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Grants:Project/MSIG/WMB/Capacity Exchange 2023-2025/Report

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Movement Strategy Implementation Grant Report
Accepted

It is worth noting that this report was originally published on 23:53, 3 July 2025 (UTC) at the Grant's Talkpage, as instructed by @JStephenson (WMF). We are sorry for the apparent delay on publishing it, but as you can see it was published before the due date - 4 July 2025.


Outcomes

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The Capacity Exchange is published on the project’s page on Meta-Wiki, where the full project documentation is available. Between June 2024 and June 2025, the project completed the second year of the second phase of its cycle, guided by Technical Plan v.3.0. In May 2025, we developed and obtained approval from the Advisory Committee for a Technical Plan covering an additional year, effective from June 2025 to June 2026.

The following documents are available on the project page:

What Movement Strategy initiative is this draft plan supporting?

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The Capacity Exchange focuses on Global Approach to Local Skills Development, in particular the first two points from Recommendation 6:

  • Establish a methodology that maps assets and needs and generates aggregated data for deploying skills development initiatives based on real needs.
  • Establish a service that facilitates connecting/matching peers across the Movement for teaching and learning skills (e.g. peer-learning, networking, and pooling of information from partners and allies).

What activities have you completed to produce this draft plan?

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Below is a timeline of the activities carried out under Technical Plan Version 3.0, implemented between June 2024 and June 2025.

  • In July 2024, the Capacity Exchange (CapX) Working Team gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, for a planning meeting.
  • In August 2024, we presented capx.toolforge.org at Wikimania 2024, held in Poland.
  • In September 2024, we began the gradual transition process of the Capacity Exchange’s project management. For two months, Andi Inácio and Amanda Jurno co-managed the project, before Andi stepped away due to the start of a doctoral fellowship abroad.
  • In October 2024, we completed the selection process for two new members of the CapX Technical Development Team. Shortly thereafter, we initiated the hiring of a new front-end developer and UX/UI designer for the project.
  • During October and November 2024, the team refactored the Technical Plan, building upon its second and first versions, with the goal of guiding the second development cycle of the software.
  • In November and December 2024, we conducted focus groups to evaluate the current version of CapX and identify its gaps and strengths. During this time, the team was also dedicated to incorporating all the feedback received from the community into a new version of the software. In December, the CapX Working Team gathered in São Paulo, Brazil, for a planning meeting.
  • In January 2025, the development team worked tirelessly to produce a full version of the software, integrating all the feedback collected in previous months. An additional developer was hired to help us build an even better tool for the Wikimedia community.
  • In February 2025, we submitted a request to the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) for a budget update, which enabled us to bring one more developer and a community outreach facilitator onto the team. Prior to that, we had already launched part of the new version of the software, allowing users to view and edit their own profiles.
  • In March 2025, the development team released the new version of the software. This updated tool was designed following UX/UI principles, with a mobile-first approach and low-connectivity compatibility, making it more accessible to users in the Global South. Furthermore, thanks to its integration with the TranslateWiki platform, it is a multilingual tool that can be easily translated into various languages across the Wikimedia Movement. This version also introduced a completely redesigned Capacity Directory and the ability to create organizational profiles. These innovations were documented in a Diff post, and a promotional video was produced to support their dissemination.
  • Throughout March 2025, the Capacity Exchange coordination team organized efforts to communicate the launch of the new version of the platform in collaboration with the six CapX community outreach facilitators. An email list was compiled with over 250 contacts, including key organizations, affiliates, and Wikimedians from across the global Wikimedia Movement, as well as numerous individuals from Brazil who had expressed interest.
  • In April 2025, an agreement to move forward with the integration of Let’s Connect profiles and the Capacity Exchange was signed by the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikimedia Brasil. To consolidate this integration and define the future coordination of the project, the WMF issued an amendment to the current grant, extending the project’s iteration for an additional year. As a result, the Capacity Exchange project will continue to be coordinated by Wikimedia Brasil through June 2026.
  • During April and May 2025, the team revised both the Outreach Plan and the Technical Plan for the additional year, with the aim of guiding activities over the next 12 months. The first document contains sensitive information and is therefore private.
  • Throughout May 2025, the development team focused on final deliverables related to Technical Plan v.3.0. We are proud to say that all planned tasks were successfully completed, and the code was finalized in a clean and open format, available for anyone to review and/or use.

As a result of the activities implemented, in June 2025, the Capacity Exchange achieved the following outcomes:

  • 430 user profiles were created on the platform;
  • The project pages received 23,721 views;
  • The promotional video was accessed 2,869 times on Wikimedia Commons;
  • The CapX tool was translated, fully or partially, into 42 languages.

In which community channels have you announced your draft plan?

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Learning

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In 2024, we published two case studies, and in the first half of 2025, we published one additional case study. These publications share experiences and lessons learned from the development of the tool with the broader community.

2024 Learning:

2025 Learning (First Half):

Reports

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Throughout 2024, we published four quarterly reports.

2024 Quarterly Reports:

  • January – March 2024: An Outreachy Program for the Wikimedia Peer Power Tool
  • April – June 2024: CapX Front-end Deployment
  • July – September 2024: CapX Launch at Wikimania 2024
  • October – December 2024: Updating the Technical Development Plan and Restructuring the Team

Diff Articles

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In 2024, we published two Diff articles:

In 2025, we also published two Diff articles:

Promotional Videos

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Two promotional videos were released to announce the launch of the two versions of the CapX tool:

Event Participation

CapX was presented and featured in various community events:

2025 Engagements:

Finances

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Grant funds spent

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Please describe how much grant money you spent for approved expenses, and tell us what you spent it on.

The total amount spent was BRL 782,690.34. These funds were allocated to the following activities:

  • Materials, services, and supplies: BRL 189,808.66
  • Salaries for professional staff: BRL 347,959.02
  • Travel expenses: BRL 127,381.65

The detailed breakdown of expenses is available in a spreadsheet here. It is also important to highlight that all additional costs were fully borne by Wikimedia Brasil, with no expectation of reimbursement.

Remaining funds

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Do you have any remaining grant funds?

No.

Anything else

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Anything else you want to share about your project?

In July 2025, CapX will host a community session at “WikiCon Brasil 2025: Strengthening Digital Public Goods”, focusing on improving understanding and usability of the Capacity Directory. The activity will involve the entire CapX project team.

On this occasion, there will also be an in-person technical planning session for the next development cycle of the tool (June 2025 to June 2026), based on the Technical Plan – Additional Year, which was approved by the Advisory Committee and published on Commons in May 2025.

This report was made by me (@AJurno (WMB)), Capacity Exchange's current Project Manager, with the help of the Wikimedia Brasil Fundraising Manager (@DSouza (WMB)) and Funds and Administrative Manager (@CCosta (WMB)).

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