Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/WikiConference North America 2026
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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.
Wikimedia Canada
- F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?
Yes
- F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.
Louis Germain (WMCA)
- F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.
econterms Pharos Rosiestep Peaceray Xeno
- G. Are you legally registered?
Yes
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.
WikiConference North America 2026
- 2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.
2026-09-24
- 2.2. When is the last day of your event?
2026-09-27
- 3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?
2025-08-01T00:00:00Z
- 3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?
2026-12-31T00:00:00Z
- 4. In which country will the conference take place?
Canada
- 4.1. In which city will the conference take place?
Edmonton
- 5. Is it a remote or in-person event?
In-person 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)
250
- 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.
North America: Canada, Mexico, United States, and the Caribbean.
Current visa processing time (last updated July 16, 2025): Bahamas: 20 days Haiti: 16 days Mexico: 64 days USA: no visa required to enter Canada
- 7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.
WikiConference North America’s wiki: https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2025/Main_Page
WMCA – website: wikimedia.ca – wiki: https://ca.wikimedia.org – LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/company/wikimedia-canada – Facebook: www.facebook.com/WikimediaCA – Instagram: www.instagram.com/wikimediacanada/ – BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/wikimediacanada.bsky.social
- 8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.
Yes
- 8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.
Wikimedia Canada has been working with the WCNA user group as well as other North American user groups and chapters for years, and is also taking part in discussions about the North American hub. We also work with WikiFranca.
- 9. Please describe the target participants for this event.
The conference has a good number of experienced returning attendees every year. All levels of experience are welcome, and we are hoping to welcome new contributors as well. We would like to see a good representation of Canada. For that, we will use the months leading up to the conference to do outreach to organizations across different provinces and territories of Canada, with a focus on minority francophone communities and GLAM partners.
- 10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.
It will be created once this proposal is public : https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2026/Main_Page
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?
250
- 11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?
July 22 - ongoing (will end on August 31st)
- 12. How many people responded to the survey?
27
- 13. What are the main objectives of the event?
The event aims to connect experienced Wikimedians and newcomers across North America to foster community building and shared learning. Building on the success of previous conferences, it aims to strengthen the Wikimedia movement in North America. We are also hoping to leverage the interest and momentum generated to support outreach initiatives across Canada and broaden public engagement with the Wikimedia movement. The conference is also a great place to foster a sense of belonging to the community and to encourage long-lasting effects beyond a one-off yearly event. Many users stay in touch through the Telegram group, but we could also create an on-wiki category for projects sparked by WCNA, allowing us to track whether they flourish or fold, and better understand what worked and what could be improved.
- 14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?
Lots of people mentioned AI in their survey responses. It has been a crucial topic for the movement in recent years and continues to be. Edmonton is home to the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii), and the University of Alberta was recently ranked the top university in Canada and 53rd in the world for artificial intelligence, based on both research strength and academic reputation. This feels like the perfect occasion to deepen the conversation and bring in external stakeholders who are actively shaping the future of AI. As suggested by the WMF, the topics of generative AI and the role of users with extended rights are currently at the forefront. We will collaborate with users holding extended rights and with WMF staff to develop dedicated programming on these issues. Most likely, one full track of the conference will be devoted to them.
There is also growing interest in GLAM projects. Alberta offers many opportunities to partner with GLAM institutions, making this a great moment to strengthen our relationships with them, deepen their involvement in the open knowledge world, and foster more collaboration between wiki editors and GLAM professionals. The idea of community and belonging is very important to us. We will survey participants to understand whether the event strengthened their connection to the North American wiki community, and we will encourage them to stay engaged throughout the year rather than only at the annual conference.
- 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, Language, Sexual Orientation, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context), Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial
- 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).
Wikimedia Canada, the lead organizer of the 2026 conference, has a longstanding commitment to addressing content gaps in these areas. We aim to attract high-quality proposals and reach out to experts to contribute meaningfully to the discussion during the conference. We have interest in languages (English, French, Indigenous), Gender gap, Indigenous people, etc. Multilingualism will be at the heart of our concerns. While English is the predominant language in North America, we will make every effort to provide translation to and/or from Spanish, as it is widely spoken across the continent, and French, an official but minority language in Canada. We have been using Interprefy since the 2024 conference, an app that offers AI-generated captioning. The cost of this tool is significant but it was the best of the 3 tools we tested, and we got good feedback on it.
- 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.
Education, Culture, heritage or GLAM , Open Technology
- 17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?
Geographic , Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, 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?
Yes, we would like to reach out to organizations and stakeholders that may not be involved in the Wiki movement per se, but are working on topics that are at the core of the movement so they can bring different perspectives to the conversation and nourish the community’s reflections. We want to engage GLAM & higher education institutions, and also public institutions, especially those based in Alberta
- 19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?
The WCNA Telegram group remains open all year-long and many participants keep exchanging on the platform afterwards. The post-event community survey sent to participants will also help us gather feedback and keep the conversation going. The conference is also a great place to promote local user groups and chapters with which the participants can connect afterwards. The conference will also be an opportunity to invite participants to join the open monthly meetings hosted by North American contributors and affiliate organizers (NARWAL) as well as the newsletter. Creating an on-wiki category for projects kickstarted by the conference would help track their progress and identify whether they flourish or need additional support.
- 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.
Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Innovate in Free Knowledge
Logistical Aspects
[edit]- 21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?
University of Alberta Lister Hall
Lister Hall at the University of Alberta is not only the university’s largest student residence, but also a versatile venue for hosting conferences, offering accommodation, meeting spaces, and full dining services all under one roof.
- 22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?
Yes
- 23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?
We would like to offer 80 scholarships.
- 24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?
There will be two types: Full scholarship: transportation AND accommodation (shared room at the conference’s hotel) Partial: transportation OR accommodation (shared room at the conference’s hotel) Registration is free for scholarship recipients. Lunches will be included on the days of the conference (at the conference venue). Hotel stays include breakfast. When applicable: visa application fees (no other fees related to the visa process)
- 25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?
As in previous years, a scholarship committee with experience will choose the successful applicants, based on their implication in the Wikimedia movement as well as in the open movement more broadly, to allow newcomers to receive scholarships as well. It will use approximately the same procedure as in the past years. Like written above, the processing time for the Canadian visas should be quite quick (about two months maximum). We are hoping to inform the successful applicants at the end of April 2025, so travel plans can be taken care of during the month of May, 4–5 months before the conference. This way, we can secure lower travel fares by booking well in advance of the conference. Some guidelines from 2024: https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2024/Attendance/Scholarships
- 26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?
Presentations done by WMF staff members during the conference always get positive feedback from the participants; it is a great way of bridging and promoting dialogue between the Foundation and the community. If there are any Alberta-based staff members that would like to be involved in the local planning committee, we would also love to have them. Since the 2024 conference, we have been going through the WMF specialists for the travel arrangements, and we would like to keep doing that. We always work closely with Trust and Safety during the planning process and during the conference.
- 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.
Like for past conferences, we will be working on a list of staff members whose work is relevant to the theme picked for that year. Usually, around 30 WMF staff members are invited.
- 27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.
Wikimedia Canada: Select venues and conference hotel, as well as arrange locations for the welcome reception and cultural events. Make arrangements with the venue and contractors for space, meals, and other logistics. Make payments, including international ones, and monitor the budget. Overview and coordinate the work of all committees. Local committee: Handle the culture crawl (a series of cultural tours organized the day before the conference) and interactions with local stakeholders to stimulate interest in the local community. Program committee: Handle the call for communications and outreach to keynote speakers. We anticipate as in the past 100 submissions, and 60-70 on the program. The program committee will select among the submissions. Submissions are public on the WCNA wiki. In the past, the usual practice has been for program organizers to rate these on a private spreadsheet and discuss them in meetings, as we clarify and shape the feasible agenda. We expect to welcome submissions in Spanish and French, and to include or recruit the necessary expertise to evaluate submissions of many kinds. Scholarship committee: Will invite and evaluate submissions for scholarships, and send information to the travel agency and/or fiscal sponsor. Registration desk and friendly space team: Volunteers will manage the front desk. As in the past there will be tangibly colored or labeled volunteers monitoring that we have a safe/friendly space.
- 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.
WikiConference North America is the umbrella user group running the conference. Wikimedia Canada will overview the planning process while working hand in hand with the other stakeholders. WMCA will handle local arrangements and serve as the fiscal sponsor. We are sure to have active participation from Wikimedia DC, Wikimedia NYC, and volunteers.
- 29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?
Canada, and Edmonton in particular, were chosen partially because it is a relatively “low-risk” location. The current political climate in Canada is quite stable, and Edmonton is a relatively safe city for people of colour and LGBTQ2S+ individuals. WMCA has staff members, which allows the organizing committee to be stable and available during the entire planning process. We ran into some difficulties with the visas in 2023. WMCA has perfected its process with the organization of the WCFR 2024. We are hoping that the application process will be positive for most applicants.
- 30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.
We anticipate operating under approximately the same policy as previous years: https://wikiconference.org/wiki/2024/Safe_Space_Policy We are committed to the UCoC.
Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation
[edit]- 31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?
We hope to create a warm, welcoming environment for both Wikimedians in the North American region and newcomers to the movement. We hope that conference attendees will have a better understanding of Wikimedia projects, contribute more to the platforms, and learn from the different presentations at the conference. We also hope that these dynamics and meetings spark collaboration long-term outside the conference.
We also hope that these dynamics and meetings will spark long-term collaboration beyond the conference and strengthen participants’ sense of belonging to the North American wiki community. Tracking projects initiated at the conference through an on-wiki category, and encouraging ongoing collaboration and support, will help us assess whether the event serves as a strong catalyst for new initiatives.
We are hoping to develop partnerships with francophone communities in Alberta that will contribute to creating francophone content in Wikimedia project and contribute positively to the movement long-term.
We are hoping that the conference will boost wiki activities in Canada, as when we held the 2023 conference in Toronto, which was the spark that reignited the Toronto WikiClub.
- 32. Main open metrics
| Main Open Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Attendees | We would like to draw 250 attendees and be intentional about the diversity of attendees (skill level, cultural and racial background, gender and age diversity, as well as geographic diversity) | 250 |
| Safe Event | There could be friendly/safe space problems. If so, we would like to handle them well and report them properly, as we have done in the past.
The number of cases handled poorly, or complaints to the WMF, would be a metric of whether we have met our goal. |
N/A |
| Program Coverage | The program will cover significant diversity, with more than two tracks of content, covering a wide range of topics, and sometimes more than two sessions, lightning talks, or thematic meetings at once. In 2024 we had over 60 conference presentations, and we can aim for that in 2026. | 60 |
| Local Community Partners | We would like to engage at least 5 local organizational partners in both the conference itself and as a part of the culture crawl. This includes partners that Wikimedia Canada has worked with before and new partnerships. | 5 |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Financial Proposal
[edit]- 33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.
230066
- 34. Select your local currency.
CAD
- Requested amount in USD
- 168493.44 USD [note 1]
- ↑ a b The following amount in US dollars was calculated by Wikimedia Foundation staff using the fixed currency rates. This amount is approximate and may not reflect the actual currency exchange rates on the day of submission or distribution. If the application is funded, the funding will be sent in the recipient’s local currency.
- 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?
We are hoping to secure 5-10% of the total budget in grants for partners other than WMF
- 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).