Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/Conference Fund/Wikimedia SAARC Conference 2026

statusAwaiting grantee reply

Conference and Event Fund

Wikimedia SAARC Conference 2026

proposed start date2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

proposed end date2026-10-01T00:00:00Z

budget (local currency)22369231.47 NPR

amount requested (USD)159642 USD

decision fiscal year2024-25

applicant• Biplab Anand

organization (if applicable)• Maithili Wikimedians

Friendly Space Policy

Universal Code of Conduct

Application Privacy Statement

This is an automatically generated Meta-Wiki page. The page was copied from Fluxx, the web service of Wikimedia Foundation Funds where the user has submitted their application. Please do not make any changes to this page because all changes will be removed after the next update. Use the discussion page for your feedback. The page was created by CR-FluxxBot.

Applicant details

A. Are you applying as a(n)

Wikimedia Affiliate (chapter, thematic org., or user group)

B. Full name of organization presenting the proposal.

Maithili Wikimedians

F. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?

Yes

F1. Please provide your main Wikimedia Username.

Biplab Anand

F2. Please provide the Usernames of people related to this proposal.

Biplab Anand, Bijay Chaurasia, PANKAJ DEO

G. Are you legally registered?

Yes

If you are applying as an individual or your group is not a legally registered nonprofit in your country, we require that you have a fiscal sponsor.

I. Fiscal organization name.

N/A

Objectives and Strategy

1. Please state the title of your proposal.

Wikimedia SAARC Conference 2026

2.1. When will the event begin? Please enter the event start date.

2026-06-05

2.2. When is the last day of your event?

2026-06-08

3.1. When will you begin preparing for your event?

2025-07-01T00:00:00Z

3.2. When will you expect to complete your last event payment?

2026-10-01T00:00:00Z

4. In which country will the conference take place?

Nepal

4.1. In which city will the conference take place?

Kathmandu

5. Is it a remote or in-person event?

In-person event

5.1. What will be the total number of participants at the event? (including scholarship recipients + organizing team + other guests + self funded guests) (required)

145

6. Please indicate whether your work will be focused on one country (local), more than one or several countries in your region (regional) or has a cross-regional (global) scope.

Regional

6.1. If you have answered regional, please write the country names and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal.

SAARC region. The SAARC nation consists of Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

7. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.

https://www.facebook.com/MaithiliWikimedians

8. Do you work with any thematic or regional platforms such as WISCom, CEE, Iberocoop, etc.

No

8.1. Please describe what platforms and your work with them.

9. Please describe the target participants for this event.

The target participants for the Wikimedia SAARC conference 2026 include Wikimedians from the SAARC region, newcomers, external partners, and community members from specific projects. The Wikimedia SAARC Conference 2026 is set to be a welcoming and inclusive event, inviting participants of all skill levels from the SAARC region to join and advance the Wikimedia movement in South Asia. Wikimedia Community Members: Both seasoned contributors and long-time community organizers are welcome, their participation will be valued. Newcomers and First-Time Participants: We are keen to welcome newcomers who are starting their journeys with the WIkimedia projects, and are excited to learn, contribute, and connect with others in the movement. External Partners and Stakeholders: We invite educators, researchers, cultural organizations, NGOs, and other external partners who share our commitment to free knowledge and community development. Your perspectives and expertise can greatly enrich our discussions and collaborative efforts. Specialized Community Project Members: Members of specific Wikimedia projects (such as Wiki Loves Monuments, Wiki Loves Earth, etc.) and thematic interest groups are encouraged to join. Your insights and experiences can help shape focused sessions and spur innovative project ideas.

10. Please provide the link to the event's page if you already have one.

In Progress

The following questions (11-14) will refer to the Community Engagement Survey which is required in order to submit a proposal. Here is the survey form that you can copy and use (if the link does not work): https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ieEI8EFf2vxjD9wN_h8-srYeRCp4fhSp7_1_wiR2jh8/edit. This survey is required to access a Conference grant.

11. How many people did you send the community engagement survey to?

429

11.1. When did you conduct the survey, and for how long?

The survey was conducted from 7 January to 24 January 2025.

12. How many people responded to the survey?

96

13. What are the main objectives of the event?

Strengthening Regional Collaboration: Foster stronger connections among Wikimedia communities across SAARC countries. Encourage cross-border partnerships and knowledge exchange. Bridging Content Gaps: Identify and address regional content gaps across Wikimedia projects. Promote the growth of underrepresented languages and cultural heritage in Wikimedia spaces. Strengthen ties with external partners such as cultural institutions, universities, mass media institutions and civil society organizations. Encouraging Diversity and Inclusion: Create a safe and inclusive space for contributors from all backgrounds. Showcasing Regional Success Stories and Best Practices: Highlight impactful Wikimedia initiatives from SAARC countries. Share learnings, regional blockers and strategies to replicate successful projects in different contexts. Align regional efforts with the Wikimedia 2030 Movement Strategy. Identify key challenges and opportunities for Wikimedia communities in the SAARC region.

14. Based on survey responses, what are the most important things your community should do at the conference to achieve these objectives?

1. Collaboration 2. Workshops and Training: Capacity building 3. Diversity and Inclusion: Ensure representation and inclusion of diverse voices, languages, and perspectives from across the SAARC region 4. Knowledge Sharing: Space for participants to share their experiences, best practices, challenges, and success stories. 5. Project Planning: Engage in discussions and planning sessions to identify potential collaborative projects that can be initiated post-conference. 6. Technology Integration: Explore ways to leverage technology and digital tools to enhance Wikimedia projects, outreach efforts, and engagement with new audiences. 7. Community Building: Focus on building relationships, trust, and camaraderie among participants to create a supportive and inclusive environment. 8. Sustainability & Impact – Action plans for long-term engagement, mentorship programs, and resource-sharing initiatives

15. Please state if your proposal aims to work to bridge any of the identified CONTENT knowledge gaps (Knowledge Inequity)? Select up to THREE that most apply to your work.

Content Gender gap, Important Topics (topics considered to be of impact or important in the specific context), Cultural background, ethnicity, religion, racial

15.1. In a few sentences, explain how your work is specifically addressing this content gap (or Knowledge inequity) to ensure a greater representation of knowledge. (optional recommended).

Our work bridging knowledge inequities has taken an active form in recent years, especially, filling the gaps of gender representation, impactful topics, and cultural diversity. 1. Content Gender Gap: This is generally promoting initiatives that focus on increasing women and non-binary people's participation in the Wikimedia content via edit-a-thons, creating awareness campaigns, and mentorship programs to further ensure their contributions are well-documented. 2. Important Topics: The focus on the creation and enrichment of content that matters to regional audiences, like climate change, indigenous knowledge, making sure that such important yet underrepresented subjects receive global visibility. 3. Cultural Background, Ethnicity, Religion, Race: Emphasis to document and protect the diverse cultural heritage, traditions, and histories through involving local communities, partnering with cultural institutions, and supporting the projects of the Wikimedia Foundation in multiple languages.

16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or THEMATIC focus. Select up to THREE that most apply to your work and explain the rationale for identifying these themes.

Advocacy, Culture, heritage or GLAM , Open Technology

17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities?

Gender Identity, Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background, Linguistic / Language

18. Do you intend to invite or engage with non-Wikimedian individuals or organizations? If so – can you explain your intention for this outreach?

Yes, we do intend to invite external partners from the United Nations, Google and OxFam. For exploring future partnerships, awareness on fund raising for WMF and scopes of collaborative initiatives in the region.

19. What will you do to make sure participants continue to engage in your activities after the event?

Creation of a strong post-event support system: Post-Event Mentorship and Support: Connect newcomers with experienced Wikimedians for guidance and mentorship. Follow-up Networking and Communication: Dedicated communication channels (Telegram, mailing lists, or social media groups) for ongoing discussions and collaborations. Encourage regional and thematic working groups to maintain momentum on key initiatives. Project Incubation, Recognition and Motivation: Support participants in launching Wikimedia projects by providing mentorship and available resources. Track and highlight successful post-event initiatives to inspire continued contributions. Feature participant contributions in Wikimedia blogs, newsletters, and social media. Regional and Thematic Collaboration: Facilitate partnerships among SAARC communities to sustain cross-border initiatives. Organize follow-up online meetups, workshops, and local events to keep engagement active.

20. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations. Select a maximum of THREE options that most apply.

Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement, Coordinate Across Stakeholders, Invest in Skills and Leadership Development

Logistical Aspects

21. Do you have any proposed venue for the event?

The conference will take place in Kathmandu, Nepal. We are figuring out the venue, which will be comfortable to reach and near to the International/Domestic Airport.

22. Is the event venue and hotel accessible for people with physical disabilities?

Yes

23. How many scholarships would you like to offer?

145 [one can see the budget sheet Category A: Travel]

24. What expenses will the scholarship cover?

The scholarship will cover air & ground travels, accommodation expenses,food and refreshments during the conference as well as visa expenses for Wikimedians from Afghanistan and other countries except SAARC region.

25. How will scholarship recipients be selected?

Not confirmed at the moment, but we are looking forward to forming a scholarship committee to select the scholarship recipients from the total 69 active Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia, Wiktionary, Wikisource and Wikibooks) from the SAARC region. To make this event more diverse and inclusive, we will also support the Technical communities, Wikimedia Commons, Wikidata and English Wikipedia contributors from this region.

26. In which ways can Wikimedia Foundation staff support your event onsite?

Travel management Hotel booking Guidance for program designing Sensitization training Needs assessment Guidance on conference planning Technical demonstrations & workshops Learning & Evaluation Strategic planning for outreach, Branding etc.

26.2. Do you intend to invite any WMF staff members to your event? (please note that all WMF staff travel and accommodation costs will be covered by the foundation). Please indicate what is the limit number of WMF staff members you would like to welcome at your event.

15

27. Please outline the roles and responsibilities of the organizing team for the conference.

Rachit Sharma: WMF Liaison Biplab Anand : Co-ordinator Bijay Chaurasia : Logistics PANKAJ DEO : Operations Nirjal Shrestha : Finance Chitraparna Sinha : Communication Sanjog.dev : Communication Suyash Dwiwedi : Finance Tulsi Bhagat: Program Chinmayee Mishra : Program Neelam Karn: Social Media and Branding

28. Do you have plans to co-organize the event with other Wikimedia communities, groups or affiliates?

Yes

28.1. If yes, can you please explain how you are going to co-organize the event and what responsibilities each partner will have.

Not concrete at the moment, can be discussed and updated soon

29. What kind of risks do you anticipate and how would you mitigate these?

1. Logistical & Financial Constraints: unexpected disruptions (e.g., strikes, extreme weather) can impact event execution. Mitigation: Diversified funding sources, contingency budgeting, and alternative venue planning. 2. Public Health & Safety Risks – Health crises (e.g. pandemics) or safety concerns may limit in-person participation. Mitigation: Implement health protocols, provide virtual attendance options, and ensure emergency preparedness. 3. Governance & Leadership Transitions – Changes in leadership or issue of coordination among organizing teams may disrupt planning. Mitigation: Well-documented processes, transparent decision-making, and mentorship for community leaders. 4. Equity & Inclusion Challenges – Ensuring fair representation of all communities, including smaller or underrepresented language groups. Mitigation: Outreach programs, travel scholarships, and language accessibility measures. 5. Sustainability of Initiatives Post-Conference – Lack of follow-up mechanisms may limit long-term impact. Mitigation: Develop post-conference action plans, mentorship programs, stronger learning and evaluation

30. Friendly space policy - Please add the link to the friendly space policy that your community will be using for this event.

The Universal Code of Conduct will apply to the event with customized CoC

Learning, Sharing, and Evaluation

31. What do you hope to learn from your work organising this conference?

1. Effectiveness of open knowledge sharing and capacity building strategies from a South Asian context Exploring ways of effectively engaging participants to encourage a safe space for learning and collective growth. 2. How many new cross-community collaborations or projects can be initiated as a result of the conference? What are the potential barriers (e.g., language, cultural differences) that affected networking and collaboration? If any, how can they be addressed in future? 3. What follow-up mechanisms (mentorship, regional initiatives, post-conference check-ins) proved most effective? 4. Event participation metrics

32. Main open metrics

Main Open Metrics Data

Main Open Metrics	Description	Target
Number of participants	There are 59 Wikimedia projects in total from the SAARC region. The number of scholarships approved and awarded by the Scholarship committee.	145
Encouraging education programs with Academic institutions	Edu-Wiki programs to spread awareness about the Wikimedia projects and the movement in general to create awareness and interest among students who have access to digital infrastructures and internet.	5
Promoting gender diversity in leadership	Bringing more gender diverse individuals to the movement and creating a safe space for them to get associated and take up leadership roles.	2
Encouraging more research based and GLAM initiatives	Research projects based on open data and historical data, along with GLAM / institutional partnerships	5
Cross border collaboration projects / reusable implementation models	Strategic ways of implementing collaborative projects and small toolkits for project organisation.	3

Financial Proposal

33. What is the amount you are requesting from Wikimedia Foundation? Please provide this amount in your local currency.

22369231.47

34. Select your local currency.

NPR

Requested amount in USD

159642 USD

35. Please upload your budget for this proposal or indicate the link to it.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16TsNdsqqi1NiMjO02kSm3tgmnLHeM4mrBL3Qzj5nvY8/edit?usp=sharing

36. Do you expect to receive funding for this conference from other organizations to support your work?

No

36.1. If yes, what kind of resources are you expecting to get?

We/I have read the Application Privacy Statement, WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct.

Yes

Please use this optional space to upload any documents that you feel are important for further understanding your proposal.

Other public document(s):

Endorsements and Feedback

Please add endorsements and feedback to the grant discussion page only. Endorsements added here will be removed automatically.

Community members are invited to share meaningful feedback on the proposal and include reasons why they endorse the proposal. Consider the following:

• Stating why the proposal is important for the communities involved and why they think the strategies chosen will achieve the results that are expected.
• Highlighting any aspects they think are particularly well developed: for instance, the strategies and activities proposed, the levels of community engagement, outreach to underrepresented groups, addressing knowledge gaps, partnerships, the overall budget and learning and evaluation section of the proposal, etc.
• Highlighting if the proposal focuses on any interesting research, learning or innovation, etc. Also if it builds on learning from past proposals developed by the individual or organization, or other Wikimedia communities.
• Analyzing if the proposal is going to contribute in any way to important developments around specific Wikimedia projects or Movement Strategy.
• Analysing if the proposal is coherent in terms of the objectives, strategies, budget, and expected results (metrics).

Endorse