Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/WikiIndaba Conference 2025 in Tanzania

WMF review and feedback

Hi @Jadnapac and the Wikimedia Community User Group Tanzania.

Thank you for your proposal and for stepping up to organize WikiIndaba on such short notice. We truly appreciate the effort and commitment you’ve demonstrated. Taking on this responsibility with a compressed timeline is no small task, and it’s clear that a great deal of thought has gone into your planning.

I’d like to share a few comments and suggestions to support the ongoing development of your proposal:

• We appreciate the positive emphasis on inclusion, particularly your plan for a hybrid event that considers virtual participation, satellite events, and internet access costs. These efforts are essential for broadening participation.

• Given the challenges experienced with internet connectivity in previous conferences, we strongly recommend working closely with the venue in advance to ensure that technical requirements for a seamless hybrid experience are fully met.

• The proposal refers to a two-night event, but the budget currently includes 4 nights. Could you please clarify this discrepancy?

• There are 6 local Wikimedia communities in Tanzania. Could you elaborate on how you plan to engage with them or incorporate local community participation into the event?

• It would also be helpful to further outline the respective roles and responsibilities of the Conference Organizing Team (COT) and WISCom, to clarify how coordination and decision-making will be managed.

• We’re glad to see the inclusion of micro-grants and individual virtual grants as tools to increase participation. That said, these can present financial and regulatory challenges in certain countries. We recommend working with the fiscal sponsor early on to ensure compliance and feasibility for disbursing these funds.

• Regarding the overall budget, we’ve observed a significant year-on-year increase. As a reference point: In 2023, the requested amount was approximately $147,000 USD. In 2024, this rose to $207,000 USD. This year, based on the latest budget updates and our fixed exchange rate for TZS (currently 0.00038), the proposed amount stands at $312,148 USD.

This represents an increase of over $100,000 in just one year. We would appreciate a clearer explanation of the main factors contributing to this rise in projected costs.

In terms of budget optimization, we suggest reviewing the following areas:

• Pre-conference activities (currently budgeted at $11,600)
• Per diem/daily rate per person
• Number of scholarship recipients
• Number of COT members traveling early
• Overall duration of the event—considering a two-day conference (with three nights’ accommodation) and a welcoming dinner the evening prior

We recognize the good intentions behind the proposal and the commitment to inclusivity and community support. However, in light of the significant budget increase, we kindly ask you to revisit the budget with a view toward cost efficiency and sustainability.

Looking forward to your revisions and clarifications. Best, CAlmog (WMF) (talk) 04:00, 12 May 2025 (UTC)

Grant canceled

Due to the recently increased safety risks for foreign travelers to Tanzania, this grant cannot be implemented within a foreseeable timeframe. The grant has therefore been canceled.

The amount disbursed to the fiscal sponsor (Wikimedia ZA) / the grantee (Wikimedia Community User Group Tanzania) was 47,361.00 USD. Please indicate here, publicly, how much of the funds remain and whether you would like to repurpose them, and if so, in which way. Thank you. Cornelius Kibelka (WMF) (talk to me) 18:58, 1 December 2025 (UTC)