Re: [Wikimedia-l] temporary changes to WMF's grants programs

Hi again, everyone! Thank you to all my wikifriends who pointed out the formatting challenges of my message. That long wall of text was not pretty. See below, or check it out on wiki: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources/ 2018-19_Annual_Plan/Temporary_changes_to_grants_programs Dear Wikimedia colleagues and friends, The effective use of Wikimedia movement resources, including the grants made by the Wikimedia Foundation, is critical to our collective effort toward becoming the essential infrastructure for free knowledge.[1] As we look ahead, the Wikimedia movement will be developing a new approach to resource allocation, in order to support this new strategic direction. Developing a new approach requires careful consideration and collaboration, and commitment to our values of sharing power in decisions, transparency, and accountability. To that end, the Community Resources team has made some temporary changes to our grantmaking programs to free up staff and community time to do engage in Phase 2 of the movement strategy work on issues of resource allocation, while still meeting essential support commitments. In order to ensure we have the capacity in our upcoming fiscal year (July 2018 - June 2019) to work effectively on the big questions around movement resource allocation, we have made temporary changes to our grant programs. While many of you are aware of these changes, I’m writing to ensure everyone has the best information and to address some concerns we have heard. What’s changing? These changes are designed to make the processes lighter and free up resources for everyone involved in the grant processes. This means that the Community Resources team, staff and volunteers in grantee organizations and committee members will benefit from lightened processes. We hope these changes will support all involved to direct their energies in the coming year toward participation in the movement’s strategic planning. The main changes for 2018-2019 fiscal year are as follows: Annual plan grants: *Application processes will be simplified for all APG grantee-applicants. Reporting requirements will stay the same. *The APG programs will review proposals from new applicants in November of 2019 (for funding starting January 2020). Program officers will continue to work with organizations looking at entering the APG program to make sure they're ready to apply in 2019. *Current grantees will be able to apply for the same amount of funding that they are receiving this year. *Increases may be considered for emerging communities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Rapid grants: *Proposals will be accepted from the 1st - 15th of each month. *Eligible proposals have a minimum of $500 USD and a maximum of $2,000 USD. We seek to reduce administrative overhead for a more effective use of our shared resources. Project grants: *Project grants proposals will be accepted during one grant cycle, likely November 2018. Since there will only be one grant cycle, applicants will need to prepare in advance. *Proposals between $2,000 USD and $100,000 USD will be accepted. *Please reach out to the Program Officer well in advance to discuss your ideas and questions. Conference grants: *There will be two rounds of funding (likely to September 2018 and February 2019). *We anticipate continued grant funding for the annual regional conferences (Iberoconf, Indaba, CEE, Arabia) as well as thematic conferences already under development (education, ICT and gender in Africa, Wikidata). *Proposals from emerging communities for national/local conferences up to $10,000 USD will be accepted. For more information on these changes, visit our Meta page, where you will find links to all eligibility information.[2] Please direct your comments and questions there, or reach out to the program officer overseeing the relevant grant program. What happens next? In collaboration with Wikimedia communities, including current grantees, grants committees, the Wikimedia Foundation staff and Board, and the forthcoming working group on movement resources from the movement strategy, we will participate in Phase 2 of the movement strategy. This temporary phase will be critical to defining how our movement can direct resources more effectively towards our shared goal of becoming the essential infrastructure for free knowledge. We expect that there could be major changes to our funding processes in the long term, and that these changes will reengineer the roles of participating organizations (the Wikimedia Foundation, committees, and grantees alike). This is why it is important for everyone interested to participate, and to ensure that what comes next derives from a collective effort. Please direct any questions or comments to the discussion page on Meta wiki.[2] Best wishes, Katy Love Director, Community Resources team [1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_ movement/2017/Direction [2] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Community_Resources/2018- 19_Annual_Plan/Temporary_changes_to_grants_programs On Tue, Jun 5, 2018 at 5:31 PM, Katy Love <klove(a)wikimedia.org> wrote: