Hello everyone,
I'm Jorge Vargas, Director of Community Resources and Partnerships. I will be sharing an update on the Wikimedia Foundation's July 2024 proposal to create an experimental Global Resource Distribution Committee (GRDC) and to update the resource distribution models of the movement. This new version of the proposal comes after months of conversations with different stakeholders in the movement.
The Wikimedia Foundation will create the interim Global Resource Distribution Committee https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribution_Committee/Proposal (GRDC) in March, as a 2-year experiment, in another step to decentralize the distribution of funds across the Wikimedia Movement. This body will be responsible for making decisions over the Community Fund https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Grants:Start#Wikimedia_Community_Fund and the structures and processes to distribute it. It will also oversee the Regional Fund Committees https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Grants:Committees (RFCs).
The interim GRDC will advise the Foundation on how to allocate grants across regional, and if determined, thematic allocations. It will also provide recommendations and insights to the Foundation on how much of its budget should be made available for grants distribution. The final decision on the total budget allocation for grants to later be allocated in different portfolios will remain with WMF, with the interim GRDC advising and working jointly with the Foundation throughout all the steps of the process. We will recruit the initial 13 members of the committee through self-nominations and invitations made in collaboration with the RFCs and affiliates.
Last July, the Board of Trustees proposed https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Board_resolution_and_vote_on_the_proposed_Movement_Charter/Appendix#1/_PROPOSAL:_Establishing_an_Experimental_Global_Resource_Distribution_Committee an experimental resource distribution committee as part of their resolution and vote on the Movement Charter https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Talk:Wikimedia_Foundation_Board_noticeboard/Board_resolution_and_vote_on_the_proposed_Movement_Charter/Appendix#Proposed_Changes_to_Resource_Distribution . We have gathered community and affiliate feedback through several conversations at Wikimania, regional events, consultations with affiliates, Regional Fund Committees, and online. These are the main changes based on this feedback:
- Form the interim GRDC in March with a diverse group of specialized volunteers and staff. The initial proposal was to start in January and only with former RFC members. - Empower the interim GRDC to evolve the Regional Fund Committees after its creation. The initial proposal was to create the GRDC and evolve the RFCs at the same time and on a tighter schedule.
For more detailed information, please check the updated proposal https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribution_Committee/Proposal (Diff version https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_Resource_Distribution_Committee%2FProposal&diff=28101812&oldid=27539712) and the reasoning https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribution_Committee/Changes_to_the_GRDC_proposal_based_on_the_feedback_received behind the changes. We continue to welcome feedback to improve the plan and polish details, and we will finish the plan to create the new committee https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:MyLanguage/Global_Resource_Distribution_Committee/Creation_of_the_interim_GRDC in the next few weeks. We want to start the call for self-nominations at the beginning of February. If you or someone you know might be a good fit, we encourage you to stay tuned and get involved.
Let us know if you have any comments or questions here or in the respective Meta talk pages.
Kind regards, Jorge