Dear friends,

The events from the USA in the last week have made it very clear that this new US Presidential Administration will not be friendly towards our projects or movement. 

Resource for media NGOs: The foreign aid freeze (in addition to the grant pause for any initiatives related to DEI) is affecting all sorts of media freedom projects and direct support of journalism around the world. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is trying to figure out the cumulative effect as well as highlight the stories of organizations and journalists who have been impacted. They are hearing from groups all over the place--Ukraine, Lebanon, Venezuela, exiled Russians and Afghans. They want to shine a light on this for both the public and policymakers. 👉 If you are are hearing from media or media-adjacent NGOs (or you are one of these) who have been impacted--please contact RSF: 

Clayton Weimers
Executive Director, RSF USA
(202) 813-9497, ext. 1
cweimers@rsf.org

What we are doing: The Wikimedia Foundation and US-based allies are diligently sharing information, monitoring developments, and adjusting strategy. We will continually provide updates about the situation and information about resources and support. Most of the time it will be appropriate to share this information with smaller groups rather than via larger emails like this mailing list. Here are some additional updates:
  • 💰 Funding. Round 2 of the General Support Fund kicks off this month; you can ask for funds to cover public policy advocacy. Review this guide to learn more and you can contact Ziski (fputz@wikimedia.org) for help with your application.
  • 💡 Resources. We will add resources to our Meta-Wiki page that include guides from allies on how to contact your representatives, develop media strategy, navigate Capitol Hill for US audiences, and WMF will develop talking points on our core policy priorities. 
  • 🫂 Network. There will be a call later this month (details coming this week) to re-strengthen the Wikimedia advocacy network and continue to collaborate closely within the movement.
Wishing you all a good start to your week,

Ziski