Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Community Fund/General Support Fund/Creating free knowledge in Israel through educational and GLAM projects, and enhancement of gender, age and ability diversity in the Hebrew and Arabic Wikipedias/Final Report
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Part 1: Understanding your work
editPer the recent update on the Wikimedia Foundation Affiliates Strategy process, Wikimedia Affiliates that are General Support Fund grantees will fulfill their affiliate reporting requirements through their final or yearly grantee report.
If you are a Wikimedia Affiliate, you will use this form for your affiliate reporting and to address the affiliate health criteria. You do not need to submit a separate report to AffCom. Follow the guidance in the green boxes to report on how you met the corresponding affiliate health criteria.
If you are not a Wikimedia Affiliate, aligning your responses with the affiliate criteria is optional and not required.
1. Please share to what extent your programs, approaches, and strategies contributed to addressing the challenges you shared in your proposal. If they did not contribute as you believed they would, please share what obstacles you faced and what, if anything, you learned from them? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 1.) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 1.1 (Goal delivery). Describe how you actively delivered on mission goals, e.g. content creation.
While 2024 has come to an end, the ongoing conflict has left its mark on Israeli society, regardless of religion, culture, or belief. The population is experiencing a significant decline in mental well-being, marked by deep-rooted concerns about the present and future. On the one hand, maintaining a "business as usual" attitude is nearly impossible, especially when lives are being lost and the daily routine is disrupted by constant alarms and a pervasive sense of existential dread. On the other hand, striking a balance between "business as usual" and heightened awareness of our staff, community, volunteers, and beneficiaries is essential for preserving a sense of normalcy and security amidst the chaos. This is the path Wikimedia Israel has chosen.
We began 2024 with a clear determination to develop a three-year strategic plan, guided by principles aligned with the Wikimedia Foundation's 2030 strategy and tailored to the unique context of Israeli society and culture. After nine months of intensive collaboration involving our staff, volunteers, community, board of directors, beneficiaries, and even suppliers, the plan was finalized and implemented in 2024, with a vision for future years.
Prior to developing the strategic plan, we identified several cross-cutting challenges that became our primary goals:
- Expansion: Significantly increasing the amount of free content and the number of editors.
- Diversity: Developing new initiatives, promoting cultural diversity, and fostering partnerships.
- Professionalism: Improving infrastructure, capabilities, and marketing tools.
- Relevance: Ensuring alignment with Israeli society, global trends, and resource development.
When examining the achievements of each program, it is evident that each has made significant progress, especially considering the challenging context of 2024 in Israel.
In the Arabic program, we not only increased the number of training sessions but also expanded into academia, launching a new project where Jewish and Arab students collaborate on writing Wikipedia articles as a mandatory academic assignment. This project leverages Wikipedia as a platform to connect people from different cultures and bridge divides. Additionally, we developed an advanced program for teachers that integrates AI-assisted Wikipedia writing.
In the courses program, we expanded the number of courses and diversified our services, doubling the number of participants and consequently increasing the amount of free content. The participant profile also became more diverse, including individuals with autism, seniors, women, and other relevant groups. We also identified a need to retain new editors and launched a series of follow-up meetings, which have been in high demand.
Our education and marketing departments developed professional training videos on creating free content and promoting Wikimedia Israel, enhancing our brand and attracting more contributors.
In the Hebrew academia and education program, we are exploring new ways to collaborate with universities. We have established a partnership with the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Haifa, offering a course on Wikipedia writing. This is the first step towards a broader collaboration that includes integrating Wikipedia assignments into various courses.
In the community and volunteers program, we have increased the number of volunteers and organized professional community meetings. We have also developed a plan to enhance Wikimedia Israel's community engagement.
The main challenge we have encountered is a shortage of skilled and available personnel to develop new programs and initiatives. While we have identified numerous opportunities for growth, our current team is overstretched. The solution lies in recruiting additional staff and allocating specific resources for their long-term training.
2. Is there a plan to build on the key successes you had? If yes, please describe the plan and if no, please share the limitations to do so. For instance, did the activities lead to any new priorities, ideas for activities, or goals for the future? (required)
While 2024 was a challenging year, we learned a great deal and can now confidently outline our success plan for 2025. This plan will also serve as the foundation for our 2025 strategy:
We identified a need to bridge the gap between the Jewish and Arab populations in Israel. In response, we launched an academic project that encourages Jewish and Arab students to co-write Wikipedia articles. This initiative has been highly successful and has attracted many lecturers. We are now actively seeking funding to expand this project in 2026. Additionally, 2024 marked the first year of our Arabic-language academic projects, which we plan to expand due to their great success and ability to empower Arabic-speaking students.
In the realm of courses, we aim to maintain the growth in the number of editors and articles while also addressing the needs of new editors by developing an advanced course. We have learned that the ongoing connection between our course graduates and the Wikimedia community is crucial for continued engagement. Therefore, we will focus on strengthening these connections. In 2024, we launched a new course in collaboration with the National Library called "WikiGlam." In the coming year, we plan to organize additional meetings, offer another course, and develop new training materials. We have recognized a high demand for professional training materials and will continue to produce content in various relevant areas.
In the marketing department, the success of our social media campaigns has demonstrated the effectiveness of reaching new audiences. We will continue to invest in this strategy and create more tailored content.
Within the community, we will enhance our editor community's skills through workshops on Wikidata and artificial intelligence, alongside social activities and support mechanisms for editors. We have successfully developed numerous partnerships and aim to maintain most of them, allowing us to focus on collaborative activities and content creation.
3. Please provide a link to reports that detail the activities that took place in the last year. This can include an annual report, Meta pages, and websites. If there are no links available, briefly describe the implemented activities and programs below or upload any files. (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 3.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.1 (Affiliate health & resilience), 4.1 (Internal engagement), 4.2 (Community connection), and 4.3 (Partnerships and collaboration):
- Describe your activities engaging new users, new members for your decision-making body(ies), and developing leaders and organizers (2.1).
- Describe your activities creating or hosting spaces to encourage greater collaboration and engagement among your members (4.1).
- Describe how you engage with the contributing community that you serve and/or support (4.2).
- Describe your partnerships with other affiliates or with non-Wikimedia entities (4.3).
4. Are you interested in sharing what you achieved or learned this year with the wider community through different peer learning programs (e.g. Let's Connect program, Diff)? (optional)
Yes, absolutely. At Wikimania 2024, we presented our editing courses for autistics as well as the lessons learned from it. Aside from that, information about our special projects is also published in Diff, which allows us to share what we have learned with others.
5. Did you collect feedback from your community or target groups on how the activities implemented impacted them? If yes, please attach/provide information on the results (e.g. community surveys, stories, impact booklets/reports, interviews with partner institutions, etc). Did you collect other impact-specific data? (required)
For affiliates, the response to Question 5. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criteria 4.1 (Internal Engagement), 4.2 (Community Connection), or 4.3 (Partnerships & collaboration), where applicable.
6. During the fund period, did your efforts do any of the following? (required):
For affiliates, the response to Question 6. also partially addresses Affiliate Health Criterion 2.2 (Diversity balance).
- 6.1 Bring in participants from the following groups: women, neurodiverse people, young people, speakers of minority languages, underrepresented geographical regions (ESEAP, LATAM, SSA, MENA, SA), other
- 6.2 Develop content about the following underrepresented topics or groups of people: women, speakers of minority languages, underrepresented geographical regions (ESEAP, LATAM, SSA, MENA, SA)
- 6.3 Support the retention of: Editors, Organizers, Partnerships, Wikimedians in Residence positions
7. What, if any, effective tactics or approaches can you share that worked well when dealing with the programs under points 6.1-6.3 that you selected? (optional)
Empowering these populations with Wikipedia editing skills is a critical task, as it enables them to actively participate in shaping collective knowledge and making their voices heard in the digital sphere. To address the needs of the populations described in section 6, we have implemented the following strategies:
Understanding the Population
edit- Unique characteristics: Researching the cultural, social, and historical characteristics of the specific group.
- Needs and goals: Understanding the group's unique needs, the goals they aim to achieve through Wikipedia, and the challenges they face.
- Concerns and resistance: Identifying potential concerns and resistance within the group and finding ways to address them.
Effective Strategies
edit- Accessibility and adaptation:
- Tailored learning materials: Developing learning and training materials adapted to different levels of knowledge and skills, considering language, culture, and social context.
- User-friendly environment: Creating a supportive virtual learning environment.
- Building supportive communities:
- Workshops and lectures: Conducting workshops and lectures on Wikipedia editing, allowing participants to ask questions and share ideas.
- Online support groups: Establishing online support groups (WhatsApp, email) where participants can connect, collaborate, and learn together.
- Mentoring: Connecting new participants with experienced mentors who can provide personalized guidance and support.
- Collaborations with organizations:
- Partner organizations: Collaborating with relevant organizations working with the target populations to reach the intended audience and build trust. Leveraging these organizations as content experts and resources.
Dedicated Resource Allocation
edit- Allocating personnel with the appropriate background to work specifically with the target audience.
In conclusion, empowering marginalized populations with Wikipedia editing skills is a complex process that requires a multidisciplinary approach. By combining various strategies such as accessibility, building supportive communities, collaborating with organizations, and allocating human resources, we can effectively equip these individuals with the tools to contribute to Wikipedia and participate in the digital world
8. If you developed partnerships, which of the following factors most helped you to build partnerships? Please pick a MAXIMUM of the three most relevant factors (optional):
Permanent staff outreach, Staff hired through the fund, Partners proactive interest, Other, Volunteers from our communities
Part 2: Metrics
edit| Metrics name | Target | Result | Comments and tools used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of all participants | 9600 | 10057 | This number indicates the total number of new and old participants in all our programs and activities for 2024, including 7000 followers on social networks |
| Number of all editors | 1420 | 1766 | Dashboard |
| Number of new editors | 1370 | 1300 | |
| Number of retained editors | 60 | 75 | |
| Number of all organizers | 198 | 245 | Excel |
| Number of new organizers | 86 | 100 |
| Wikimedia project | Target - Number of created pages | Target - Number of improved pages | Result - Number of created pages | Result - Number of improved pages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia | 980 | 390 | 2271 | 1373 |
| Wikimedia Commons | 10000 | 0 | 7200 | |
| Wikidata | ||||
| Wiktionary | ||||
| Wikisource | ||||
| Wikimedia Incubator | ||||
| Translatewiki | ||||
| MediaWiki | ||||
| Wikiquote | ||||
| Wikivoyage | ||||
| Wikibooks | ||||
| Wikiversity | ||||
| Wikinews | ||||
| Wikispecies | ||||
| Wikifunctions or Abstract Wikipedia |
11. Did you set other quantitative and qualitative targets for your project (other metrics)? (required): Yes
11.1. Other Metrics.
In your application, you outlined some other open metrics that you would like to measure. Please fill out the achieved results for each of the open metrics you defined.
| Other Metrics name | Metrics Description | Target | Result | Tools and comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feedback | On a scale of 1 to 5, satisfaction with the WMIL overall activity will not fall below grade 4 | 4 | 4 | Questionnaires |
| Strategic partnerships | It is our intention to expand the number of partnerships, at least three significant, high-quality partnerships that impact a variety of populations and content so that in the long run the amount of free content and the number of editors will grow significantly. | 3 | 6 | N/A |
| Unrepresented Groups and content | In this measure, we reflect the degree to which we support underrepresented populations and content. The goal in 2024 is to ensure that about 20% of the content or participants are underrepresented | 250 | 800 | Excel files and Dachboards |
| Community activity | This index includes the variety of activities organized by Wikimedia Israel for the community, including birthday and editing events, tours and enrichment activities | 10 | 13 | |
| Increasing the number of volunteers | It reflects our ambition to increase the number of volunteers not only in terms of numbers but also in terms of their contributions to Wikimedia Israel. | 6 | 9 | Excel files |
Part 3: Skill Development / Capacity Building
edit12. Reflecting on your programmatic (external) and organizational (internal) work, did your grant support you to undergo any skill development that made a difference to your success? If yes, what skill was developed, and how did it lead to success? (e.g. received coaching on public speaking, attended training on nonviolent communication, hosted professional development conversations on leadership, learned and used a new tool for project management, etc.)? Can you share any materials? (required)
For affiliates, use this space (Question 12.) to address Affiliate Health Criteria 2.2 (Diversity balance) and 3.1 (Diverse, Skilled, and Accountable Leadership):
- Describe actions taken to prioritize gender balance in affiliate leadership, as well as any areas of diversity relevant to your affiliate's context (2.2).
- Describe the management, financial, or other leadership skills of your affiliate leaders. If you have a succession plan, please include it here (3.1).
- Describe any training or skill development (as outlined in the question above) (3.1).
- Incorporate into the annual report a disclosure of conflict of interests (if any) from the leadership (3.1).
The generous grant we received from the Wikimedia Foundation was our ticket to a new world of possibilities. It enabled us to develop a wide range of new skills that were critical to the success of our projects:
Project Management: We learned and started using Monday.com as our project management tool, significantly improving our ability to track tasks, coordinate between departments, and streamline our daily work.
Strategic Planning: We underwent a comprehensive strategic planning process with all members of the organization, which helped us focus our efforts on the most effective programs and build well-structured work plans for the coming years.
Partnership Management: We participated in a workshop with Gidi Barry on partnership management, which strengthened our ability to identify potential partners, maintain existing partnerships, and develop joint initiatives that bring value to both sides.
AI Utilization: We underwent training in AI-based tools, which helped us streamline internal processes and improve our abilities in data analysis, content writing, and managing complex technological projects.
These skills have not only improved our internal efficiency but have also contributed to the success of our external programs and the building of meaningful relationships with new partners and stakeholders
13. What is one capacity/skill area that you would like to focus on for the next year? And how do you plan to achieve this capacity? (required)
In the coming year, we will invest significant resources in deepening the skills we have developed, with a particular focus on developing AI-powered content creation, continuously updating our training materials, improving our social media content creation capabilities, and developing and maintaining partnerships. We will achieve this by expanding our knowledge through collaborative learning with peers, participating in professional conferences, and applying new tools in our projects. Close collaboration with our beneficiaries will enable us to adapt our activities to their changing needs and learn valuable lessons. Through continuous innovation and collaboration, we aim to impact more communities and expand our circle of beneficiaries while maintaining a high level of excellence. Improving our social media content creation capabilities will allow us to reach wider audiences, deepen their interest and engagement, and increase the impact of our messages.
14. If you have additional information or reflections that don’t fit into the above sections, please write them here. Use the space below to upload any additional documents that would be useful to understand your report.
For affiliates, also use this section (Question 14) to fulfill the Affiliate Health Criteria requirements.
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for affiliate governance, including affiliate leadership and membership with a breakdown of the demographics; how elections are conducted; how conflicts of interest are declared; and how decisions are made and communicated (2.2, 2.3, 3.1).
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for activities incorporating, promoting awareness about, or enforcing the Universal Code of Conduct in your affiliate's activities (3.3).
- Describe and link to any public-facing documentation for internal membership engagement, such as notes from your regular meetings and how you communicate to or involve your membership (4.1).
Wikimedia Israel is pleased to provide information regarding the elements of Good Governance & Communication, as well as compliance with the Universal Code of Conduct.
Good Governance & Communication: Wikimedia Israel is a legally registered non-profit organization in Israel and is managed by its Board of Directors, headed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The names of the Board of Directors members, which are published on the Wikimedia Israel website, can be found here. The organization has bylaws that address the roles of the Board of Directors, the General Assembly, the organization's members, and other matters. The organization's bylaws can be read here. Additionally, the organization has 50 registered members and close to 50 active volunteers who significantly support the various activities of the organization alongside the paid staff. Wikimedia Israel employs seven paid staff members as well as seven freelancers. The organizational structure of the paid staff can be viewed here.
The Board of Directors members convene between four and five times a year and make decisions regarding the organization's policies and assist the ED with various deliberations concerning the management of the organization's staff and its activities. Once a year, all members of the organization convene for a General Assembly. During this assembly, the members of the Board of Directors and the Audit Committee are elected, and the financial and narrative reports of the organization are approved, as required by law. The protocols of the Board of Directors meetings and the General Assembly are published transparently on the Wikimedia Israel website, here.
In addition, volunteers, active staff, and the organization's executive committee were involved in the strategic development process in 2024. Consequently, personal conversations with those involved in the process were conducted over a long period of time, in conjunction with guided discussion circles. Together, all of these factors resulted in the Wikimedia Israel Strategic Plan. This plan has been distributed to all members of the association, activists, and donors, and will also be available on the new Wikimedia Israel website.
Regarding the UCoC, in 2024, we translated the UCoC of the movement to Hebrew and following discussions on the principles of the code, in staff meetings throughout the year, we acted accordingly in our activities. For Wikimedia Israel community events, when there was a possibility that tensions might arise, we appointed "Peacekeepers" whose role was to circulate among the attendees and ensure that everyone felt comfortable and at ease. Based on our understanding, of the UCoC, the Board of Directors decided that an individual who is permanently blocked from one of the Wikimedia projects will not be able to represent Wikimedia Israel or volunteer on its behalf. He/She will also not be able to participate in events that the organization organizes for the community (such as community meetups). In addition, already in 2024, we decided to appoint a communities and volunteers coordinator whose role is to improve the climate and discourse culture on Hebrew Wikipedia and serve as an address for the community on all issues in general, including the development of the existing UCoC tailored to the Israeli culture and language. This appointment came into effect in 2025, so we expect the process of developing the adapted UCoC for Wikimedia Israel to be completed in the coming months.
Wikimedia Israel's course program teaches the general public how to edit Wikipedia, and in fact, this program serves as an introduction to Wikipedia community life. As part of their training, the program manager is introduced to the accepted rules of conduct on the Hebrew Wikipedia, including the Universal Code of Conduct. In conjunction with this knowledge, the group leaders teach the participants this topic as part of the second study unit of the course, which focuses on collaborative writing and its associated meanings. The instructions for the group leader are availablehere and the presentations for the participantshere.
We are happy to provide you with any additional information that you may need regarding these topics or any other subject.
Part 4: Financial reporting
editFor affiliates, also use this section (Part 4: Financial reporting) to address Affiliate Health Criterion 3.2 (Financial & Legal Compliance).
| Description | Planned / received budget for this category (ILS) | Amount spent (ILS) |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel costs | 1297224 | 1251852 |
| Operational costs | 40000 | 40000 |
| Programmatic costs | 21276 | 121665 |
| Total General Support Fund | 1358500 | 1413517 |
| Other revenue | 444907 | 466153 |
| Remaining funds from General Support Fund | 34117 |
15. Please state the total amount spent from this fund in your local currency. (required)
1413517 ILS
16. Please provide an overview of the amount spent from this fund in the following budget categories in your local currency. (required)
- Operational costs: 40000 ILS
- Programmatic costs: 1251852 ILS
- Staff and contractor costs: 121665 ILS
17. Did you have any other revenue sources (e.g. other funding, membership contributions, donations)? (required): Yes
- 17.1. Provide the total amount received from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): 444907 ILS
- 17.2. Provide the total amount spent from other revenue sources in your local currency. (required): 466153 ILS
18. Provide a financial report document which will provide the details of funds received and spent in the currency of your fund. (required)
- Upload Documents, Templates, and Files.
- Report funds received and spent, if template not used.
- Financial reporting
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1o4Lb5uUEyoMR58VYKm3OimwiOPDvj6mTF7cfzJN9jxw/edit?usp=sharing
In-kind donations https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IXLuZtrQj67KgVTpE4-IgFcWp6G-EHni6xzndLY4eO8/edit?usp=sharing
18.2. If you have not already done so in your financial spending report, provide information on changes in the budget in relation to your original proposal. (optional)
N/A
19. Do you have any unspent funds from this funding?: No
20. Final confirmations (required)
- 20.1. Are you in compliance with the terms outlined in the fund agreement? You must be in compliance with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement. In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the Wikimedia Foundation mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
- 20.2. Are you in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations as outlined in the grant agreement?
- Yes
- 20.3. Are you in compliance with provisions of the United States Internal Revenue Code (“Code”), and with relevant tax laws and regulations restricting the use of the Funds as outlined in the grant agreement? In summary, this is to confirm that the funds were used in alignment with the WMF mission and for charitable/nonprofit/educational purposes.
- Yes
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