Africa Wiki Women October Skill Up Workshop: Grant Proposals That Win

The strongest proposals aren’t the longest or the fanciest, they’re the clearest. This was the core message of the AWW October Skill-Up Workshop, led by Serine Ben Brahim, Executive Director of Wikimedia UAE, which brought together participants across Africa and marked the successful inclusion of the Francophone community into the Skill-Up space.

The session, Grant Proposals That Win, showed participants that writing a winning proposal is less about learning new rules and more about approaching the process differently.

Problem Identification: One of the first shifts introduced in the workshop was the importance of starting with a clear, specific problem. Funders don’t want lengthy histories; they want to instantly understand what the issue is, who is affected, and why it matters right now. A concise, evidence-based problem statement immediately sets the tone for a compelling proposal.

Set Goals That Are Measurable and Realistic: From there, participants learned that funders care deeply about goals but not overly ambitious ones. The emphasis was on setting measurable, realistic objectives that clearly state what the project aims to accomplish within a defined timeframe. Whether it’s the number of people to be trained, the amount of content to be created, or the level of engagement expected, clarity builds confidence.

Outline Activities That Align With Your Goals: The workshop also highlighted that activities should flow naturally from these goals. Funders should be able to look at your planned workshops, training, outreach, research, or edit-a-thons and immediately see how each one connects back to your main objectives. When activities align seamlessly with goals, the proposal gains strength and coherence.

Demonstrate Impact Through Clear Indicators: But activities alone don’t guarantee success impact does. Participants were encouraged to define clear indicators that show whether their project created real change. Indicators such as the number of participants engaged, articles created or improved, growth in community involvement, or data collected help demonstrate progress, ensure accountability, and reassure funders that results will be measured, not just promised.

Present a Budget That Tells a Story: Budgeting was another major focus, with an emphasis on presenting a financial plan that tells a coherent story. A strong budget is clear, transparent, and directly tied to the project’s activities. Every cost should have a purpose, and nothing should feel like an unexplained lump sum. When the budget mirrors the project plan, funders can immediately see feasibility and organisation.

Finally, the workshop addressed the common mistakes that often weaken proposals from overly narrative submissions with little planning, to broad goals without timelines, activities that don’t match objectives, budgets lacking justification, and the habit of reusing one proposal for multiple funders. You can watch the recorded session on YouTube