Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Iranian Wikimedians User Group Annual Grant 2025-2026

Feedback regarding you grant application

Dear Iranian Wikimedians team,

Thank you very much for your application. We greatly appreciate your effort in supporting Persian Wikipedia and bringing new volunteers to the Wikimedia movement. The WMF Community Resources team and the Middle East and North Africa Regional Funds Committee has convened to review your application and we have the following points for feedback before reaching a final decision:

• The Committee would first like to acknowledge your commitment to supporting the Iranian diaspora community and the large potential this can have.
• Upon reviewing your application, we would like to bring your attention to a number of points:
  • The Committee sees a compensation for the project manager of approximately 15,600 EUR is relatively high for what is typically approved for a GSF budget for an applicant from MENA. While we understand that the application is based in Europe, we kindly request that this amount be reevaluated and consider more volunteer commitment to support projects.
  • The Committee has some concerns regarding the expenses for workshops and the Iranian Wikiconference. The prices appear to be very high and there is no breakdown or detail for the costs associated with the workshops or the conference costs. Kindly share a detailed breakdown of the expenses.
  • Further, the Committee recommends focusing on one to two nearby locations at most and focus your efforts on those areas considering that the travel and accommodation expenses make up most of the budget and this is unrealistic and not sustainable.
  • To what extent can you capitalize on online activities to reach your target audiences in universities across Europe and North America? For example, with the Wikipedia Training Webinar for International Women’s Day, you report 546 participants attending alone.
  • May you please share exactly who from your organizing team will be responsible for the activities mentioned?
  • To what extent is the Iranian community in Europe collaborating with other European affiliates?
  • May you please share what is the current number of community members from the Iranian Wikimedia community based in Europe?
  • How have you calculated the metrics for this grant? Are they specifically for this grant’s activities, or do they also include any other activities taking place in Iran?

Thank you very much, and please feel free to share your feedback in this discussion page by Thursday, May 8 at 12 PM UTC.

Wishing you the best of luck.

On behalf of the WMF Community Resources team and the MENA Regional Funding Committee, FElgueretly-WMF (talk) 08:44, 18 April 2025 (UTC)

Dear @FElgueretly-WMF and members of the MENA Regional Funding Committee,

Thank you for your thoughtful feedback and for reviewing our application. Please find our responses to your questions and suggestions below.

• We would like to clarify that the project manager’s role is not limited to the activities described in this specific proposal. They are also responsible for coordinating initiatives within Iran, which are not detailed in this grant application. Additionally, due to labor laws in Germany and the existence of a legal minimum wage, it is not feasible to reduce the compensation further.
• We fully intend to utilize volunteer contributions where possible. However, based on our experience over the past year and the projected scale of activities in the coming year, it has become clear that relying solely on volunteers is not sustainable. Volunteer commitment levels can vary significantly and are not always predictable. Having a dedicated staff member will ensure consistency, accountability, and successful execution of the planned projects.
• The Iranian WikiConference for Public is planned as an online event, to be streamed via multiple social media platforms. Its goal is to raise awareness about the Wikimedia movement among Persian-speaking communities. The proposed budget for this event covers premium subscriptions on social platforms, online advertising, and live-streaming tools. However, if the Committee finds the costs too high, we are willing to remove this event from our project scope and instead focus on smaller, more targeted webinars.
• Regarding the recommendation to focus on one or two nearby locations: we have already removed Stockholm and Toronto from the list. It is important to note that in each of the remaining cities proposed for workshops, there is at least one active user group member based locally, and the Iranian diaspora community is notably present. Our aim is to engage these communities by increasing awareness about Wikimedia.
• We are currently planning a Trainer Training Program, which will prepare qualified trainers for each target city. In addition to local participants, two experienced members of the Iranian Wikimedians User Group, both long-time contributors based in Europe, will travel to each location. These two will serve as the primary facilitators of the workshops, bringing with them in-depth knowledge of the Wikimedia movement and its values.
• The proposed travel, accommodation, and meal expenses in the budget correspond to these two main trainers. Local Wikimedians in each city will provide post-event support, including follow-up communication, organizing meet-ups, and maintaining engagement through social media and Telegram groups, ensuring continuity and local presence after the main event.
• The Iranian Wikimedians User Group has maintained active and ongoing collaboration with various Wikimedia affiliates around the world, including several in Europe. A list of our joint meetings and activities with affiliates can be found here: Iranian Wikimedians User Group/Meetings/Joint Meetings. For instance, 21st birthday of Persian Wikipedia in Hamburg was supported by Wikimedia Germany, Wikimedia Austria, and Wikimedia Netherlands. In preparation for events in Amsterdam and Vienna, we worked closely with Wikimedia Netherlands and Wikimedia Austria, both of which provided strong support during the initial planning phase. In addition, Wikimedia Armenia will host our upcoming training session for trainers, helping us build local capacity across the diaspora.
• Currently, we have eight highly active members of the Iranian Wikimedians User Group residing in Europe, all of whom are directly involved in core decision-making and coordination. In addition, there are approximately 10 to 15 semi-active members who regularly contribute to specific projects or assist on an ad hoc basis. This community forms the backbone of our outreach and implementation capacity across various European cities.
• All the metrics and activities described in this proposal exclusively pertain to initiatives planned outside of Iran. They do not include any projects, events, or contributions taking place within Iran. However, if the Committee finds it useful, we would be happy to share a summary of the planned activities for the upcoming year inside Iran as well, for broader context and transparency.

Best regards, Darafsh (talk) 18:02, 5 May 2025 (UTC)

Not funded

Dear @Darafsh,

Thank you very much for your application and for your patience in hearing back from us over the last couple of months. After further deliberation and discussion, I regret to inform you that we will not be funding your general support grant request this funding round. Please allow us to explain the rationale behind this decision:

• We see great value in supporting the training of potential Wikimedians in the Iranian diaspora, although we question the strategy adopted in this proposal
• While we see the clear interest in building community for the Iranian diaspora, the need for program management to sustain your activities, we see benefit in deepening collaboration and partnerships with European affiliates, who would be interested in supporting language communities in the region. Deepening these collaborations with European affiliates can also support Iranian Wikimedians in accessing resources and potential partnerships.
• We do not see the strategic approach that Iranian Wikimedians are using of increased travel and workshops as sustainable with regards to community building, and we would recommend instead to focus on one to two cities and pilot these activities before choosing to expand as outlined in the proposal through applying for rapid grants. Upon proof of concept, we invite you to apply for a General Support grant in the following round.
• As for skill-building, we also recommend that you capitalize on online activities for outreach and training of the Iranian diaspora.
• As mentioned above, we encourage you to return to general support application after having deepened collaborations with European affiliates, piloting your workshop activities in a couple of cities, and building enough of a community in Europe that requires further support and growth through a general support grant.

Once again, thank you very much for your commitment to this application process, we wish you all the best and we are available for discussing this project further if needed.

On behalf of the WMF Community Resources team and the MENA Regional Funds Committee, FElgueretly-WMF (talk) 08:30, 5 June 2025 (UTC)