute donations, possible extra microgrants for attendees.
- We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.
Yes
- Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.
- Other public document(s):
Endorsements and Feedback
[edit]Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.
Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:
- Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
- Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
- Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
- Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
- Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).