[Wikimedia Announcements] [Wikimedia Foundation Blog] Fifteen Global Chapter Grants Supported by Wikimedia Foundation

[Moka Pantages]

  Fifteen Global Chapter Grants Supported by Wikimedia Foundation
https://blog.wikimedia.org/blog/2010/09/21/fifteen-global-chapter-grants-supported-by-wikimedia-foundation/

Each year, the Wikimedia Foundation conducts a grant making process to 
support the work of chapters around the world. We are happy to announce 
that fifteen grants for ten different chapters have been awarded for the 
2010-2011 fiscal year thus far. The Wikimedia Foundation is excited to 
help launch all of these great projects and we encourage other chapters 
(and organized groups of volunteers) to consider grant request as we 
have additional funds available.

We'd like to spotlight a grant from 2009/10 as an example of the work 
that chapters are doing. The Indonesian chapter ran a project Bebaskan 
Pengetahuan 2010 (Free Your Knowledge 2010) during 2009/10. The grant 
aimed to enrich the informational content of the Bahasa Indonesian 
language Wikipedia with the goal of increasing active contributions.

The highly anticipated competition included 10 universities on the 
island of Java, each appointing nine students and one professor to 
compete for the largest quantity and highest quality of articles 
produced in the Bahasa Indonesian language. The top-five student winners 
received a laptop computer and free operating system. The grand-prize 
winner was awarded a trip to the 2010 Wikimania in Gdansk, Poland this 
past July.

While it is hard to directly attribute the impact of the project to the 
overall project growth, it is worth noting that the Bahasa Indonesia 
Wikipedia article count grew by over 20% to 130,000 articles between 
August 2009 and July 2010. In addition, page views on Indonesian 
Wikipedia grew by 100% in that time period – the fastest growing 
Wikipedia in the world.

The 2010/11 grants have been provided by the Wikimedia Foundation to 
further the growth of new chapters in the areas of Organizational 
Development, Digital Technology and Outreach Activities. This year will 
see chapter start-ups and kick-offs in Hong Kong, Estonia, Ukraine, the 
Philippines and in New York City. As a result of these grants, chapters 
will be able to register and host their own websites, secure government 
permits and non-profit status as well as pay necessary legal fees.

Organizational development is an important aspect in expanding 
individual chapters. Several Foundation grants have been given for 
materials such as laptop computers, projectors, and video equipment. 
This year, the Netherlands have been granted a forgiveness grant from 
their participation in 2009/10 fundraiser revenue sharing. These funds 
will be allocated towards sustainable organizational development and 
outreach activities.

Digital technology grants have been given to the Hungary chapter for a 
Free License Photo Competition, encouraging the photographer community 
to place their work under Free License for the Wikimedia Commons 
project. The Czech Republic followed up their successful photo project 
in 2009/10 and will continue their efforts to expand the site’s 
documentation of regional costumes and traditions and vernacular 
architectural landmarks project.

Outreach activities are an integral part of chapter work on behalf of 
the movement. Internship programs, Wikimedia conferences and academies, 
and educational programs in schools and universities are all a part of 
this program. New York City is setting a worldwide precedent by holding 
the first annual Wikipedia Day NYC 2011. In conjunction with several 
10th Anniversary celebrations to commemorate a decade of Wikipedia, 
funds will go to logistics preparation and conference supplies for 
participants.

Sharing in Outreach Activities, Wikimedia Switzerland will be embarking 
on a three-year project to invite senior citizens into the world of 
Wikipedia editing. By fostering the life experience and collective 
knowledge of seniors, the Third Age Online (TAO) program will be used to 
bridge age and cultural gaps in the community. Likewise, our Hong Kong 
chapter will be working with a new mandatory liberal studies program in 
high schools, encouraging students to use and contribute to Wikipedia 
Hong Kong.

The grant process is open to all chapters and volunteer groups 
officially recognized by the Wikimedia Foundation. Proposals must be 
aligned with the Foundation’s shared mission statement and the core 
values that drive the Wikimedia project. Each of these project grants 
has been assessed by the Foundation for relevance based on the needs of 
individual chapters and the diffusion of Wikimedia language sites and 
Wikimedia projects worldwide. Once grants are approved, chapters are 
subject to reporting requirements that are then made available to the 
general public to enable knowledge sharing.

This year alone, the Wikimedia Foundation has awarded $82,000 in grants 
to international chapters and $115,000 in forgiveness funding for 
fundraiser revenue sharing. The Foundation is pleased to announce the 
availability of additional funds for the 2010/2011 fiscal year. We 
encourage all chapters to apply. For more information on our grant 
process please visit: http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Index