Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Annual Grant for the Wikimedians of UAE User Group

statusUnder review

Wikimedia Community Fund

Annual Grant for the Wikimedians of UAE User Group

Fluxx IDR-GS-2409-16888

start date2025-01-01

end date2027-12-31

budget (local currency)1069324.2 AED

amount requested (USD)291134.21 USD

grant typeWikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

funding regionMENA

decision fiscal year2024-25

funding program roundRound 1

organization (if applicable)Wikimedians of United Arab Emirates User Group

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

• Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Annual Grant for the Wikimedians of UAE User Group

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the grantmaking web service of Wikimedia Foundation 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)

Wikimedians of United Arab Emirates User Group

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)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

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

No

Do you have a fiscal sponsor?

Yes

Fiscal organization name.

Emirates Literature Foundation

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

Main proposal

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

Annual Grant for the Wikimedians of UAE User Group

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

Yes

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)

Year 2:

• Focus: Expand and refine existing programs based on Year 1 feedback, and enhance outreach efforts.

• Goals: Deepen community engagement, improve content quality, and strengthen partnerships with local institutions and affiliates.

• Key activities: Increase the frequency of edit-a-thons, expand the Wiki Club with more skill-building sessions, and enhance the #SheSaid UAE Campaign with new regional contributions.

Year 3:

• Focus: Consolidate gains, scale successful programs, and introduce new initiatives.

• Goals: Achieve significant content contributions, broaden the impact of outreach programs, and solidify the User Group's role as a key player in regional and global Wikimedia activities.

• Key activities: Evaluate the effectiveness of Year 2 programs, identify areas for growth, and implement new strategies to expand reach and impact.

Relationship to Current Proposal and Strategic Plan:

These Year 2 and Year 3 plans align closely with the current proposal and strategic plan. They build upon the foundation established in Year 1 by:

• Expanding and refining existing programs: Based on feedback and lessons learned.

• Increasing outreach and engagement: Through targeted campaigns and community-building activities.

• Strengthening partnerships: With local institutions and affiliates.

• Scaling successful initiatives: To maximize impact and reach a wider audience.

By focusing on these key areas, the proposed plan aims to achieve sustainable growth, improve content quality, and solidify the User Group's position as a leading force in Wikimedia activities within the region.

3. Proposed start date. (required)

2025-01-01

4. Proposed end date. (required)

2027-12-31

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/presentation/d/1PKWu4uQjjkAADw1Sk0KJ7iKX_hUva-Tu/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303761975887122707&rtpof=true&sd=true

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/presentation/d/1PKWu4uQjjkAADw1Sk0KJ7iKX_hUva-Tu/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303761975887122707&rtpof=true&sd=true

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

International (more than one country across continents or regions)

Our project WikiCollection focuses on more than one country. However, the other activities focus on the UAE and the broader GCC region.

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)

Programs, Approaches, and Strategies:

1. Education and Digital Literacy:

• Strategy: Strengthen existing university partnerships (University of Sharjah, American University in Dubai, Jeddah University, and Effat University) and develop internship programs to foster student engagement.

• Challenge: Limited student awareness of Wikimedia projects.

• Solution: Provide hands-on training and pathways for effective contributions, nurturing a new generation of editors.

• Activities: Training and internship programs.

• Notes: We have established strong partnerships with several universities, including Sharjah University, the American University in Dubai, Jeddah University, and Effat University. We aim to strengthen these collaborations further by offering regular training and internship programs throughout the year. This year, because of our partnership with Jahzeen from Oman we will be working with a University in Oman to train students and offer trainings and internship programs.

2. Community Building and Outreach:

• Strategy: Organize multilingual activities (edit-a-thons, competitions, meet-ups) to engage a diverse community.

• Challenge: Low engagement from new members and a need for skill development.

• Solution: Implement structured programs (WikiAE Mentorship Program, Wiki Club) to enhance skills and foster a supportive community.

• Activities: 1Editor1Reference, #SheSaid Campaign, Emirati Women's Day events, WikiAE Mentorship Program, Wiki Club sessions, Harir Competition, WikiCollection Campaign.

• Notes:

• We have already done 4 physical Wiki Club sessions and two online sessions each had around (12-15 participants) within the Wikimedia movement and non-wikimedians, many of which registered to be part of our User Group community.

• By participating in global campaigns, we've successfully raised awareness about free knowledge and the gender gap. This led us to identify a valuable opportunity to collaborate with user groups in the MENA region. We aim to combine our efforts and organize cross-regional events to promote these campaigns, partnering with groups like the Wikimedians of Morocco and the Iraq User Group.

• Given the UAE's diverse population, which includes many non-Arabic speakers, we will be actively promoting our programs and activities in various venues. Our goal is to recruit individuals from all major groups in the UAE, including local Emiratis, other GCC citizens, Levantine and North African residents, Middle Easterners, South Asians, sub-Saharan Africans, Westerners, East and Southeast Asians, and more.

• Because our relationship and partnership with Jahzeen in Oman we were able to work on organizing the WikiArabia conference and support in forming a community of editors and contributors in Oman.

3. Communication and Outreach:

• Strategy: Utilize targeted campaigns and digital outreach to increase visibility and engagement.

• Challenge: Need for effective communication with a diverse community.

• Solution: Conduct community analysis and develop tailored campaigns to address specific interests and needs.

4. Research Program:

• Strategy: Leverage data analysis to inform and improve project outcomes.

• Challenge: Lack of data-driven insights to guide project improvements.

• Solution: Develop databases and conduct SWOT analyses to refine strategies and enhance impact.

5. UAE Identity Projects:

• Strategy: Document UAE heritage and encourage community participation in photography projects (UAE in Lens, Wiki Loves UAE).

• Challenge: Copy-rights such as the No Freedom of Panorama for buildings and Monuments.

• Solution: Finding creative ways to organize photography competitions and campaigns that do not violate copyrights and doesn't hinder us from organizing photography campaigns in the UAE.

• Activities: UAE in Lens, Wiki Loves Earth - UAE

• Notes:
• Wiki Loves Earth UAE has highlighted the predominance of non-Arabic speaking contributors. This valuable insight underscores the need to tailor our activities and programs to better serve these diverse communities within the UAE.

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

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

Education

9.1.1. Select all your programs and activities for Education. (required)

Wiki Club, Editing Wikipedia Training, Translation, Research, Wikimedia Commons programs

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

9.1.2. Select all relevant audience groups for Education. (required)

Vocational, tertiary, or higher education

Other groups if any: N/A

Culture, heritage or GLAM

9.2. Select all your programs and activities for Culture, heritage or GLAM. (required)

Supporting institutions to open up their collections, data, metadata, and research, Other

Other programs and activities if any: - Partnering with GLAM organizations for WikiCollection project and to support us in giving us access to data.

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)

1Lib1Ref, Wiki Loves Earth, Wiki Loves Women, WikiForHumanRights, Wikipedia Pages Wanting Photos, Wikipedia Birthday or Anniversary

Other programs and activities if any: N/A

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

Slides 27 - 30

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PKWu4uQjjkAADw1Sk0KJ7iKX_hUva-Tu/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303761975887122707&rtpof=true&sd=true

11. Describe your team. (required)

2025-2027 proposed team structure:

1. Director of the User Group (Full-time, salaried) - oversees all programs and activities. 2. Communication Coordinator (Full-time, salaried) - Handles outreach and communications with our Community. 3. Research Lead (Contractor) - conduct data analysis and support project improvements. 4. UG advisor (Volunteer) - support in implementing the UG activities and program and make sure we are aligned with our objectives. 5. 2 Vacant Positions (Contractors per project) - 2 Wikimedians from UAE who could support us in reaching out to the South Asians and Philippines communities in the UAE. 6. Contractors (we would have external contractors to support us in some of the activities implementation such as the WikiCollection project. these contractors will be from the MENA Wikimedia community).

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)

• Wikimedia Community Collaboration: We will actively engage with Wikimedians from the wider Wikimedia community to support the implementation of our programs and activities which will ensure that our initiatives align with the needs and interests of our members.

• PhilWiki User Group Partnership: We aim to collaborate with the Affiliation in the Philippines to engage the Philippine community in the UAE and GCC. This partnership will leverage their expertise and networks to attract new contributors and enrich our content and join our User Group.

• Kerla User Group Partnership: We seek to partner with the Kerla User Group to focus on the South Asian community in the UAE and GCC. This collaboration will enable us to reach a broader audience and diversify our content.

---

• Jahzeen Foundation: we collaborated with Jahzeen foundation from Oman to support them in forming a User Group in Oman. We started by designing a program called the "Wiki Oman Youth Program" to train 20+ youth in becoming auto-patrolled users. The program will finish by October. Because of this collaboration between us and Jahzeen we were able to partner to organize WikiArabia 2024 in Oman.

• Emirates Literature Foundation: engaging the Wikimedians and Wikimedia Foundation to participate in Emirates Literature Foundation including but not limited to: Emirates LitFest, Dubai International Librarians Conference, and multiple Educational programs.

• Ratal Al Kalimat: Supported us in reaching out to different educations institutions in Saudi Arabia which led to a long-term collaboration with Effat University and Jeddah University and providing training sessions to translation students.

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, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Identify Topics for Impact, Innovate in Free Knowledge, Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt

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	N/A	N/A
Number of all editors	N/A	N/A
Number of new editors	N/A
Number of retained editors	N/A
Number of all organizers	4	N/A
Number of new organizers	4

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

Contributions to Wikimedia projects

Wikimedia project	Created	Edited or improved
Wikipedia	2000	1000
Wikimedia Commons	2000
Wikidata	3000
Wiktionary
Wikisource
Wikimedia Incubator
Translatewiki
MediaWiki
Wikiquote	2000	600
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
Community Building and Outreach	WikiAE Mentorship Program	10
Education and Digital Literacy	Training and internship program	30
N/A	N/A	N/A
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)

AED

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

1069324.2 AED

Multi-year funding request summary

Year	Amount (local currency)
Year 1	356442 AED
Year 2	356442 AED
Year 3	356442 AED

Requested amount in USD

291134.21 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.

- 2 paid staff members

• 7 Contractors (3200 USD for all of them) For WikiCollection and for Training and Internship program.

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.

2 FTEs Staff

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

Previously, we had only one paid staff member with an annual salary of $22,520. Now, we have two paid staff members with a combined salary of $52,273.98.

We increased the monthly salary by 16% due to local indexation and inflation

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	55474 AED
Operational costs	41570 AED
Programmatic costs	97044 AED

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

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1RB-P2GNl2t2cg5nuPfVA13J8nTrQrq-t/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=118303761975887122707&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)

---

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

Feedback

• Please add any feedback to the grant discussion page only. Any feedback added here will be removed.