Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Black Lunch Table Into The Movement's Future 2025
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Applicant information
[edit]- Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required)
- Black Lunch Table
- 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)
- 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
- www.blacklunchtable.org
Board members have been uploaded as a document
Main proposal
[edit]- 1. Please state the title of your proposal. This will also be a title for the Meta-Wiki page. (required)
- Black Lunch Table_ Into The Movement's Future 2025
- 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)
- 2025-01-01
- 4. Proposed end date. (required)
- 2025-12-31
- 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)
- No
- 6. Does your affiliate, organization or group have a Strategic Plan that can help us understand your proposal? If yes, please provide it. (required)
- No
- 7. Where will this proposal be implemented? (required)
- International (more than one country across continents or regions)
- Expected: Botswana, Ghana, Nigeria
We have established Regional Proxies in these countries, these short term contracts partner BLT with existing Wikimedians to extend the reach of editing around and about the knowledge gap that exists for Black artists and cultural workers.
- 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)
In our 2022 application for WMF's Community Fund, we highlighted the need for more editors of color, women editors, and quality articles about notable Black artists to build a more comprehensive and inclusive Wikipedia. This remains true as we look toward 2025, though progress is being made. Through BLT’s Wiki initiative, roundtables, and archive, we provide a unique platform that challenges exclusionary historical practices and proposes new ways of documenting and authoring histories, demonstrating our continued commitment to our mission.
As we’ve grown, we’ve refined our core programming—Wikipedia editathons, BLT Photo Booths, and work with Regional Proxies. However, as our engagement with the Wikipedia community has deepened, we’ve also recognized the need to innovate and expand our programming. A key challenge remains the lack of quality articles on Black artists, which can be partly attributed to the scarcity of reliable sources. This gap in representation within the field is followed by a lack of media coverage. To address this, we’ve partnered with worker-led publishing platform Sixty Inches From Center to produce reliable, citable essays on Black artists, particularly those from the Midwest. This collaboration helps fill the gap in coverage of Black artists and challenges the media’s focus on coastal art centers.
When these works are published, we gain a key resource needed to improve articles on Black artists—reputable, citable content. This brings us closer to closing the knowledge gap around Black artists and cultural workers on Wikipedia.
Our approach targets the root causes of the knowledge gap, focusing not just on filling it but also on addressing how it was created in the first place.
- 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 | Yes |
| Gender and diversity | Yes |
| Community support and engagement | No |
| Participation in campaigns and contests | No |
| Public policy advocacy | No |
| Other | No |
Culture, heritage or GLAM
- 9.2. Select all your programs and activities for Culture, heritage or GLAM. (required)
- Introducing new approaches to underrepresented culture and heritage, e.g. decolonising or reparative work; oral and visual knowledge; outreach to communities of origin, indigenous and first nations self-determination, Supporting institutions to open up their collections, data, metadata, and research, Supporting GLAM professionals to incorporate use of Wikimedia in their work, through documentation, training, or Wikimedian in Residence programs
- Other programs and activities if any: N/A
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
- 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)
- BLT has recurrent online programming each month with our office hours.
Quarterly we expect to host a Regional Proxy and at least one BLT: Live, though scheduling depends on those partners. In 2025 we will be celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Black Lunch Table so have additional joint programming events with our Archive department to celebrate all of our work together.
- 11. Describe your team. (required)
Black Lunch Table operates through a dynamic shared leadership model, fostering an environment where collaborative decision-making drives the organization's mission. The team is at the forefront of innovating and leading how programming, which is central to realizing our mission, is achieved. The team comprises four full-time team members across all three departments and includes all leadership positions. We have five part-time roles and expect that we will have approximately 15 short-term/contract employees across the 2025 year. We have included a staffing chart detailing the filled and vacant roles.
- 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)
In 2025, BLT plans to collaborate with both Wikimedia partners and external organizations. We’ll partner with WikiNYC in February for their WikiCurious series, running a workshop to inform artists and public figures—who may not be editors but have Wiki pages—about what they can and cannot change and how they can get more involved in the movement.
We aim to return to the BUTTER Art Fair in Indianapolis, with support from the Wikimedians of Indiana User Group. BUTTER, known as "America's Equitable Fine Art Fair," focuses on artists of color and fair compensation for participating artists. Through our connection with GANGGANG Culture and the Indiana User Group, we’ve enhanced Indianapolis artists' pages through BLT's Photo Booth and collaborative editing efforts.
BLT will also continue seeking innovative partnerships outside the wiki movement, as we did with our Wikimedia Fellowship with Pace Gallery, where we created events, exhibitions, and resources focused on artists of color. Individual artists remain central to our work as we aim to improve representation on Wiki Commons and address the knowledge gap around contemporary Black artists and cultural workers. We will also continue or initiate partnerships with educational and arts institutions such as Santa Monica College, Josephine Sculpture Park, and Antenna Gallery, bringing our Wiki initiative to new editors and expanding engagement in the Wikimedia movement.
- 13. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select all that apply. (required)
- Innovate in Free Knowledge
Metrics
[edit]Wikimedia Metrics
[edit]- 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.
| 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 | N/A | N/A |
| Number of new organizers | N/A |
- 14.2. Number of new content contributions to Wikimedia projects. (recommended)
| Wikimedia project | Created | Edited or improved |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | ||
| Wikimedia Commons | 100 | |
| Wikidata | 180 | |
| Wiktionary | ||
| Wikisource | ||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||
| Translatewiki | ||
| MediaWiki | ||
| Wikiquote | ||
| Wikivoyage | ||
| Wikibooks | ||
| Wikiversity | ||
| Wikinews | ||
| Wikispecies | ||
| Wikifunctions / Abstract Wikipedia |
- Description for Wikimedia projects contributions metrics. (optional)
WikiCommons: Contribution of artist portraits through BLT's Photo Booth WikiData: New artists entered into WikiData and labeled as property: on the focus list of (p5008), Black Lunch Table(Q28781198)
Other Metrics
[edit]- 15. Do you have other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required)
- No
| Other Metrics | Description | Target |
|---|---|---|
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
Budget
[edit]- 16. Will you have any other revenue sources when implementing this proposal (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required)
- Yes
- 16.1. List other revenue sources. (required)
Mellon Foundation, confirmed Terra Foundation, confirmed Santa Monica College, confirmed Ruth Arts, submitted Warhol Foundation, submitted Ford Foundation, submitted Logan Foundation, submitted
- 16.2. Approximately how much revenue will you have from other sources in your local currency? (required)
- 371667
- 17. Your local currency. (required)
- USD
- 18. What is the total requested amount in your local currency? (required)
- 304238 USD
| Year | Amount (local currency) |
|---|---|
| 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.
- This request would contribute to the cost of 8 full or part-time BLT staff members. It would cover 4 of those entirely.
Our programming relies, in part, on photographers, artists, writers, and Wikimedians as short-term contractors, this request would cover the cost of twenty of those roles.
- 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.
- One 1.0 FTE staff, Wiki Co-ED, will be fully supported by this request.
Two 1.0 FTE staff, F+O Co-ED and Programming Assistant, will be partially supported by this request.
Two .5 FTE staff, Wikipedia Assistant and Comms specialist, will be fully supported by this request Two .5 FTE staff, F+O assistant and Development Assistant, will be partially supported by this request
All other contractors are based on an engagement or hourly term, i.e. Photo Booth Photographer for one event, totaling 5 hours for a rate of $500, detailed in submitted budget.
- 19.3. Describe any staff or contractor changes compared to the current year / ongoing General Support Fund if any. (required only for returning grantees)
- Beginning July 1st, 2024 BLT, with the approval of our Board, moved to a Co-Executive Director model.
While our initial 2022 search for an external Executive Director didn’t bring about the results we anticipated, this process has given us the chance to reassess what leadership truly means for BLT. We are excited to embrace a co-executive director model.
This approach fosters collaboration, shared decision-making, and collective responsibility—values that have always been at the core of what we do. By distributing leadership, we draw from a broader spectrum of perspectives and ideas, ensuring our continued innovation and adaptability. Moreover, this model reinforces a culture of mutual support and accountability, aligning with our mission to create pathways for artists and communities through empowerment and inclusion.
We are confident that this leadership structure will not only strengthen our internal capacity but will also enhance our ability to serve our community, as we continue to push the boundaries of our field.
- 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 | 269623 USD |
| Operational costs | 17635 USD |
| Programmatic costs | 16980 USD |
- 21. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it. (required)
Additional information
[edit]- 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)
Although we needed clarification around the experimental one-year grant renewal, we think it suits our timeline and hope it makes room for a few things. As mentioned earlier in the application, we adopted a new shared co-executive director model after our co-founder's move to the board and an unsuccessful initial ED tenure in 2022-2023. All in all, we are grateful for the opportunities to reflect on leadership and move forward with a model that better reflects our organization's mission and values.
Our internal onboarding process has been a collaborative effort, allowing us to collectively review and refine our organization's outlook. Our focus remains on enhancing what we've built. With all the key components in place—our digital archive, new partnerships, and a robust co-Executive Director structure—now is the time to intensify our efforts and maximize our impact.
We are crafting a relevant and up-to-date five-year strategic plan to achieve these ends. We have initiated this process, beginning with a brief staff survey. We are scheduling 30-minute individual interviews with board members and external partners over the next month, with 8 to 10 interviews planned. We've included a slide of our expected timeline for completion as we consider the strategic assumptions and goals that will undergird our writing process. We hope that with this document complete and a bit more time as leaders we will be able to prepare and execute a multiyear vision.
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
[edit]- Please add any feedback to the grant discussion page only. Any feedback added here will be removed.
- Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposals
- Wikimedia Community Fund/Proposals/Funded
- Culture, heritage or GLAM - General Support Funds in FY 2024-25
- Gender and diversity - General Support Funds in FY 2024-25
- Funded General Support Funds for NA in FY 2024-25
- Funded General Support Funds for NA in FY 2024-25 (Round 1)
- General Support Funds for NA in FY 2024-25 (Round 1)
- General Support Funds in FY 2024-25 (Round 1)
- Funded General Support Funds in FY 2024-25 (Round 1)
- General Support Fund proposals by Black Lunch Table
- Funded General Support Funds in FY 2024-25