Exploring External Funding in the CEE Region: Insights from Wikimedia Armenia’s CEE Meeting 2025 Session

This year, Wikimedians from across the CEE region gathered in Thessaloniki, Greece, for the annual Wikimedia CEE Meeting. For Wikimedia Armenia, participating in international conferences always means more than simply attending – we aim to share our experiences, exchange knowledge, and bring home new insights. In 2025, we chose to focus on a topic that is increasingly important for affiliates of all sizes: diversified funding and long-term sustainability.

Over the course of its development, Wikimedia Armenia has actively sought partners and external funding for specific projects. This journey has brought both successes and challenges, and we felt that our lessons learned could be valuable for the wider Wikimedia community. Our session, titled “Where to find sponsors and fundraise for your projects?”, took place on 28 September 2025 and attracted a diverse group of participants.

To make the presentation more interactive, we invited attendees to join a Mentimeter survey via QR code. This allowed us to gather real-time insights about their experiences with external funding – what works, what doesn’t, and what barriers they face. Because not everyone from the community could attend the session, we decided to share an overview of these findings here (full session is available on YouTube).

Understanding funding landscapes across CEE

Our audience represented a wide range of contexts, including Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Czechia, Iran, and Ukraine. As a starting point, we asked them what percentage of their projects receive non-Wikimedia Foundation (non-WMF) funding. Most responses fell within the 1-10% range, though two affiliates reported receiving more than 35% of their funding from external sources – a sign that diversification is possible.

We then explored where affiliates and individuals are securing this support. Participants could select multiple options, and the responses painted an interesting picture:

• Government programs emerged as the most common source of non-WMF funding.
• Personal donations and business organizations followed closely behind.
• GLAM institutions and EU grants were selected less frequently.

These results align with Wikimedia Armenia’s experience to some extent – and private partnerships tend to be the most accessible, while larger institutional funds often require more capacity and specialized knowledge.

What challenges do affiliates face?

To better understand how our experiences compare with those of our CEE colleagues, we asked participants to rate several common challenges on a scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The most significant barrier identified was “too much paperwork”, followed by:

• Funding limited to specific topics, and
• Inconsistent funding cycles.

The least common challenge was “partial coverage”, suggesting that when affiliates do secure funding, it often supports projects adequately. The emphasis on administrative burden strongly resonates with our own experience. For instance, applying for government funding in Armenia required navigating complex processes and extensive documentation.

Good practices and positive examples

Finally, we invited participants to share their success stories. Several people described collaborations with local cultural institutions, partnerships with universities, and cooperation with regional NGOs. Although specific contexts differ, it was clear that many communities in our region are actively experimenting with new funding models and building relationships beyond the Wikimedia movement.

Moving forward together

Overall, the session was productive and encouraging. Beyond sharing Wikimedia Armenia’s lessons learned, we also gained a clearer understanding of how affiliates across CEE are approaching sustainability. While the challenges are real – particularly the administrative complexity of many grants – the region is not standing still. Many groups are seeking new partners, exploring external funding opportunities, and expanding their networks.

We hope that by continuing these conversations, collaborating on shared challenges, and openly discussing our experiences, the CEE region will become even stronger and more sustainable in the years to come.