Hi all,
In the latest round of Project Grants, 26 proposals were submitted for
review. The committee has recommended 11 projects for a total of $321,010
in funding. WMF has now approved all 11 grants. Here’s what we’re funding.
[1]
Software: seven projects funded
-
Nigerian keyboard project
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Nigerian_keyboard_project>:
At present, Wikimedian editors working in Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo have to
cut and paste vowels simply to write sentences in their own languages.
This project will support new keyboard layout software to improve editing
experience, allow for searches of Wikipedia articles, and contribute to the
development of an internet culture in these languages. [2]
-
Feature improvements to Wikimedia Programs & Events Dashboard
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Feature_improvements_to_Wikimedia_Programs_%26_Events_Dashboard>:
The Programs and Events Dashboard is the global Wikimedian community’s
platform to organize projects like edit-a-thons and education programs,
tracking all contributions by participants. This grant project will build
specific new features and improve known shortcomings of the tool. Among
other improvements, it will extend access to the Dashboard by enhancing
usability on mobile devices. [3]
-
Wikipedia Cultural Diversity Observatory (WCDO)
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Wikipedia_Cultural_Diversity_Observatory_(WCDO)>:
The content of each language edition of Wikipedia is skewed toward the
cultural and geographic context associated with its own language. WCDO
aims to correct this underrepresentation, providing focused data and
strategic recommendations for cross-language collaboration so that each
language edition will have a truly international representation of the
world’s knowledge. [4]
-
WikiInAfrica/WikiFundi
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/WikiInAfrica/WikiFundi>:
Wikifundi expands the Kiwix offline reader experience to include an
offline editing platform and a suite of training tools that allow educators
to adopt the Wikipedia in the classroom program in schools without reliable
internet access. These improvements greatly expand the territory of this
important educational initiative which teaches critical skills like
research, digital and information literacy, and collaboration while
training a new generation of Wikipedia readers and editors. [5]
-
Kiwix/User Experience
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Kiwix/User_Experience>:
Though Kiwix is a widely used tool for bringing Wikimedia projects to
areas with limited or nonexistent internet access, its desktop version has
become increasingly buggy as the software has deprecated. This project
will revamp the user experience and architecture so that Kiwix can continue
to serve users around the world for years to come. [6]
-
Soweego <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Hjfocs/soweego>:
Based out of the University of Trento, the highly trained soweego team
will create a fully automatic robot that syncs giant volumes of external
information with Wikidata. This robot will directly connect Wikidata with
a variety of large, reliable knowledge databases, so that Wikidata can
serve as centralized, structured repository of open data. [7]
-
LinguaLibre
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/0x010C/LinguaLibre>:
For the past two years, LinguaLibre has been facilitating recordings of
pronunciation audio files and encourage contributions in minority languages
into Wikimedia projects. This project will extend the impact of this
successful project by improving user experience and storing rich and
linguistically useful metadata using the Wikibase software. [8]
Online organizing: one project funded
-
Community toolkit for Greater Diversity
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Chinmayisk/Community_toolkit_for_Greater_Diversity>:
A team of experienced Wikimedians will develop tailored online and offline
training modules to equip veteran volunteers to create a more inclusive,
diverse editing community on Indic language Wikipedias. The project aims
to design and develop a community toolkit for recruiting, onboarding and
retaining editors from underrepresented demographics. [9]
Offline outreach: three projects funded
-
Les Classes Wikipedia (Wikipedia Classroom)
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/UG_CI/Les_Classes_Wikipedia_(Wikipedia_Classroom)>:
This project will continue a successful pilot program in Abidjan, Côte
d’Ivoire. Teens and young adults will be trained to create and improve
Wikipedia articles, focusing on the 100 most notable Ivorian writers. [10]
-
Les sans pagEs
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Les_sans_pagEs>: The
“Les sans pages” groups will expand both its online and offline presence in
Europe, engaging the francophone community to collaborate on reducing the
gender gap on the French Wikipedia. [11]
-
WikiDonne roadmap
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Camelia.boban/WikiDonne_roadmap>:
The WikiDonne team will continue to organize event coordinators across
Italy to help promote more gender diversity in Italian Wikipedia. The
group aims to increase female biographies by writing at least 250 new
articles. [12]
You can read more about this round on the Wikimedia Foundation blog
<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/12/18/project-grants-awarded/>.[13]
The open call for Project Grants 2018 Round One
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project> will launch on January 1,
2018, with applications due January 30, 2018. [14]
We are seeking new Project Grants Committee Members. January 15 is the
deadline to submit candidacy for the next round. If you or someone you
know might be interested in serving on the committee, please contact
projectgrants {{at}}
wikimedia.org with questions or see our committee
eligibility page on Meta
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Quarterly/Committee#committee-criteria>.
In particular, we are seeking reviewers at this time who are qualified to
help us to develop a stronger process for evaluating research proposals.
[15]
A new Inspire Campaign
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab/Inspire> focused on
bringing in new readers—especially in countries where Wikimedia projects
are not well known—will begin in January 2018. [16]
1.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Browse_applications>
2.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Nigerian_keyboard_project
3.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Feature_improvements_to_Wiki…
4.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Wikipedia_Cultural_Diversity…
5.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/WikiInAfrica/WikiFundi>
6.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Kiwix/User_Experience>
7.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Hjfocs/soweego>
8.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/0x010C/LinguaLibre>
9.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Chinmayisk/Community_toolkit…
10.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/UG_CI/Les_Classes_Wikipedia_…
11.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Les_sans_pagEs>
12.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Camelia.boban/WikiDonne_road…
13.
<https://blog.wikimedia.org/2017/12/18/project-grants-awarded/>
14.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project>
15.
<
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Project/Quarterly/Committee#committe…
16.
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:IdeaLab/Inspire>
*Marti JohnsonProgram Officer*
*Individual Grants*
*Wikimedia Foundation <http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Home>*
+1 415-839-6885
Skype: Mjohnson_WMF
Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share
<http://youtu.be/ci0Pihl2zXY> in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it
a reality!
Support Wikimedia <https://donate.wikimedia.org/>