This situation is regrettable. My impression is that the FDC ombudsperson should review the handling of WMHK's grant application, including the earlier investigations and communications regarding the determination of whether or not WMHK should have been disqualified from this FDC round. The ombudsperson may have access to information such as emails and accounting documents that are not public. I hope the ombudsperson's review will be reasonably speedy and thorough, and the results made public. One possible determination of an ombudsperson review is that the FDC's final determinations were right but that there are opportunities for improvement in communications with the chapter so that there aren't surprises late in the process which result in a high level of frustration for chapter volunteers.

Several interesting comments have been made in this thread regarding the value of a more holistic evaluation of the FDC and GAC processes with regards to chapters especially regarding the hiring of a chapter's first full time employee. There have also been comments made regarding the "heavy" nature of the FDC grant application process. Would the WMF staff please indicate whether a review of these concerns is under consideration, if so, how they plan to conduct the review?

Thanks,

Pine