Wikimedians of Bulgaria/2015/Microgrants Report

The idea about having local microgrants in Bulgarian Wikimedian community was inspired by the lecture about microgrants given by representatives of Wikimedia Polska at the Wikimedia Central and Eastern Europe Meeting 2014 in Kiev, Ukraine. We had to adapt it slightly, since we are a non formal user group operating without funding, and the fund for microgrants was provided by two Bulgarian Wikimedians.

Regulation for applying, approving and reporting the microgrants was prepared in January. According to the regulation, microgrant equals a sum of about 50 BGN, equivalent to 25 EUR, and can be spent on book sources, travels, or other organizational costs that serve to promote Wikimedian values and content creation. Once purchased, the books remain property of the grantee and he/she can be asked to provide consultations with the book, whenever needed and asked for.

By the end of February, three microgrants were given for the purchase of three literature sources:

• A rare antiquary book on Bulgarian Renaissance art and architecture - for articles on icon painters, woodcarvers and builders
• Encyclopedia on philosophy
• Encyclopedia on Bulgarian theatre

All the three books were within the budget and served as source for many new articles (more than 50 only from the Encyclopedia on Bulgarian theatre). The process of approval, account keeping and reporting of the expenses is completely onwiki and transparent.