On Thu, May 29, 2014 at 11:49 PM, Kevin Gorman <kgorman(a)gmail.com> wrote:
other active GAC members given the
relatively low bar required for UG status - we'll be paying way more
attention at the details of the grant and the applicant(s) than on whether
they have AffCom recognition. I'd definitely rather give a grant to four
well-established Wikimedians with no official status than four less
well-established Wikimedians who happen to be a recognized user group all
things being equal, and I suspect the same is true of other GAC members.
We definitely take people's previous histories in to account when
considering whether or not to make a grant, but I don't think being an
officially recognized user group would make a group of people meaningfully
more likely to get a grant than a group of people with an equivalent track
record without that status.
Although usually some form of history with the projects - or at least a
strong endorsement from someone with a solid history with the projects - is
needed to secure a sizable grant, we give out grants to individuals, groups
of individuals that are not officially recognized, organizations aligned
with our values that don't have Wikimedia affiliate status, and all kinds
of other entities all the time, and I've never heard a GAC member express
reservations about a particular grant based on whether or not a group of
people were a recognized UG or not. Moreover, I'd be pretty surprised to
hear someone do so.
We'd love to receive any and every solid proposal for a mission aligned
grant, whether it comes from an individual, a group of three friends, a
recognized usergroup, or a chapter or thorg that doesn't yet qualify for
FDC funding (or that seeks funding for a project that the GAC can grant
that the FDC can't - political advocacy is the only thing that comes to
mind.) If anyone reading this who has a cool idea that can be facilitated
by a PEG grant and advance the Wikimedia mission, Please come visit us :)
We approve most grants that we deal with, and work hard with applicants to
Thanks Kevin with this explanation. I have a similar understanding of the
grantmaking landscape at Wikimedia.
There are groups, or individuals that every once in a while contact AffCom
that are not that aware of the realities of the grants process (i.e. that
only real projects get funded, but they do get funded regardless of
status). While they do not reach the stage of getting to the various grants
programmes, or being recognised as an affiliate, that does not mean they do
not exist.
Best regards,
Bence