Dear friends and colleagues,

We want to share with you information about the Letter of Intent process and the FDC schedule for next year (July 2013 - June 2014). As you may remember, the Letter of Intent (LoI) is the first step towards applying for funds from the FDC, as discussed in the FDC framework [1]. This was not part of the first year's process, but is meant to be an integral part of the FDC calendar from this next round (Round 1, 2013-14) onwards. The Letter of Intent asks all entities who intend to apply for Round 1 (or Round 2) to formally state their intention to do so. In addition, the LoI now asks applying entities to include a notional dollar figure (or local currency figure) in the Letter of Intent. Applying entities will be able to update this amount in their final FDC proposals. The updated Letter of Intent template will be available on the FDC portal [2] by May 1, but the sample is here for reference [3].

With the Letter of Intent, the FDC staff can support applying entities in their proposal process well before the deadline for proposals. We hope this will remove some of the challenges faced by applicants in the first year of the FDC process. The FDC can also plan better with a clear understanding of who intends to apply, and an estimation of the funds requested.  

The FDC framework originally stated that the deadlines for the LoI were June 1 for Round 1 and November 1 for Round 2. However, we are pushing back the deadline by one week, since the community review period was also extended by two weeks. The LOI deadline will now be June 8 for Round 1, and November 8 for Round 2. 

For your reference, here is the updated 2013-2014 Round 1 proposal process schedule: 

  • Letter of Intent deadline for Round 1: 8 June 2013
  • Deadline for WMF Staff to post eligibility: 15 July 2013
  • Deadline for entities to meet eligibility requirements: 15 September 2013
  • Proposal submission deadline: 1 October 2013
  • Community review period: 1 October - 31 October 2013
  • Staff assessment deadline: 8 November 2013
  • FDC recommendation due: 1 December 2013
  • Board decision due: 1 January 2014

The schedule for the 2013-14 Round 2 proposal process:
  • Letter of Intent deadline for Round 1: 8 November 2013
  • Deadline for WMF Staff to post eligibility: 15 December 2013
  • Deadline for entities to meet eligibility requirements: 15 February 2014
  • Proposal submission deadline: 1 March 2014
  • Community review period: 1 March - 31 March 2014
  • Staff assessment deadline: 8 April 2014
  • FDC recommendation due: 1 May 2014
  • Board decision due: 1 June 2014

It is our hope that the Letter of Intent process will help in planning for both the entities and the FDC, and ensure that the FDC and FDC staff are supporting the applying entities significantly ahead of the proposal deadlines.

As always, do not hesitate to let us or the FDC support staff (FDCsupport@wikimedia.org) know if you have any questions or concerns about this important process.

Warm regards,
Patricio and Jan-Bart
(Board representatives to the FDC)

[1] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Funds_Dissemination_Committee/Framework_for_the_Creation_and_Initial_Operation_of_the_FDC#Process_overview
[2] http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal
[3] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/FDC_portal/Sample_letter_of_intent


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Patricio Lorente
Blog: http://www.patriciolorente.com.ar
Identi.ca // Twitter: @patriciolorente