Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Africa Wiki Women General Support Grant 2026

statusFunded

Wikimedia Community Fund

Africa Wiki Women General Support Grant 2026

Fluxx IDG-GS-2509-20169

proposed start date2026-01-01

proposed end date2026-12-31

approved start date01 January 2026

approved end date30 June 2026

amount requested (local currency)344956 GHS

amount requested (USD)74513.51 USD

amount recommended (USD)29148.78

amount recommended (local currency)344956 GHS

grant typeNonprofit organization with Wikimedia mission

funding regionSSA

decision fiscal year2025-26

funding program roundRound 1

organization (if applicable)Africa Wiki Women

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds, where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant information

Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)

Africa Wiki Women

Do you have any approved General Support Fund requests? (required)

Yes, I have already applied and received a General Support Fund

You are applying as a(n). (required)

Nonprofit organization with Wikimedia mission

Are your group or organization legally registered in your country? (required)

Yes

Do you have a fiscal sponsor?

No

Fiscal organization name.

N/A

Please provide links to the following documents if they are available

These documentation can be provided in your local language(s), no translations required.

• Organizational website
• Detailed financial reporting and/or audits
• Documentation of the governance structure, board list, governance processes
• Documentation of the general assembly decision on your plan

Our mid point report will be due in October we do not yet have a link at the moment.

Main proposal

1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)

Africa Wiki Women General Support Grant 2026

2. Do you want to apply for the multi-year base funding for 3 years? (required) (only for returning applicants)

No

2.1. Provide a brief overview of Year 2 and Year 3 of the proposed plan and how this relates to the current proposal and your strategic plan? (required)

N/A

3. Proposed start date. (required)

2026-01-01

4. Proposed end date. (required)

2026-12-31

5. Does your organization or group have an Affiliate or Organizational Annual Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)

Yes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xxHvhp1da5wIG8H67xJgowPrlPq3zCKOj__1ttzeOsM/edit?usp=sharing

6. Does your affiliate, organization or group have a Strategic Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)

Yes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lSzL4jIfuCp-Kjc0PuDTN7udM0DgwIwaOkNoCWngsP8/edit?usp=sharing

7. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)

International (more than one country across continents or regions)

Nigeria, Uganda, Egypt, Ghana, Tanzania, Madagascar, and Kenya.

Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea (Conakry), Namibia, Rwanda, Sudan, Togo, and Zimbabwe , Egypt, Bostwana, South Sudan.

8. What are your programs, approaches, and strategies? What are the challenges that you are trying to address and how will your strategies support you in addressing these challenges? (required)

Our Programs, Approaches, and Strategies: At Africa Wiki Women, our programs are designed to break down systemic barriers that limit women’s participation, leadership, and representation in the Wikimedia movement. Our mission is to close the gender gap by equipping women with skills, providing supportive networks, and amplifying African women’s voices within Wikimedia and broader open knowledge spaces. Africa Wiki Women have grown over the past 3+ years with over 400 members in over 20 African countries and women in the diaspora. 74.3% of the entire membership is made up of women. We have contributed to improving and creating over 1000+ Wikipedia articles and translations. We have our presence active on all social media platforms, such as Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and Spotify, Castbox etc. During our current 6-month General Support Fund, we piloted several programs informed by our AWW Technical research. Looking ahead to the coming year, we plan not only to continue these programs but also to expand their reach and deepen their impact. Our core programs are categorised around three key thematic areas: Capacity Building and Content Creation Mentorship and Leadership Development Advocacy and Awareness Reference

- https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fCyX8h3WUmzXHAw7W_GzPxV-MVjyvex2C5JnpcI7pBs/edit?usp=sharing

https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Africa_Wiki_Women/en

Capacity Building and Content Creation Skill-Up Program This Skill-Up Program focuses on equipping African women with foundational and advanced Wikimedia skills, particularly on wikimedia projects and campaign organizing. Our skill up workshop provides hands-on training, follow-up support, and resource sharing to strengthen the capacity of our community in acquiring essential skills that manifest in content creation and community development for long-term engagement in free knowledge projects. Our skill-up workshop has been highly attended by African Wikimedians, especially women who seek to build their capacity in the space. We have recorded a total of 306 participants from across 20+ countries, with a few from the diaspora, within the past few months, with an average attendance of 70 participants per session. Some of our monthly sessions have been on Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, digital skills, project and campaign management, and cracking scholarship codes, among others. These skills have translated into real impact. Link to campaign on https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2025_AWW_Skill_Up_Workshop/Home Additional links https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/03/11/aww-skill-up-workshop-advancing-our-wikipedia-editing-skill/ https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/06/09/command-the-room-a-dive-into-the-art-of-public-speaking/ https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/02/20/africa-wiki-women-skill-up-workshop-wiki-commons-training/ https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/03/11/aww-skill-up-workshop-taking-charge-of-our-stories-on-wikipedia/

EditHer Africa Campaign Building skills and capacity is only the first step. That’s why we launched the EditHer Africa Campaign to translate the skills gained from the Skill-Up Workshop into meaningful contributions that help close gender gaps on Wikimedia projects. The campaign creates a supportive and welcoming environment, offering women a less competitive space to contribute freely. Our EditHer Africa contest combines passion with appreciation; by recognizing and celebrating their efforts through awards, we create an ecosystem where women are motivated to take part and feel valued in the movement. Each month the campaign focuses on a new theme. Awards are allocated to each month's contest to encourage active volunteer contribution. For the past months the contest has focused on various themes like African Women in Spots, women in health. The campaign have contributed to over 1000 articles created, translated and improved on Wikipedia and Wikidata and more than 100 images uploaded on Wikimedia commons. So far since its inception in July we have had over …. Participants joining from …. Countries. The unique thing is that our EditHer campaign combines hand-on live editing skills sessions and office hours to assist participants. Link to meta page- https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/EzzditHer_Africa_Contest/Home Dashboard links- https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Africa_Wiki_Women/EditHer_Africa_Contest_-_July_Edition_2025 https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Africa_Wiki_Women/EditHer_Africa_Contest_-_August_Edition_2025

Additional links https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/07/14/bridging-gender-gaps-through-edits-the-launch-of-edither-africa//

Mentorship and Leadership Development Mentorship Program:

The Africa Wiki Women Mentorship Program is designed to empower African women by equipping them with the tools, guidance, and opportunities needed to grow as leaders within the Wikimedia Movement. Through mentorship, we create a supportive and inclusive environment where women can develop their skills, gain confidence, and take on meaningful leadership roles. This program builds a vibrant community of learning and collaboration, enabling mentees to contribute significantly to Wikimedia projects while also inspiring and mentoring others. Ultimately, our goal is to drive greater gender equity and long-term participation by building a strong network of African women changemakers within the open knowledge ecosystem.

On WikiSkills Mentorship program: The On-WikiSkills Mentorship Program is an initiative by Africa Wiki Women created to address a pressing challenge: the underrepresentation of African women editors on Wikimedia projects. This gap does not exist because women are unwilling to edit; rather, it is shaped by factors such as the difficulty of thriving in highly competitive environments, the lack of safe and supportive mentorship spaces, and the limited availability of mentors who can dedicate time to guide them. This program seeks to change that by providing close support, structured training, and dedicated mentorship. The goal is to empower African women to confidently contribute to Wikimedia projects, and in turn, equip them to mentor others and share these skills within their communities. By doing so, the program fosters a ripple effect that strengthens women’s participation across the movement and answers to some of our research findings. We have launched the On-WikiSkills Mentorship Program as a service to support women within affiliates and groups, helping them strengthen their skills and contributions through mentorship, skills development, and peer learning. Already, we have received requests from communities seeking our support in mentoring their women. Currently, 16 mentees are enrolled in the program, with nominations from Wikimedia South Sudan, Wikimedia DRC, Wikimedia Rwanda, and the Ethiopia User Group etc. To ensure quality guidance, we have also brought on board skilled and experienced mentors who are committed to supporting these women on their editing journeys. The mentorship combines virtual live sessions and one-on-one guidance for the mentees. The mentorship is currently being provided in both English and French. We have English mentees and mentors and French mentees and mentors who are in separate language groups. By the end of the mentorship there are metrics to be attained as these women put their skills into practice through assignments and practice tests. The dashboard captures their contributions- https://outreachdashboard.wmflabs.org/courses/Africa_Wiki_Women/Africa_Wiki_Women_On_WikiSkills_Mentorship.

Unlike the Leadership and Fellowship Program, where fellows work closely with our core team on various projects, the On WikiSkills Mentorship Program connects participants with a diverse range of community experts to learn directly from and grow over a structured 5-month period. Link to mentor- https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/AWW_On_WikiSkills_Mentorship_Program As the mentors

Advocacy and awareness 3. WikiMissing Sources On the other hand, one of the major challenges behind the lack of biographies of African women on Wikipedia is the shortage of reliable references about them. To address this, we launched the WikiMissingSources Campaign, an initiative designed to raise awareness of Wikimedia projects among journalists, build their capacity to use these platforms, and encourage them to publish stories about notable African women in credible media outlets. Such publications not only highlight their achievements but also meet the standards required for Wikipedia referencing. The campaign is collaborative and community driven, rooted in local realities yet connected to global movements. This ensures collective impact, stronger representation, and greater visibility for African women across Wikimedia platforms. Through this effort, we trained 70 participants including 20 journalists in both online and in-person workshops. Link to meta page - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Wiki_Missing_Sources_2025

In the long run, the campaign will help to: Strengthen the ecosystem of credible references about African women, ensuring their achievements are documented and accessible. Create a sustainable bridge between media professionals and the Wikimedia movement. Inspire more women and young people to contribute, knowing that the visibility of African women is being actively improved. Reduce systemic bias on Wikimedia by addressing the gender gap in content. Build a culture where the stories of African women are regularly published, cited, and preserved for future generations. Link to meta page - https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Event:Wiki_Missing_Sources_2025 Other publications https://nujfct.ng/empowering-african-women-journalists-join-wikimedia-drive/ https://von.gov.ng/empowering-african-women-journalists-join-wikimedia-drive/

4. Podcast Series: Our podcast seeks to provide a platform for advocacy,storytellinghighlight, and celebrating the journeys, contributions, and experiences of African women in the Wikimedia movement. It serves as both an advocacy and outreach tool, inspiring new contributors while showcasing role models within our community. So far we have launched 4 episodes and hosted women from 4 different countries. Link to meta page- https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Africa_Wiki_Women_Podcast Important links; https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Africa_Wiki_Women_Podcast/Season_1#Episode_#4%E2%80%94African_Women_and_the_Tech_Turn_in_Wikimedia https://open.spotify.com/episode/2JbSTuCgEjUxy5O9YPjcc1?si=cC_NOr3tQwKFVwr0ddry7g https://pca.st/episode/02f728a7-efbe-496c-9d5f-7e7169289dce https://castbox.fm/vb/801947402

Partnerships and Collaborations At Africa Wiki Women, we recognize that partnerships are the foundation of sustainable impact. By working together with like-minded organizations, we are able to extend our reach, deepen our impact, and create spaces where women can thrive as contributors and leaders within the Wikimedia movement. Secured Partnerships (2)

We have established formal partnerships with:

Shangazi Power Lamu Women Alliance

These partners have been central in co-hosting capacity-building workshops and strengthening women’s leadership in open knowledge spaces. Collaborations (8+)

Beyond formal partnerships, we actively collaborate with a diverse network of women’s groups, Wikimedia affiliates, and civil society organizations. These include:

Fempire Women for Sustainability Africa Wikimedia DRC Wikimedia South Sudan Wikimedia Rwanda Senior Citizens Open Inclusive Initiative Open Knowledge Development Initiative Maestro Solution

https://diff.wikimedia.org/2025/01/16/africa-wiki-women-year-in-review-a-2024-snapshot/

In the coming year, we are considering having an official website to boost our visibility on the web and provide a more friendly way of accessing us by non-wikimedia communities to attract new users and partners. For this reason we have included support for websites and paid gmail accounts to allow our team to use official emails for coordinating with partners and amongst the team.

Other community Volunteer Commitment Africa wiki women is committed to supporting gender initiatives in the movement, such as the planning of wikiwomen lunch and summit event at Wikimedia programs

9. What categories are your main programs and related activities under? Please select all that apply. (required)

Category	Yes/No
Education	No
Culture, heritage or GLAM	No
Gender and diversity	Yes
Community support and engagement	Yes
Participation in campaigns and contests	Yes
Public policy advocacy	No
Other	No

Gender and diversity

9.3. Select all your programs and activities for Gender and diversity.

Bringing in women and/or gender diverse participants and editors, Focusing on creating content about women and/or gender diverse groups, including biographies, intersectional topic areas and/or adding images, Focusing on creating content about marginalized (underrepresented) communities and their knowledge, Focusing on knowledge equity by bringing in contributors from underrepresented communities, Building organizer skills in women and diversity groups, Fomenting female leadership within the movement (either staff, members or boards), Sensitize and educate for gender perspective among Wikimedia projects stewards and editors

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Community support and engagement

9.4. Select all your programs and activities for Community support and engagement.

On-wiki training of community members, Off-wiki training of community members, Organizing meetups, conferences, and community events, Supporting community members' participation in events and conferences, Offering non financial support and services to community members (equipment, space, books, etc.)

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

Participation in campaigns and contests

9.5. Select all campaigns that apply. (required)

Other

Other programs and activities if any: Edit Her Africa

10. Please include a link to or upload a timeline (operational calendar) for your programs and activities. (required)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ghx1MWOUuQc82WdNe1KHLGWKg91NoQPKC0GGdx7pPvM/edit?usp=sharing

11. Describe your team. (required)

Program Coordinator (Contract)

Coordinates the planning, implementation, and monitoring of programs to ensure activities are delivered effectively and aligned with organizational goals.

Communications and Logistics Officer (Contract)

Manages communications, outreach, and event logistics to support visibility, coordination, and smooth execution of programs and activities.

Administrative Coordinator (Contract)

Provides administrative and operational support, including documentation, scheduling, and coordination, to ensure efficient day-to-day operations.

Advisory Board

A group of experienced leaders and allies who provide strategic guidance, mentorship, and technical expertise. The Advisory Board supports Africa Wiki Women in aligning programs with broader gender, knowledge equity, and Wikimedia movement goals while strengthening long-term vision, credibility, and sustainability.

12. Will you be working with any internal (Wikimedia) or external partners? Describe the characteristics of these partnerships and bring a few examples of the most significant partnerships. (required)

Institutional partners

We will facilitate partnerships with women/feminist organizations, journalists’ groups/associations, and media organizations to onboard new women editors and secure resources that support gender-related initiatives for women in our Wikimedia movement. 

Additionally, we will collaborate with existing Wikimedia affiliates to onboard new women Wikimedians into local user groups to further strengthen their growth. We will also collaborate with experienced women in the user groups to facilitate cross-learning experiences. We intend to partner with groups such as the . African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), Womankind Worldwide, Women in Tech Africa (WiTA), Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA), UN Women, Global Fund for Women, International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF), Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), African Feminist Forum (AFF), African Women in Media (AWiM), Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), Lamu Women Alliance, the, Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Nigeria, Girls’ Voice Initiative, Open Inclusive Initiative, Women for Sustainability Africa, and Maestro Africa Solutions to connect with and integrate women into local user groups to strengthen retention and sustainability. We will also work with Shangazi Power in Kenya and wikimedia Usergroups.

13. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select all that apply. (required)

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Provide for Safety and Inclusion, Ensure Equity in Decision-making, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Identify Topics for Impact, Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt, Improve User Experience

Metrics

Wikimedia Metrics

14. Please select and fill out Wikimedia Metrics for your proposal. (recommended)

14.1. Number of participants, editors, and organizers.

All metrics provided are optional, please fill them out if they are aligned with your programs and activities.

Participants, editors, and organizers

Metrics name	Target	Description
Number of all participants	300	300 participants is a combination of online and in-person participation
Number of all editors	400	N/A
Number of new editors	200
Number of retained editors	400
Number of all organizers	15	N/A
Number of new organizers	7

14.2. Number of new content contributions to Wikimedia projects. (recommended)

Contributions to Wikimedia projects

Wikimedia project	Created	Edited or improved
Wikipedia	100	500
Wikimedia Commons	200	40
Wikidata	400
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote
Wikivoyage
Wikibooks
Wikiversity
Wikinews
Wikispecies
Wikifunctions / Abstract Wikipedia

Description for Wikimedia projects contributions metrics. (optional)

Other Metrics

15. Do you have other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required)

Yes

Other Metrics	Description	Target
Podcast	At least 4 episodes in 6 month	N/A
On Wiki Skills Mnetorship	Number of women mentees successfly trained and mentored on 3 selected Wikimedia projects through hands-on	20
Leadership and Mentorship Fellows	New mentees mentored in the community leadership	15
N/A	N/A	N/A
N/A	N/A	N/A

Budget

16. Will you have any other revenue sources when implementing this proposal (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required)

No

16.1. List other revenue sources. (required)

N/A

16.2. Approximately how much revenue will you have from other sources in your local currency? (required)

N/A

17. Your local currency. (required)

GHS

18. What is the total requested amount in your local currency? (required)

344956 GHS

Multi-year funding request summary

Year	Amount (local currency)
Year 1	N/A GHS
Year 2	N/A GHS
Year 3	N/A GHS

Requested amount in USD

74513.51 USD

Multi-year funding request summary in USD

Year	Amount USD
Year 1	N/A USD
Year 2	N/A USD
Year 3	N/A USD

19. Does this proposal include compensation for staff or contractors? (required)

Yes

19.1. How many paid staff members do you plan to have? (required)

Include the number of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include them separately and mention their terms.

3 paid contractors

19.2. How many FTEs (full-time equivalents) in total? (required)

Include the total FTE of staff and contractors during the proposal period. If you have short-term contractors or staff, please include their FTEs with the terms separately.

part-time contractors

19.3. Describe any staff or contractor changes compared to the current year / ongoing General Support Fund if any. (required only for returning grantees)

No

20. Please provide an overview of your overall budget categories in your local currency. The budget breakdown should include only the amount requested with this General Support Fund (required).

Budget category	Amount in local currency
Staff and contractor costs	12600 GHS
Operational costs	3060 GHS
Programmatic costs	14340 GHS

21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1T17uxyxZJ5hTlJQVytvWEddvF462ME6s/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=104159258073326883827&rtpof=true&sd=true

Additional information

22. In this optional space you can add any other additional information about your proposal or organization that you think can help us when reviewing your proposal. (optional)

We have revised metrics and budget to align with the 6-month and approved funding.

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By submitting your proposal/funding request you agree that you are in agreement with the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and the Universal Code of Conduct.

We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

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