Grants talk:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/PhilWiki Community Medium-Term Plan:Phase I (2026-2027)

Follow-up questions on your grant application

Hello Phil Wiki team,

Thank you for your application. We have completed the initial review of your application. Here are the combined comments from the review team (i.e. ESEAP Regional Funds Committee and ESEAP Programme Officer).

To summarise:

• Sections 1, 2 and 3 require your reply.

We look forward to your response by 13 April 2026. Please let us know if you require more time. We can adapt.

Thank you.

Regards, Jacqueline

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1) Does the proposal clearly demonstrate the following values for the Wikimedia movement, for the volunteer community, or for knowledge equity impact in general?

Criteria	Vote Count	Observations/ Comments/ Clarifying question
a) Knowledge equity dimension is appropriately considered in the activities, content or target groups.	8 ✅
b) Practices to include the community of volunteers in the planning, implementation and reflections on the project, or some form of community endorsement for the work suggested is present.	7 ✅ 1 ❓
c) Measures to maintain or improve community health, safety, and inclusivity are considered.	7 ✅
d) Feedback from the community on how the project impacted them (e.g. their work, skills or capacities) is collected/planned to be collected and built upon in the next strategy or program planning.	5 ✅ 1 ⛔ 2 ❓	Understanding your community The Community Engagement Survey 2025 provided valuable feedback. However, the number of respondents is low compared with the number of active editors. eg, WikiStats reports over 100 highly active editors (>100 edits per month) and 1,000 active editors (5-99 edits per month) in WP:EN alone. How will you seek to obtain wider feedback in future surveys ? WikiStats reports the number of active editors from Philippines in the Central Bikol and Cebuano Wikipedias is very small (10-20 reported per month for each), with no obvious growth at present. From your experience do you consider this reporting correct ? If so, what are your main initiatives that you expect will increase participation of editors in these languages, and what capacity do you have to implement these ? On a related point, what will it take to get significantly increased readership in these languages (currently the readership is a tiny proportion of the readership of English Wikipedia)? What are the priorities for these language communities in terms of open knowledge platforms? Is there any information about the national trends in active editors of other platforms (eg Wikisource, Wikimedia Commons) ?
e) Activities to recruit or retain volunteers are included.	7 ✅ 1 ⛔	Volunteer community What is the ratio of staff/organizers to volunteers?
f) Proposed activities and strategies are clear and respond well to the challenges presented.	7 ✅ 1 ❓	Kiwix Could you please elaborate about your project with offline Wikipedia Kiwix. Including: Which content will be downloaded and available offline - English Wikipedia or local language? There are some budget for volunteers travel and refreshment - what would the volunteers do to support the use of this Kiwix tool at intended school(s)? Is there any plan for editing training at these schools? Regional Hub What is the purpose of the regional hub and what will you do in the upcoming year to empower the regional leader?
g) Cooperations and partnerships are built that have the potential to upscale thematic areas / large scale campaigns/  transfer to other regions and contexts, or provide synergies in activities of different groups.	8 ✅
h) Valuable transferable methodologies, tactics, or strategies are applied (e.g. in a thematic area or in community revitalization).	8 ✅
i) Activities are in line with the 2030 Movement Strategy Recommendations and initiatives.	8 ✅

2) Does the proposal demonstrate a clear feasible pathway for implementation in the following aspects?

Criteria	Vote Count	Observations/ Comments/ Clarifying question
a) The proposed scale and significance of the contributions are realistic, and are a result of the project (would not have materialized otherwise and demonstrate no duplication of effort/overlap with other similar projects and other communities’ activities). (Reference questions: 5-organisational plan, 6-strategic plan, 8-programs, approaches, and strategies; 14 and 15 - metrics)	8 ✅
b) The timeline of the delivery demonstrates feasibility. (Reference questions -10  timeline)	7 ✅ 1❓	Wiki Clubs The User Group has plans to establish 20 Wiki Clubs in 5 years. What is the target for the 2026/27 year and which communities are targeted? What is the criteria or reason for choosing these communities? How would you nurture or what kind of support will be provided for this WikiClub? GLAM Partnerships (I wonder if) formalising at least 15 MOUs by 2030 is feasible?
c) The capacity and role of involved team members, volunteers, subcontractors and external partners are clear and demonstrate the extent to which the implementing team as a whole brings together the necessary expertise. (Reference questions 11- implementing team)	8 ✅
d) Budget: the planned implementation of revenues and expenses is reasonable, justified and reflects sustainability. (Reference questions 16-22)	5 ✅ 1 ⛔ 2❓	The awards given to participants are clearly too high, making it almost like paid editing rather than a purely incentive-based program.

3) Overall evaluation

Criteria	Observations/ Comments/ Clarifying question
a) overall strengths of the proposal (or if grantee is returning, what positive changes / improvements / welcomed organizational developments, e.g. in governance, financial management, or transparency practices) that you can see:	👏 Appreciation In the five-year plan document, the timeline and development process are clearly and thoroughly outlined. This reflects a strong and participatory planning effort, for instance through the use of surveys. It is evident that there was an intention to ensure that every member’s voice was heard and that they were meaningfully involved in the process. Additionally, the document is well-structured, with clear and measurable targets. Furthermore, there is a clear alignment between the strategy outlined in the proposal and the five-year plan. They have a long-term plan which can help in their annual planning and ensure sustainability to achieve their goals. Good diversity with their WikiGap, WikiWomen, and youth projects throughout the years. I appreciate the affiliate’s focus to provide access to Wikimedia projects offline to remote schools Strategic Partnerships: The applicant demonstrates exceptionally strong ties with GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), educational institutions, and government sectors in the Philippines. This multi-sectoral approach is a major asset for diversifying content within the Wikimedia movement. Mission Alignment: The proposal is grounded in clear and robust ideologies, showing a deep understanding of the movement's core values and a well-defined vision for impact. Contextual Relevance: Their ability to navigate and collaborate with concrete institutions ensures that Wikimedia projects are integrated into the national cultural and educational fabric. Feasibility: Overall, the plan and budget are reasonable and feasible. We particularly appreciate the applicant's bold and clear objectives, which take into account different aspects.
b) Do you have other overall recommendations / or do you see opportunities that the applicant could explore but have not?	Community Retention: While the proposal excels at institutional bridge-building, there is a visible imbalance regarding direct community engagement. I recommend that the applicant place a stronger emphasis on volunteer retention strategies to ensure that the growth sparked by institutional partnerships is sustainable. Movement Integration: The applicant has an opportunity to better bridge the gap between their "concrete institution" projects and the grassroots Wikimedia community. Reflective Practices: I suggest incorporating more explicit community reflections and feedback loops into the project lifecycle. This will ensure that the "high-level" institutional work remains grounded in the needs and experiences of local Wikimedians.
c) Do you have other, more general questions for the applicant?	The Philippines Community Based on my initial review, it is not very clear to me the distinctions across the three communities that we support in the Philippines. Could you provide more details on how your geographical coverage and areas of focus differ from Wiki Advocates Philippines and Shared Knowledge Asia Pacific? You may also choose to share this information directly with the Programme Officer, for circulation to the ESEAP Regional Funds Committee only.   Support growth of regional Wikipedias The 5 year plan 2026-2030 includes: "Support growth of regional Wikipedias (e.g., Bikol, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Tagalog).", but the details are unclear. It would help to understand the main initiatives to support growth, and how these will be resourced.

JChen (WMF) (talk) 07:02, 31 March 2026 (UTC)

Dear @JChen (WMF) and the ESEAP Grants Team,

We sincerely appreciate your time, insights, and thoughtful consideration of our proposal. Here are our consolidated response to queries and clarifications:

• For Question 1d): Philippine Wikimedia Community User Group.The PhilWiki Community User Group is dedicated to promoting and supporting local Wikimedia projects in Philippine languages, particularly the Bikol Wikipedia, multilingual Wikisource, and Wikimedia Commons. Respondents to the Community Engagement Survey are members of PhilWiki who actively participate in the User Group’s activities. These surveys are distributed through official communication channels, including group chats, email, and social media platforms. As board members, we contribute not only by providing timely responses but also by encouraging fellow members to share their feedback. Participation in surveys organized by PH-WC plays a crucial role in guiding decisions, particularly in planning national conferences. These surveys represent a participatory approach and reflect our commitment to ensuring that every voice in the community is heard. Feedback from ESEAP has also affirmed the value of our community engagement efforts. We aim to utilize global banners that link to a dedicated Meta page for surveys. We also plan to expand outreach through multiple channels, such as on-wiki notifications, social media groups, and direct invitations to active editors. Localizing surveys into regional languages, along with offering incentives or recognition, can further encourage participation.

Data from WikiStats shows that the number of active editors fluctuates monthly. For example, activity on Bikol Wikipedia tends to increase during campaign periods such as February to May (Feminism and Folklore and WikiGap campaigns), August (Language Month celebrations), and November (Wikipedia Asian Month). Integrating these campaigns into wiki education programs has proven effective in boosting participation across both Philippine-language Wikipedias and English Wikipedia. Regular campaigns and challenges with incentives have consistently increased engagement. Introducing new editors to these initiatives not only drives participation but also improves editor retention. Additional key initiatives include editor training workshops, partnerships with schools and universities, and edit-a-thons focused on local content. Community activities are strengthened through collaboration with local volunteers, educators, and other Wikimedia communities, although resources remain limited.

While WikiStats provides insights into contributor volume, its readership data may not always accurately reflect actual users. For instance, spikes in pageviews observed in April and December 2025 were attributed to changes in traffic detection methods and the presence of undetected automated traffic.

Over the past decade (2016–2026), the number of active contributors to English Wikipedia has plateaued at around 40,000, compared to approximately 60,000 two decades ago. In contrast, the Bikol and Cebuano language editions show an upward trend in active contributors. Efforts to make Wikimedia platforms more user-friendly have contributed to these developments. Notably, micro-editing via mobile devices has become increasingly common, and training workshops should adapt to this trend, as many contributors primarily use smartphones. Meanwhile, creating articles from scratch or through machine translation on desktops or laptops is increasingly perceived as outdated.

To drive readership growth, it is essential to focus on content quality and relevance, raise awareness of local-language Wikipedias, and integrate these platforms into educational systems. Key priorities include content development, especially local knowledge editor retention, digital literacy, and strengthening community engagement.

New contributors often find it easier to contribute to Wikisource, Wikiquote, and Wikimedia Commons than to write full Wikipedia articles, although occasional technical issues can arise on these platforms. While available data is limited, trends suggest relatively low participation in article writing, with slightly higher engagement on Wikimedia Commons due to its broader usability. To address this, more localized outreach efforts are needed to grow participation across these platforms. A notable factor behind the appeal of these Wikimedia projects is the simplicity of contributing to open knowledge, whether by fixing a typo, adding a quotation, or uploading an image. This accessibility offers a valuable entry point for new contributors and should be further leveraged to expand community engagement.

• For Question 1e): Based on the latest available metrics (as of March 2026), the program has engaged a total of 477 participants, of whom 169 are retained, editors. This reflects a relatively strong retention outcome, indicating that a significant proportion of participants continue contributing beyond their initial involvement. Among the 47 organizers, 3 are staff members, while 15 are new organizers demonstrating ongoing efforts to expand leadership and distribute responsibilities within the community.

In comparison, during the previous cycle (2024–2025), the program recorded 588 participants, with 81 retained editors. Out of 51 organizers, 3 were staff and 23 were new organizers. While overall participation was higher in the previous cycle, the number of retained editors has more than doubled in the current period. This suggests a notable improvement in retention strategies and the overall quality of engagement, even with a smaller participant base.

At the same time, the decrease in the number of new organizers from 23 to 15 may indicate a need to strengthen pathways for onboarding and mentoring emerging community leaders. Sustaining a healthy pipeline of organizers is essential for scaling programs and ensuring continuity, particularly as activities expand across regions.

Moving forward, the focus will be on balancing these gains by maintaining strong retention while also increasing outreach to grow participation and revitalize organizer recruitment. Strengthening mentorship structures, providing clearer roles for new organizers, and offering targeted support for leadership development will be key strategies in achieving this balance.

• For Question 1f): We aim to distribute offline Wikipedia resources through Kiwix in English, Bikol, and Tagalog, focusing on relevant subject areas such as Science and the Social Sciences. These resources will be provided to schools with limited or unreliable internet connectivity, enabling students and teachers to access a wide range of educational content without the need for continuous online access. By making knowledge more accessible in both global and local languages, this initiative supports inclusive learning and helps bridge the digital divide.

The allocation for volunteer support, including travel and refreshments, will directly facilitate the distribution of these offline materials. Beyond the logistical aspect, these visits will serve as valuable engagement opportunities. They will allow the User Group to introduce its mission, programs, and Wikimedia projects to school administrators, teachers, and other stakeholders. Establishing these connections is essential for building long-term partnerships and encouraging institutional support for open knowledge initiatives.

In addition to resource distribution, we plan to conduct training sessions and editing workshops in beneficiary schools. These activities will introduce participants to Wikimedia platforms, develop their digital literacy skills, and encourage them to contribute content, particularly in local languages. Workshops will be designed to accommodate varying levels of experience and will emphasize practical, hands-on learning, including mobile-based editing where appropriate.

With regard to the Regional Hub strategy, active community members currently convene in person primarily during the annual wiki conference. To strengthen engagement beyond this single touchpoint, we aim to empower community members across different provinces, such as Ilocos Norte, Pampanga, Cebu, Iloilo, Palawan, and Zamboanga, to initiate localized projects and establish regional hubs. These hubs will serve as centers for coordination, capacity-building, and collaboration, enabling more sustained and context-specific activities throughout the year.

By decentralizing efforts and supporting regional leadership, we hope to foster a more resilient and inclusive community. Local organizers will be better positioned to identify needs, mobilize volunteers, and implement programs that reflect the linguistic and cultural diversity of their areas. Ultimately, this approach will expand the reach and impact of our initiatives while strengthening the overall Wikimedia movement in the Philippines.

• For Question 2b): We aim to establish four (4) university-based Wiki Clubs for the 2026–2027 period: three in state universities across the Bicol Region where the User Group has an established presence and at least one in a state university in the Visayas, where we also have active community members. The selection of these partner institutions is guided by our existing and previous engagements with faculty members, as well as the availability of local community support to ensure continuity and on-the-ground coordination.

The formation of Wiki Clubs is not a one-time activity but a sustained process that requires relationship-building and institutional alignment. Based on our experience, successful implementation depends on developing mutual understanding with partner institutions, maintaining consistent engagement, and fostering open communication among students, faculty advisers, and community volunteers. These elements are critical to embedding Wikimedia activities into academic environments and ensuring that participation extends beyond initial onboarding.

Each Wiki Club will serve as a platform for integrating Wikimedia projects into teaching and learning. Planned activities include regular editing workshops, thematic edit-a-thons, content development drives focused on local knowledge, and peer-to-peer mentoring among student editors. Faculty advisers will play a key role in aligning these activities with course objectives, while community members will provide technical guidance and program support. Over time, these clubs are expected to cultivate a new generation of contributors who are not only digitally literate but also committed to producing high-quality, locally relevant content in the Philippine languages.

We consider the formalization of fifteen (15) Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with educational and cultural institutions by 2030 to be an achievable goal. This target builds on the anticipated momentum generated by an interconnected network of partner universities. Annual wiki conferences, outreach initiatives, and thematic campaigns will serve as key touchpoints for strengthening this network, enabling knowledge exchange, collaboration, and shared ownership of Wikimedia programs.

By gradually expanding and formalizing partnerships, we aim to institutionalize the wiki education program within participating universities. This will help ensure sustainability, provide clearer frameworks for collaboration, and create opportunities for scaling initiatives across regions. Ultimately, this approach supports the long-term development of a robust academic and community ecosystem that actively contributes to the growth of open knowledge in the Philippines.

• For Question 2d): The amount allocated for awards and prizes accounts for 8.15% of the total proposed budget. In the Philippines, prizes for national photography competitions typically range from ₱50,000 to ₱100,000 for top awards in prestigious contests, with total prize pools often exceeding ₱1 million. In contrast, initiatives such as Wiki Loves Earth Philippines offer top prizes ranging only from ₱3,000 to ₱10,000. This places it among the more modestly funded competitions in terms of monetary incentives, despite its recognized prestige.

We also organize other equally important campaigns and competitions, including Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Folklore, Wiki Loves Birds, and the Wiki Science Competition. However, due to budget constraints, we are unable to provide local prizes for all of these initiatives. Similarly, editing campaigns such as Wikipedia Asian Month, WikiGap, #SheSaid, and Feminism and Folklore are often conducted without local cash incentives that could otherwise attract broader and more diverse participation.

In practice, many participants are motivated by a combination of incentives and recognition. When only non-monetary recognition, such as certificates, postcards, or barnstars, is offered, participation tends to rely heavily on altruism and personal passion. While this remains a strong foundation of the Wikimedia movement, it can limit the scale and diversity of engagement. Notably, Wikisource Loves Manuscripts proofread-a-thons have still managed to attract a solid number of contributors, suggesting that well-designed activities can sustain interest even with minimal incentives.

As an innovative approach to broadening participation not only among individuals but also among organized groups, we propose offering awards in the form of community-oriented support packages. These may include youth and campus wiki program packages, partnership packages, or microgrants for active regional communities, Wiki Clubs, and cultural organizations. Such support would recognize and empower groups that contribute to mission-aligned activities and projects, while also strengthening local capacity and fostering sustainable engagement.

• For Question 3c): Our main objective as a User Group is as follows: As a recognized affiliate organization, we aim to initiate, promote, participate in, create, organize, and develop projects, programs, and activities that advance free and responsibly open-content resources and reference materials in both English and Philippine languages. We pursue this mission through cost-effective, creative, and innovative initiatives, as well as through strategic partnerships with local government units, national government agencies, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. (Read the 3-part 10th anniversary series on Diff. [1], [2], [3])

Philippine Wikimedia Conference. One of our flagship initiatives is the annual Philippine WikiConference, which serves as a central platform for community engagement, knowledge exchange, and partnership-building. Over the years, the conference has been held in various cities through collaborations with local government units and cultural institutions, including the city governments of Naga City, Cebu City, and Mandaue City, as well as the National Museum of the Philippines particularly its Cebu and Ilocos branches.

The conference has been held in key locations such as Naga City, Vigan, and Cebu City, bringing together Filipino Wikimedians, GLAM professionals (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums), educators, and photographers from across the country. Participants have represented a diverse range of provinces and cities, including Aklan, Agusan del Norte, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Cebu, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Lanao del Norte, Manila, Negros Occidental, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Rizal, and Zamboanga City.

These annual gatherings not only strengthen the national Wikimedia community but also foster regional collaboration, highlight local content initiatives, and build partnerships with cultural and educational institutions. They provide a space for sharing best practices, developing new ideas, and aligning efforts toward common goals in promoting open knowledge.

The next Philippine WikiConference is scheduled to be held in Puerto Princesa City, continuing our commitment to rotating venues and engaging communities across different regions of the country.

Wiki Loves Earth, Wiki Loves Monuments, and Other Photography Contests. The PhilWiki Community (PH-WC) has been at the forefront of organizing major Wikimedia photography campaigns in the Philippines, particularly Wiki Loves Earth Philippines. Notably, the country holds the distinction of being the only one in the Asia-Pacific region to have sustained the campaign for eight consecutive years, demonstrating strong community commitment and organizational continuity.

As part of these campaigns, PH-WC has conducted photography walks and outreach activities in various provinces, including Albay, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cebu, Masbate, and Quezon. These activities not only generate high-quality photographic contributions to Wikimedia Commons but also engage local communities in documenting their natural and cultural heritage.

Winning entries at both the national and international levels have showcased the rich geographic and cultural diversity of the Philippines. In Luzon, notable photographs have been captured in Abra, Bataan, Batanes, Isabela, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, and Palawan. In the Visayas, winning images have come from Cebu, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental. Meanwhile, in Mindanao, recognized entries have originated from Bukidnon, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, South Cotabato, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga City.

Beyond Wiki Loves Earth, PH-WC also supports and promotes other global campaigns such as Wiki Loves Monuments and thematic photography contests. These initiatives collectively contribute to expanding freely accessible visual documentation of the country’s natural landscapes, built heritage, and cultural identity. They also serve as an entry point for new contributors, particularly photographers, to participate in the Wikimedia movement while fostering a deeper appreciation for Philippine heritage.

Increasing Content in Philippine Languages. We aim to strengthen and expand content across Philippine-language Wikimedia projects by supporting the growth of regional Wikipedias, including Bikol, Cebuano, Kapampangan, and Tagalog. A key initiative in this effort is the annual “Language Month Edit-a-thon,” locally known as Buwan ng Wiki, Bulan nin Wiki, or Buwan sa Wiki, held every August in celebration of National Language Month.

During our pilot implementation, we partnered with two cultural organizations and hosted an editing activity at Raul S. Roco-Naga Public Library, where our office is located. The initiative focused on enriching the Bikol Wiktionary, Bikol Wikisource and other local Wikimedia platforms. Participants included teachers, cultural workers, and volunteer content editors drawn from the three partner organizations. Together, they contributed by adding new word entries with reliable sources to the local Wiktionary, uploading and integrating images into Wikipedia articles that lacked visual content, and transcribing as well as proofreading digitized manuscripts on Wikisource.

This collaborative and multi-project approach demonstrated the value of engaging diverse contributors in localized content development. It also highlighted how partnerships with cultural institutions can enhance both the quality and relevance of contributions, particularly in documenting and preserving regional languages and knowledge systems.

Building on the success of this pilot, we plan to replicate and scale the activity in at least four (4) additional cities across Ilocos and the Central Luzon regions, and the Visayas. By expanding geographically and strengthening partnerships, we aim to further increase participation, improve content quality, and ensure broader representation of Philippine languages and cultures across Wikimedia projects.

For reference, more details about the pilot activity can be found here: Buwan ng Wiki jointly celebrated

Thank you for your continued support. Best regards!

On behalf of the User Group, Maffeth.opiana (talk) 06:07, 13 April 2026 (UTC)