Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Wikimedia Canada 2022-2024/Yearly Report (2024)
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Part 1: Understanding your work
[edit]Per the recent update on the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process, Wikimedia Affiliates that are General Support Fund grantees will fulfill their affiliate reporting requirements through their final or yearly grantee report.
If you are a Wikimedia Affiliate, you will use this form for your affiliate reporting and to address the affiliate health criteria. You do not need to submit a separate report to AffCom. Follow the guidance in the green boxes to report on how you met the corresponding affiliate health criteria.
If you are not a Wikimedia Affiliate, aligning your responses with the affiliate criteria is optional and not required.
1. Please share to what extent your programs, approaches, and strategies contributed to addressing the challenges you shared in your proposal. If they did not contribute as you believed they would, please share what obstacles you faced and what, if anything, you learned from them? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 1.) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 1.1 (Goal delivery). Describe how you actively delivered on mission goals, e.g. content creation.
Wikimedia Canada’s programs, approaches, and strategies have significantly contributed to addressing the challenges outlined in our proposal. Through our Strategic Transformation Plan (2022-2026), we have reinforced our commitment to growing free knowledge, fostering diversity, and strengthening partnerships with key institutions (like Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Québec, Library & Archives Canada, University of Ottawa, University of Edmonton, Canadian Center for Architecture, etc.).
Our six core programs have played a crucial role in tackling key issues. In particular :
Support to Wikiclubs and Volunteers: We have expanded the network of Wikiclubs across Canada, ensuring that volunteers receive the necessary tools and support to contribute effectively to Wikimedia projects. Several WikiClubs that had been dormant since the pandemic (like Toronto or Quebec) are now more active and, with our help, organizing regular meetings.
Indigenous Cultures, Knowledge, and Languages: We have worked closely with Indigenous communities, notably through the Atikamekw Wikipedia project, to help preserve and share Indigenous languages and knowledge. We are working on a project for which we received a $60,000 grant to create a toolbox and podcasts for community youth.
Francophonie: We have supported initiatives that promote French-language content on Wikimedia platforms, ensuring better representation of Francophone communities. We also organized the French WikiConvention in Quebec City in November 2024.
2. Is there a plan to build on the key successes you had? If yes, please describe the plan and if no, please share the limitations to do so. For instance, did the activities lead to any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future? (required)
Yes, Wikimedia Canada has a structured plan to build on its key successes and further expand its impact. The Strategic Transformation Plan (2022-2026) is designed to sustain and enhance the achievements of our six core programs, while also identifying new opportunities for growth. Amongst others :
Scaling Indigenous Knowledge Initiatives : We are still working on expanding collaborations with other Indigenous communities in Canada with the objective to increase Indigenous language representation on Wikimedia platforms and support communities in creating free knowledge about their cultures. We think our toolkit and podcast project will help us to reach out to other communities across Canada.
Expanding Support for Wikiclubs and Volunteers : We plan to establish new clubs and strengthen existing ones. We want to create a Wikiclub for senior people, for example.
Enhancing Representation of Minority Groups : Future efforts will focus on targeted content campaigns (like on LGBTQ+ communities), partnerships with academic and cultural institutions (like the work we're doing right now with Universities across Canada), and mentorship programs for new contributors (in offering workshops, for example).
Leveraging Institutional Partnerships : We are deeply convince that our work with Institutions in Canada are the key to our success. Our GLAM collaborations have been instrumental in increasing free access to historical and cultural knowledge. This is why we plan to deepen partnerships by developing co-hosted research projects, content digitization efforts, and educational programs. In December 2024, we signed an agreement with BAnQ (the National Library in the Province of Quebec). We are now in discussion with LAC (the National Library in Canada) for a similar agreement.
Our priorities for the future :
- Improving contributor retention by developing structured training and mentorship programs to increase long-term engagement (we work on a Train the Trainer Program, which is an example of that).
- Promoting knowledge equity by identifying and addressing more knowledge gaps, especially in underrepresented fields (our work with the Indigenous communities meets this objective).
- We also plan to enhance Wikimedia Canada’s governance and funding models and to ensure long-term sustainability by diversifying funding sources and professionalizing operational processes.
3. Please provide a link to reports that detail the activities that took place in the last year. This can include an annual report, Meta pages, and websites. If there are no links available, briefly describe the implemented activities and programs below or upload any files. (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 3.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.1 (Affiliate health & resilience), 4.1 (Internal engagement), 4.2 (Community connection), and 4.3 (Partnerships and collaboration):
- Describe your activities engaging new users, new members for your decision-making body(ies), and developing leaders and organizers (2.1).
- Describe your activities creating or hosting spaces to encourage greater collaboration and engagement among your members (4.1).
- Describe how you engage with the contributing community that you serve and/or support (4.2).
- Describe your partnerships with other affiliates or with non-Wikimedia entities (4.3).
This is a draft of our 2024 annual report, which is not yet complete, but will be published in the coming weeks.
4. Are you interested in sharing what you achieved or learned this year with the wider community through different peer learning programs (e.g. Let's Connect program, Diff)? (optional)
5. Did you collect feedback from your community or target groups on how the activities implemented impacted them? If yes, please attach/provide information on the results (e.g. community surveys, stories, impact booklets/reports, interviews with partner institutions, etc). Did you collect other impact-specific data? (required)
For affiliates, the response to Question 5. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criteria 4.1 (Internal Engagement), 4.2 (Community Connection), or 4.3 (Partnerships & collaboration), where applicable.
Wikimedia Canada conducted a survey in 2024, receiving 139 responses (118 English, 37 French) from contributors based in Canada. 14 participants were also interviewed afterwards. The purpose of this survey was to better understand who contributes in Canada, how they contribute, and how Wikimedia Canada can better support them. With this knowledge, we can tailor our programming to the needs of our community members.
Some key findings include that a majority of survey respondents contribute to English or French Wikipedia. In terms of demographics, we found that respondents were distributed across the country, with the highest proportion of English speakers located in Ontario and a vast majority of French speakers located in Quebec. The largest age-group among respondents was 25-34 years old while the most common occupation was Student, followed by Education and Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services.
From the findings from this survey, we are hoping to increase awareness and engage more GLAM institutions, develop and provide resources for event planning and standard training materials for new contributors, and consider partnerships to increase access to Canadian news content for contributors. We are also looking at improving on-wiki communication strategies and continuing to conduct regular surveys to listen to community feedback.
6. During the fund period, did your efforts do any of the following? (required):
For affiliates, the response to Question 6. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criterion 2.2 (Diversity balance).
- 6.1 Bring in participants from the following groups: women, indigenous groups
- 6.2 Develop content about the following underrepresented topics or groups of people: women, indigenous groups
- 6.3 Support the retention of: Editors, Organizers, Partnerships, Wikimedians in Residence positions
7. What, if any, effective tactics or approaches can you share that worked well when dealing with the programs under points 6.1-6.3 that you selected? (optional)
.
8. If you developed partnerships, which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors (optional):
N/A
Part 2: Metrics for Year 3
[edit]| Wikimedia Metrics | Target (Year 3) | Results (Year 3) | Comments and tools used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 4250 | 4000 | We have not systematically collected data on our activities, so the number is approximate. |
| Number of all editors | 2750 | 2500 | We have not systematically collected data on our activities, so the number is approximate. |
| Number of new editors | N/A | 2500 | |
| Number of retained editors | N/A | 2500 | |
| Number of all organizers | 70 | 70 | We have not systematically collected data on our activities, so the number is approximate. |
| Number of new organizers | N/A | 70 |
| Wikimedia project | Target - Number of created pages (Year 3) | Target - Number of improved pages (Year 3) | Result - Number of created pages (Year 3) | Result - Number of improved pages (Year 3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | ||||
| Wikimedia Commons | ||||
| Wikidata | ||||
| Wiktionary | ||||
| Wikisource | ||||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||||
| Translatewiki | ||||
| MediaWiki | ||||
| Wikiquote | ||||
| Wikivoyage | ||||
| Wikibooks | ||||
| Wikiversity | ||||
| Wikinews | ||||
| Wikispecies | ||||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
11. Did you set other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required): No
11.1. Other Metrics.
In your application, you outlined some other open metrics that you would like to measure. Please fill out the achieved results for each of the open metrics you defined.
| Other Metrics | Description | Target | Results | Comments | Methodology |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of WikiClubs | Active Wikiclubs | 15 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of activities organised by WikiClubs, supported by WMCA | 15 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Number of Indigenous projects | N/A | 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Number of French language project | N/A | 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Members of Collective for Open Knowledge | N/A | 20 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Part 3: Skill Development / Capacity Building
[edit]12. Reflecting on your programmatic (external) and organizational (internal) work, did your grant support you to undergo any skill development that made a difference to your success? If yes, what skill was developed, and how did it lead to success? (e.g. received coaching on public speaking, attended training on nonviolent communication, hosted professional development conversations on leadership, learned and used a new tool for project management, etc.)? Can you share any materials? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 12.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.2 (Diversity balance) and 3.1 (Diverse, Skilled, and Accountable Leadership):
- Describe actions taken to prioritize gender balance in affiliate leadership, as well as any areas of diversity relevant to your affiliate's context (2.2).
- Describe the management, financial, or other leadership skills of your affiliate leaders. If you have a succession plan, please include it here (3.1).
- Describe any training or skill development (as outlined in the question above) (3.1).
- Incorporate into the annual report a disclosure of conflict of interests (if any) from the leadership (3.1).
Yes, the grant significantly contributed to skill development within Wikimedia Canada, both programmatically (externally) and organizationally (internally).
The grant supported internal professional development conversations on leadership and governance, helping us professionalize our structure and improve decision-making. As a result, we strengthened our Board of Directors, improved internal governance processes, and better aligned our organization with the Wikimedia 2030 Strategy. We have set up (or are about to set up) a Governance Committee and a Cybersecurity Committee. In both cases, our aim is to identify the organization's shortcomings and then provide the tools to correct them.
With the support of the grant, our team developed expertise in fundraising strategies and grant writing, allowing us to secure additional funding sources beyond the Wikimedia Foundation. This has directly contributed to sustaining and expanding key programs, such as our Indigenous Knowledge Initiatives and Francophonie projects.
These skill developments have had a direct impact on our success, allowing us to expand our reach, strengthen our organizational structure, and enhance our capacity to support volunteers and free knowledge initiatives across Canada.
13. What is one capacity/skill area that you would like to focus on for the next year? And how do you plan to achieve this capacity? (required)
We think that advocacy is crucial for ensuring long-term systemic change in how knowledge is created, shared, and accessed. While Wikimedia Canada has made progress in promoting open knowledge, policy barriers and institutional resistance still limit access to freely licensed educational and cultural content. Strengthening our advocacy efforts will help us increase institutional engagement in free knowledge projects.
Currently, rising political and corporate pressures pose significant challenges to open knowledge and Wikimedia projects. In North America, certain political figures are fueling misinformation, attacks on public institutions, and efforts to control online narratives, which directly threaten the neutrality and accessibility of free knowledge. Wikimedia’s role as a neutral, freely accessible, and community-driven knowledge platform could be severely compromised. We feel it's our duty to work on these questions, even in Canada.
We would like to build closer relationships with policy makers, academic institutions, and cultural organizations to advocate for open licensing, fair copyright policies, and greater public access to knowledge and to learn from successful advocacy campaigns in other Wikimedia affiliates and adapt best practices to the Canadian context.
14. If you have additional information or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. Use the space below to upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your report.
For affiliates, also use this section (Question 14) to fulfill the Affiliate Health Criteria requirements.
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for affiliate governance, including affiliate leadership and membership with a breakdown of the demographics; how elections are conducted; how conflicts of interest are declared; and how decisions are made and communicated (2.2, 2.3, 3.1).
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for activities incorporating, promoting awareness about, or enforcing the Universal Code of Conduct in your affiliate's activities (3.3).
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for internal membership engagement, such as notes from your regular meetings and how you communicate to or involve your membership (4.1).
Given that our Annual General Meeting is only held in May each year, we find it difficult to submit a full report on our activities in mid-February. Both our final annual report and our financial statements are not yet complete.
We are therefore unfortunately unable to submit final documents that offer a better overview of the work carried out during the year.
Part 4: Financial reporting
[edit]For affiliates, also use this section (Part 4: Financial reporting) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 3.2 (Financial & Legal Compliance).
| Description | Amount spent (CAD) |
|---|---|
| Personnel costs | 288297 |
| Operational costs | 48752 |
| Programmatic costs | 283235 |
| Total (Year 3) | 285600 |
| Other revenue | 91284 |
| Remaining funds (Year 3) | N/A |
15. Please state the total amount spent from this fund in your local currency. (required)
285600 CAD
16. Please provide an overview of the amount spent from this fund in the following budget categories in your local currency. (required)
- Operational costs: 48752 CAD
- Programmatic costs: 288297 CAD
- Staff and contractor costs: 283235 CAD
17. Did you have any other revenue sources (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required): Yes
- 17.1. Provide the total amount received from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): 143444 CAD
- 17.2. Provide the total amount spent from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): 91284 CAD
18. Provide a financial report document which will provide the details of funds received and spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
18.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
The attached financial document is not final. Our accounting firm is still reviewing our 2024 financial statements.
Please note that the financial document includes our operating budget as well as the budget for the organization of the Quebec WikiConvention. Unfortunately, to comply with Canadian regulations, we cannot prepare two financial statements for the same year, for the same organization. It is therefore not possible to divide our operating and event income/expenses.
19. Do you have any unspent funds from this funding?: No
20. Final confirmations (required)
- 20.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement? You must be in compliance with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement. In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the Wikimedia Foundation mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
- 20.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
- Yes
- 20.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
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