Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Building a Sustainable Wikimedia Libya

statusUnder review

Wikimedia Community Fund

Building a Sustainable Wikimedia Libya

Fluxx IDR-GS-2509-20215

proposed start date2026-01-01

proposed end date2026-12-31

approved start date01 January 2026

approved end date31 December 2026

amount requested (local currency)135858 LYD

amount requested (USD)62953 USD ^{[note 1]}

grant typeGroup of individuals not registered with an organization

funding regionMENA

decision fiscal year2025-26

funding program roundRound 1

applicant and people related to proposalBofa787

organization (if applicable)Wikimedia Libya group

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Applicant information

Organization name or Wikimedia Username for individuals. (required): Wikimedia Libya groupBofa787

Do you have any approved General Support Fund requests? (required): No, it is my first time applying for a General Support Fund

You are applying as a(n). (required): Group of individuals not registered with an organization

Are your group or organization legally registered in your country? (required): No

Do you have a fiscal sponsor?: Yes

Fiscal organization name.: Libyan Technology 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): Building a Sustainable Wikimedia Libya

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

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/1dKC2r3hWT6w0Rhd4Rv5Z6hpm7Paik1z7-A5Q_MwpjyI/edit?usp=drivesdk

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/1rYBeBwB0Osxe4008HiENH5smIe-i_OmsaA3fBwttNUo/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.16jhh94oo9iv

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

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)

1. Programs (by Wikimedia project):

Wikipedia:

1- Wikipedia Training / Wiki Clubs: Designed for the broader Libyan community to develop editing skills. We established a successful partnership with Barah Culture and Arts Center and the Scouts Association in Benghazi, leading to the creation of a Wiki Club with 10 active members. Building on this success, we will continue leveraging these partnerships to expand the network of Wiki Clubs across Libya.

2- Little Women Editing Initiative: This program introduces high school girls to editing on Arabic Wikipedia. Over the past two years, we have seen growing enthusiasm among young participants for contributing to open knowledge. In our previous round, the initiative combined training with a contest, resulting in the creation of 100 articles. To sustain their engagement and nurture this momentum, we will continue developing the program in the coming year.

3- WikiWomen Campaign: This campaign promotes gender diversity in Wikimedia projects by highlighting women’s voices and contributions. In partnership with the National Organization of Amazons of Libya, we successfully created over 100 articles on Wikiquote, expanding the representation of Libyan intellectuals, especially women, in Arabic content. Building on this collaboration, we aim to strengthen the partnership and continue addressing the gender gap across Wikimedia platforms.

4- Wikipedia Competitions for Members: Encouraging active Libyan contributions on Arabic Wikipedia targeting local topics.

5- Wiki Climate Change and Sustainability: This program engages Libyan students and community members in contributing knowledge on environmental issues and sustainable development. We partner with ecology and environmental science organisations to create and improve articles related to climate change, while also organizing seminars that link global sustainability topics to the Libyan and Maghreb context. By combining training with thematic campaigns, we aim to both enrich Wikimedia content on climate issues and build local awareness of the role of knowledge in addressing environmental challenges.

Wikidata:

1- Beginner and Advanced Wikidata Trainings: Ensuring members can contribute structured data and link it to Wikipedia content.

2- Wikidata Celebrations: Recognizing member achievements and promoting data contributions.

Wikisource:

1- Wikisource Trainings: Engaging members to digitize and proofread Libyan texts and literature.

Wikimedia Commons:

1- Wiki Loves Earth / Wiki Loves Monuments (Visual Content): during 2024, we had a significant partnership with Benghazi Photographic Society and Barah Culture and Arts Center. Through these partnerships, we expanded our outreach in the Libyan photographic community. In 2025, we secured another partnership with Tassili for Visual Arts in Derna. Tassili donated photos documenting Derna floods and participated in a panel discussion addressing documenting disasters in Wikimedia projects. To sustain these partnerships in 2026, we hold:

Wiki Loves Earth Competition: Documenting Libya’s natural environment.

Wiki Loves Monuments Competition: Documenting cultural heritage sites.

GLAM Activities:

1- Documenting Libraries and Cultural Institutions: Partnering with local institutions to preserve Libyan knowledge.

2- Approaches:

Our approach combines:

Capacity Building: Structured training and clubs to empower members.

Hands-on Implementation: Campaigns, competitions, and thematic projects to apply skills.

Recognition and Motivation: Celebratory events and awards to foster community engagement.

Research and Experimentation: Developing a research plan and testing fundraising campaigns to ensure sustainability.

3- Strategies:

Guided by “Wikimedia Libya: Connecting, Creating, Sustaining,” our strategies focus on:

Connecting: Strengthening networks among members, institutions, and communities.

Creating: Expanding Libyan content across Wikimedia platforms.

Sustaining: Establishing governance structures, experimenting with fundraising, and ensuring long-term growth.

4- Challenges Being Addressed:

Limited access to Wikimedia skills and knowledge in Libya.

Gaps in local content, particularly regarding women, cultural heritage, and environmental topics.

Need for sustainable community structures and funding mechanisms.

5- How Strategies Support Addressing These Challenges:

Connecting: addresses underrepresentation by building networks and partnerships.

Creating: fills content gaps by guiding members to contribute strategically.

Sustaining: ensures continuity and long-term impact through governance, research, and fundraising experimentation.

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	Yes
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; Other programs and activities if any: N/A
9.1.2. Select all relevant audience groups for Education. (required): Secondary school students, 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): 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, Partnering with institutions, professional associations, and allied organizations to raise awareness of open culture, ethical sharing, and related issues; 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, Building organizer skills in women and diversity groups; 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): Wiki Loves Earth, Wiki Loves Monuments, 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): https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1mpQcRQcsC6BJLip9L4XvQS9_Mr1saqbHlbNDKhc5Hh0/edit?gid=1982228833#gid=1982228833

11. Describe your team. (required)

Our team consists of three members: NANöR, Bofa787, and Nada.FA. We will share coordination and facilitation tasks, including project oversight, reporting, communication, and documentation, managing social media accounts and the social groups on Telegram and WhatsApp, admin work, communication and building partnerships and find potential donors, and support the involvement of newcomers to lead workshops and activities. Follow up with the fiscal sponsor on financial affairs and budget.

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)

Our partnerships are central to our approach, as they allow us to extend our reach, strengthen local engagement, and ensure sustainability.

External partners:

1- Barah Culture and Arts Center and the Scouts Association in Benghazi: supported the creation of our first Wiki Club and continue to anchor our community training programs.

2- National Organization of Amazons of Libya: enabled us to run the WikiWomen Campaign, resulting in over 100 articles on Wikiquote about Libyan intellectuals and women’s voices.

3- Benghazi Photographic Society and Tassili for Visual Arts (Derna): strengthened our work on Wikimedia Commons. Tassili also provided unique photo donations documenting the Derna floods and co-hosted a panel on disaster documentation.

4- Ecology and environmental science organizations: collaborated in our Wiki Climate Change and Sustainability program, linking global climate issues to the Libyan context.

5- Libraries and cultural institutions: partners in our GLAM activities to preserve and share Libyan cultural heritage.

Internal (Wikimedia) partners:

We regularly consult seasoned Wikimedians for guidance on governance structures, capacity building, and campaign design. These collaborations ensure our programs are aligned with global best practices while tailored to local needs.

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, Improve User Experience, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development, Identify Topics for Impact

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	85	N/A
Number of all editors	50	N/A
Number of new editors	25
Number of retained editors	15
Number of all organizers	7	N/A
Number of new organizers	4	N/A

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

Contributions to Wikimedia projects
Wikimedia project	Created	Edited or improved
Wikipedia	450	250
Wikimedia Commons	0	0
Wikidata	600	1000
Wiktionary
Wikisource	500	500
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): 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

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): LYD

18. What is the total requested amount in your local currency? (required): 135858 LYD

Multi-year funding request summary
Year	Amount (local currency)
Year 1	N/A LYD
Year 2	N/A LYD
Year 3	N/A LYD

Requested amount in USD: 62953 USD ^{[note 1]}

Multi-year funding request summary in USD
Year	Amount USD ^{[note 1]}
Year 1	N/A USD
Year 2	N/A USD
Year 3	N/A USD

↑ ^a ^b ^c 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.

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 staff members

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.

1.5 FTEs

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

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	144000 LYD
Operational costs	110374 LYD
Programmatic costs	87463 LYD

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

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UAxtEHqyuhQuqa8rFU2fTzsByRkJqbZ6/edit?gid=365288718#gid=365288718

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.

[fixedrate-1] 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.

[note 1]