Grants:APG/Funds Dissemination Committee/Nominations/2016
Background[edit]
The Funds Dissemination Committee, created in 2012, has been issuing recommendations about funds dissemination to the Board of Trustees. The volunteer members of the FDC have, following the FDC Framework, been in turn appointed and elected.
History of FDC membership[edit]
- Board resolution from September 25 2012 on initial membership
- Appointments in July 2014 (Q&A - Process - Factors considered in Board decision)
- FDC elections 2013 and 2015 - (results 2013 and results 2015)
- Timeline and current members of the FDC
Four of the current committee members will be ending their two year terms this summer, and four new members will be appointed by the WMF Board to fill these vacancies. In 2017, five members will be elected by the community.
Timeline for new Funds Dissemination Committee member nominations and selection[edit]
- June 29 – July 10: (Self-nominations to join the FDC. Candidates indicate their interest through a short paragraph about themselves, and respond to an initial set of questions from the FDC staff).
- July 10 23.59 UTC: end of nomination period
- July 11 – July 17: Public question and answer from community members to candidates
- July 18 – August 5: FDC staff in consultation with the FDC Board representatives interview a sub-set of nominated candidates
- August 5: Shortlist of candidates announced
- August 5 – September 2: Decision on final four FDC candidates by the Board reps in consultation with the full Board
- September 2: Public announcement to community of the four new members
- September onwards: Onboarding new members
Membership criteria[edit]
From the FDC Framework, to be eligible for the FDC, members must:
- Be over 21 years old and over the age of majority in their home country;
- Be able to work effectively in English (although full fluency is not required);
- Present to WMF appropriate personal identification, a copy of which will be maintained by WMF for record-keeping;
- Have sufficient time and dedication to commit to this process and availability to attend in-person meetings, as needed;
- Have a track record of constructive engagement in community discussions and an orientation toward collaborative problem solving;
- And be able to set aside any conflicts of interest and work towards the mission goals of the Wikimedia movement without considering individual or organizational interests.
Staff / board members of entities requesting funds from the FDC may serve on the FDC; however, they must recuse themselves from deliberations pertaining to their entity's application.
Through careful selection of candidates through both the Board-appointment and community election processes, the FDC membership (as a whole) should have the following skills and attributes:
- Experience directing or evaluating programs;
- Grant-making expertise (either as a grantee or grantor of funds);
- Exposure to, understanding of, and personal credibility in the Wikimedia movement (that is, experience in programs, chapters, or administrative roles within the Wikimedia movement);
- And gender, geographic and linguistic diversity.
Membership expectations[edit]
Serving on the FDC will require considerable time, focus, and effort. As noted in the FDC Framework, at a minimum, members should expect to undertake the following:
- Reading and evaluating applications during the two application rounds per year (April/May and October/November);
- In-person attendance at 2 FDC meetings (4–6 day meetings expected per year, generally in mid-May and in mid-November);
- Ongoing monitoring and participation in FDC discussions and activities within the community;
- And sporadically intense phone, email and IRC communication with FDC staff and other FDC members.
In addition, members can expect to:
- present the Board with written recommendations on funds disseminations, based on the outcome of the committee’s assessment
- monitor grants and impact over time, and use these results when considering dissemination recommendations
- participate in committee and movement discussions as well as learning opportunities
- respond to the community’s questions and input about the FDC process and decision
- share experiences and learning with grantees, the larger movement about effective approaches to achieve the goals of the Wikimedia movement
- work constructively and honestly with all parties involved in the FDC process, in the best interests of the Wikimedia movement and to support and advance the mission goals of the Wikimedia movement.
To fulfill these duties, it will be critical for FDC members to remain active and responsive throughout their tenure. In extraordinary circumstances, if members anticipate they will need to be inactive from the FDC for a period of time, they should notify the FDC Chair in advance. If FDC members become inactive without warning, the FDC Chair will reach out to the member to better understand the situation and work with the member to rectify it. If the member is unresponsive or their inactivity becomes chronic, the FDC Chair has the authority to request that the Board of Trustees vote to replace the member with a Board-appointed replacement to finish the term of the original member. If the FDC Chair becomes inactive and unresponsive, other FDC members should call this to the attention of the Board of Trustees.
New FDC members will be carefully trained and on-boarded to ensure continuity of process and ongoing operations of the group. Existing FDC members and the FDC staff will be responsible for training and on-boarding new members.
Expenses associated with fulfilling FDC membership (e.g., travel costs) will be reimbursed. Over time, certain benefits that support the role of the FDC member, such as a travel and admission expenses for Wikimania, admission to a professional conference or training sessions, or participation in site visits, may be offered to attract, engage, and assist members. To avoid a potential conflict of interest, FDC members may not accept compensation or payment in any form (including travel and lodging expenses) from persons or entities that have or will likely have activities before the FDC, including requests for grants. Exceptions to this policy include reimbursements and benefits provided by the Wikimedia Foundation to FDC members as outlined in this proposal and any other exceptions permitted by the FDC charter or a Board resolution.
FDC members will be expected to adhere to articulated conflict of interest provisions that will reduce their risk of being unduly influenced.
How to submit your candidacy[edit]
If you are eligible, please submit your candidacy by doing the following on this page under "nominations":
1. Write a brief summary (of no more than 1200 characters, excluding spaces) stating what you would do if you were elected to the Funds Dissemination Committee, your relevant opinions and experience, and anything else you think is relevant. Submit your summary by 23:59 UTC 10 July 2016.
2. As part of your submission, kindly answer these questions below (your responses to these questions won't count as characters for your summary).
- A. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
- Around directing and/or evaluating annual plans and programs?
- Around grantmaking?
- B. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC?
- A. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
3. Answer questions from members of the community as part of the public Question & Answer.
4. If you are shortlisted, you will be required to submit proof of your identity to the Wikimedia Foundation. To this end, you will be privately contacted by a member of the FDC support team with further information.
Candidates who fail to comply with the above requirements and deadlines will not be eligible.
Nomination[edit]
Nominations are closed. Thank you all!
Candelaria Laspeñas (Cande laspe)[edit]
Cande laspe (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | My name is Candelaria Laspeñas, I am 27 years old and I am from Buenos Aires. I am an Economics licenciada from the University of Buenos Aires. I have worked as a volunteer for Wikimedia Argentina in 2014, and later as staff during 2015 to early 2016. There I was responsible for administrative and financial oversight, being in charge of accountability and budget provisions during the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 FDC processes. I am not an active Wikipedian, but I value this movement very much and I think that I can be able to contribute with the Wikimedia movement with my specific professional skills. I currently work in the Market Research & Insights department of a key international food-products corporation. Previously, I have worked as Management Control Coordinator for a leading public enterprise of the Defense sector in Argentina and in the National Accounts Department of the National Ministry of the Economy of Argentina. Further back in time, I worked for an international telecommunications corporation in the review of accounts payable. I am aware that I should recuse myself from any discussion or decision involving Wikimedia Argentina, and I am of course open to provide you with any further information that may be of interest. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I know the process of annual planning first-hand from my work at Wikimedia Argentina, and I am aware of the kind of advice and direction affiliate organisations expect from the FDC. I was also in charge of global annual planning (with an emphasis in budgeting) for one of my previous employers, and I am responsible for managing different cash flows in my current work. Please note that I am open to disclose further details about my personal experience if needed.
As said, I worked with one of the FDC's current grantees. In Wikimedia Argentina, in fact, I was able to get in contact with representatives from other Wikimedia affiliate organisations with different budget/grant realities. I know their needs are not the same and that different grant models suit different kinds of organisations and stages of budget and reporting management capacity. On another note, I have a professional emphasis on budget audit and analysis, a background that I think can be a useful input for this committee.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I know mine may not be a traditional candidacy. I am not a Wikimedia contributor from the editing point of view, but I feel attached to this movement and I thought at the time I became involved with Wikimedia Argentina as a volunteer that putting my professional skills at the service of one Wikimedia organisation was one way I had to give back what I feel that Wikipedia contributors give people over the world. I am really interested in organisational and management matters and I feel making part of the FDC would enable me to further retribute and involve myself with this movement. I consider myself especially apt at social skills and inter-personal relationships and I am sure I would be able to quickly engage with other committee members. Although I am not an editor, I do know many people from the movement (particularly in Latin America) who are involved in their respective affiliate organisations.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
Eligibility:  VerifiedVerified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) and Janice Tud | |
Garfield Byrd (Gtbiv)[edit]
Gtbiv (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | I am interested in being a part of the FDC and the annual plan grants program as I am interested in supporting the work of chapters. If selected, my goal is to continue in the FDC tradition of giving the time and thoughtfulness to the FDC process and recommendations on annual plan grants in order to support the work of chapters.
In addition to serving as staff to the FDC, as the former Chief of Finance and Administration to the Wikimedia Foundation, I have done site visits to many of the chapters participating in the annual plan grants program and am knowledgeable about chapter finances, operations, programs and governance. I have been a Chief Financial Officer for not for profit organizations for 16 years and currently serve as the Chief Financial Officer for the KIPP Foundation. In addition, I have served as a volunteer Board Treasurer for the Oakland Youth Chorus and Pacific Collegiate School. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
In my work as Chief of Finance and Administration for the Wikimedia Foundation and as staff to the FDC, I reviewed all the applications submitted to the FDC for annual plan grants.
I participated in the grant making process, by assisting with the review of the applications for annual plan grants, performing site visits to follow-up on annual plan grant recipients. During site visits chapters shared how annual plan grants were being used to support their community of editors, their GLAM work and their education programs.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? During my time with the Wikimedia Foundation, I had the privilege of seeing first hand the dedication of the volunteers, the editors and the some of the successful programs that were supported with annual plan grants and the FDC process. Given this experience I have a strong appreciation for the importance of annual plan grants to chapters.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) and Janice Tud | |
Andrea Zanni (Aubrey)[edit]
Aubrey (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | I've been involved in the Wikimedia movement for more than a decade, and it had an enormous impact in my life. It changed the course of my studies, it gave me friends and purpose, it donated me my current profession as a digital librarian. I've discovered in the last 10 years that I what I do best is provide infrastructure for "access to knowledge", and this is what I want to do as a member of the FDC.
For me, the FDC is a means to an end, which is "sum of all human knowledge for everyone". Even more, our vision is means itself: we aim for a better world, and providing access to knowledge" through reason, empathy and collaboration is the path that we chose, as a community, to achieve this goal. As much as I love Wikipedia, I'm convinced that our vision is bigger than just writing encyclopedic articles: we must do that, of course, but also strive for language equity, for preserving and providing primary literature, for organizing and harnessing structured data, for integrating open access scientific research, for preserving different cultural artifacts. If appointed, I'll do my best to make the FDC a platform for our movement, leveraging smaller projects that foster collaboration and open knowledge. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I've been in the board of Wikimedia Italia for five years, serving as secretary, program manager and finally as president. I know well chapters and how it's like to be a volunteer that commits to important and demanding projects. During my presidency, Wikimedia Italia wrote its first strategic plan and applied for (and received) its first APG. I've also participated in countless projects and events within the chapter: I was among the firsts to take Wiki Loves Monuments in Italy, and I supported and created many partnerships with GLAMs (especially libraries).
I recently convened the first international Wikisource conference, hosted by Wikimedia Austria in Wien.
Aside from the grants received with Wikimedia Italia, I've also personally been a grantee in the first round of Individual Engagement Grants in 2013. I've experienced what it's like to be a recipient, and the work that is necessary to be eligible, to satisfy all the criteria, and to report progress when the grant is accepted.
I am aware that I should eventually recuse myself from any discussion or decision involving Wikimedia Italia, and I am of course open to provide you with any further information that may be of interest.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I'm a white, cis, European male in my thirties, so hardly a member of a minority.
Still, I am part of the Wikisource community, a tiny project compared to Wikipedia, but with a lot of potential. As part of a past IEG, and now a leader of a User Group, I know how hard it is to build a community from scratch, to gather a critical mass of community members from different languages. I hope to bring this perspective to the FDC; I hope to see and support many projects related to Wikidata, Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikiquote. There are countless "low-hanging fruits" related to these projects and to these communities. Also, there are huge opportunities for languages and cultures not often represented enough on Wikipedia (Indic or Arabic, for example: Wikisource can be very valuable for these languages). This is the diversity I can bring to the committee. | |
| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) and Janice Tud | |
Felix Nartey (Flixtey)[edit]
Flixtey (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | I have been a contributor to Wikimedia projects since 2013. I volunteer as a community manager for the Wikimedia Ghana User Group and an Account Coordinator for the Wikipedia Library. I am excited about the opportunity to join the FDC to help in the disbursement of grants and to support the work of our affiliates network. I understand the values of our community and am enthused about bringing a whole new perspective to the annual plan grant making process. My goal is to continue in the best efforts of the FDC and to play a significant role in the effective scrutiny of affiliate grants.
I have extensive experience in the financial sector and have served on a couple of finance committees. In my real job as a banker, i review and analyze client's facility requests and pass my recommendations for approval. I have valuable experience in audit, budgeting and financial analysis. I also volunteer as a Finance Coordinator for the Ghana Volunteer Program. In my capacity on this job, I raise funds and seek for grants from institutions across the world. The experience in writing good grants and understanding the fundamentals of a grant will be useful in my role at the FDC. My ability to interpret a good grant and to derive a need for a grant can be used in shaping and improving grants that come through to the FDC. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
In my role as the community manager for the Wikimedia Ghana User Group since 2014, I have written most of the grants for our community projects. This has involved drawing annual plans for programs even though we mostly broke it into several parts and tackled each as a PEG. My role in other job or volunteer roles aforementioned, have mostly involved cashflow management, annual budgeting and annual income and expenditure accounts.
In my position as a Finance Coordinator for the Ghana Volunteer Program, I manage the distribution of funds to support projects around our activities and to individuals organizing volunteer activities in Ghana. I am a grant recipient of the Wikimedia Foundation and with other institutions. I have gained relevant experience in grant writing and perfectly understand the processes and requirements for a successful grant. As mentioned above, on my regular job i review credit facilities and make useful suggestions where necessary. All these skills and expertise will be useful in the role i wish to play for the FDC.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? My experience in Africa and my encounter with members of the Global South through a recent Global South Coalition Meetup i led, has augmented my thoughts on certain issues and afforded me the opportunity to appreciate other perspectives on some diverse issues which i believe are relevant in making decisions concerning such regions or affiliates. I am well versed in the activities and values of the movement, and these values shall guide my thoughts on every suggestions or recommendations i make. Being a leader of a usergroup and starting from the bottom has afforded me the opportunity to realize some very crucial problems that pertain down there, but are most often overlooked. It has enabled me to relate to problems that might be new to the FDC and may seem very insignificant but a great deal to such affiliate bodies.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) and Janice Tud | |
Tomasz Ganicz (Polimerek)[edit]
Polimerek (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | I am interested in being a member of the FDC as it gives a unique occasion to shape Wikimedia movement in hopefully right direction by financial supporting those entities which have good programs addressing real needs of our communities, no matter from which part of the world they are. In my humble opinion, for mature, big organizations and related to them Wikipedias the key issue is to keep with us existing editors and find effective methods to attract a new ones. This means supporting not only typical outreach and GLAM projects but also works related to current internal issues such as: changing editors attitudes towards newbies, bridging gender gap or addressing the most painful problems in MediaWiki interface. For smaller chapters, especially from regions with lower than global average GNP per capita, the key issue is to wake up people who have already access to internet but never though that they can edit Wikipedia and change the world. In Africa and Asia there are areas inhabited by millions of people speaking languages which have Wikipedias that are edited by less than 10 active editors. So we need to support chapters organizing such events like "Wiki Loves Africa" or extensive education programs such as WikiClubs. I'd like also to help to increase the effectiveness of money spending by checking costs to potential impact ratio in all project proposals by demanding hard, real evidence of achieving the proposed goals. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I was serving as GAC member for several years evaluating around 50 various grant applications. Also, as a president of the Wikimedia Polska board, part of my duties is to help raise new projects, evaluate them and make final decisions of financing them (or not). I also created several preliminary annual budget plans for Wikimedia Polska. As a scientist I was an expert for grant evaluation process for EU CORDIS 6th and also 7th Framework Programme.
I was involved in preparing financial part of application and then realization of Wiki Loves Earth 2015 on international level. Quite recently I was main applicant for Ethnography of the Carpatians grant. Within Wikimedia Polska I was co-organizing many projects, among others several Wikiexpeditions, Ritual Year with Wikipedia, first edition of Wiki Loves Monuments in Poland etc. As a scientist I headed 2 larger grants from Polish Ministry of Science (for over 250 000 EUR) and several smaller ones - governmental and also from industry.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I joined Polish Wikipedia in 2001 just few weeks after it was established, so I am definitely a wiki-dinosaur :-). For over 5 years I was just an editor of Polish Wikipedia and then uploader of pictures to Commons. In the late 2005 after co-establishing Wikimedia Polska I started to be involved in wiki-world on organizational and international level serving in the Wikimedia Polska board and several WMF committees. So, I had occasion to see the changes and progress of international wiki-community for quite long time, which, I believe, give me a sort of historical, long term perspective, which might be a value for FDC.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification:  Not yet verified
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Chris Keating (The Land)[edit]
The Land (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | .jpg)
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| Statement | The FDC plays a crucial role in the Wikimedia movement and I’m applying because my experience means I can play a valuable role in that.
I am enthusiastic about the work chapters and other affiliates do, and the potential they have for the movement. However, we are long past the days when having a cool ideas were enough on their own to justify large funds. The level of detailed scrutiny the FDC provides is vital not only for the WMF’s grantmaking process, but in the development of the organisations in the Wikimedia movement. While FDC only works directly with larger entities, the outcomes still shape attitudes and expectations in smaller or newer organisations. My first priority as an FDC member would be to ensure effective communication by the FDC both to APG participants and the rest of the movement. I often compare the APG process to someone trying to throw a ball into a hoop that’s the other side of the wall. You never know if someone has moved the hoop since you last saw it. That results not only in frustration for grant-seekers but poorer decision making all round. While the hoop has become more visible since APGs began, there is always more work to do on this. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
As a trustee of Wikimedia UK for 5 years (and as Chair for about 18 months), I've overseen the development of our governance, strategy, and risk management. This underpinned each year's annual plans and associated metrics. The board's role has been to challenge and scrutinise, and then to monitor delivery against the plans. At work, I'm responsible for developing annual plans for my team, which has a headcount of 6 and a budget of roughly £1.5M, and then for knowing exactly what our performance has been and the reasons for it.
Wikimedia UK has been a participant in the APG process since it was set up and I have good experience of what it looks like from that side. (Naturally, I will recuse myself from anything to do with Wikimedia UK's applications). Also, I work in fundraising and have worked for many organisations that receive significant grant funding. While this isn’t my specialism, it does mean I understand how grantmaking works for most UK charities outside of the specific Wikimedia context.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? Wikimedia UK has given me extensive experience of dealing with difficult conversations in a collaborative and respectful way, and of working effectively in an international context.
I have an interest in promoting good governance and organisational development. For instance, I ran two strategy and governance workshops for affiliate board members, served on the Wikimedia Conference programme committee for a number of years, and publicised the learning points from the Wikimedia UK Governance Review in 2012. Of course the FDC doesn’t “do” governance or capacity building itself, but understanding these things is important to how the FDC makes its decisions. And possibly least relevant to the role of FDC member, I am still very proud of the four Featured Articles on the English Wikipedia that I was the lead writer for. | |
| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Not yet verified
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Salmaan Haroon (Theo10011)[edit]
Theo10011 (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | I've been involved in Meta affairs and governance for the past 6 years. I started out on the original 5-year strategic plan for WMF. Since then, I've been involved in a lot of different areas. I've been active in strategic planning, chapter governance, fundraising, wikimania and other policy related discussions. I've been admin here on meta for roughly the same time, so whether I want to or not, I've had a great deal of exposure to WMF activities. I've participated in grant related discussions, I also reviewed and oversaw a lot of different grants, starting with the early years before there was a grants department. Needless to say, I have opinions on a host of issues.
I have a for-profit business background, so bottom-line and impact are important things to me. I have a degree in commerce/business. I am currently preparing to pursue an advanced degree in economics. I've spent a considerable amount of travelling. Aside from India, I've lived in Middles East (UAE, Saudi Arabia), South America (Brazil), Europe (Lithuania, Portugal, Poland), South Africa (Johannesburg), and briefly in US. As part of my earlier work, my company or I had business dealings in Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, South Africa, Malaysia, UAE, among others. I believe it gives me a more rounded exposure and varied cultural context that might be of value to the FDC. I am primarily an editor. I have no relation with any chapter or movement organisation. I believe it would allow me to have zero conflict of interest in any discussion, or would ever require recusal. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I've reviewed several reports, participated in relevant discussions, even read bylaws and helped out grantees when possible. Though, I've never served on a board of a chapter, I've worked closely with them on several occasions. As someone who is primarily an editor and unaffiliated with chapters, I believe it gives me a different perspective than others.
I have experience dealing with a diverse number of countries and cultures. I also don't mind doing mundane, boring grant related work. Reading through legal and corporate terminology and dealing with international grantees is something I believe I can help out with.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I've had quite a well rounded experience with Wikimedia (online and offline). Mostly, my strength is dealing with difficult topics and situations. I've seen several people avoid confrontation and hard decisions within Wikimedia. I hope my participation can help the group deal with those situations, if any.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Not yet verified
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Bence Damokos (Bdamokos)[edit]
Bdamokos (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | In my contributions to the Wikimedia movement I have always tried to enable the potential of others (be they editors, people wanting to form chapters, chapter members, or the affiliates themselves) to achieve their goals in furthering our mission with only the minimally necessary hindrance. I would like to continue in the same vein at the FDC.
If appointed, I expect to bring my measured wisdom to the Committee that I have applied in my previous roles, while in return I look forward to participating in the strategic discussions that make up the work of the FDC, not only in evaluating the two rounds of applications, but also in advising the WMF on its annual plan, and being an important driver of movement wide discussions on strategy, shared best practices and helping the development of the movement. Apart from my Wikimedian background, I have a masters in International Relations and I am currently employed as a press attaché at the European Parliament Information Office in Hungary, where I get to participate in our "internal FDC process" and have a small part in evaluating grant applications. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I have been in charge of Wikimedia Hungary during its first attempt at professionalisation around the years 2010-2012 that was a very valuable learning experience for me (especially in the fields of community buy-in, strategy and leadership).
Through my work as a board member for Wikimedia Hungary I have actively applied for and executed a number of WMF project grants and have participated as an applicant in the first round of FDC grants. Additionally, I participate in the pre-assessment of grant requests and reports submitted in the European Parliament DG Communication's grants programme.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I have had practical experience setting up and leading as a board member a Wikimedia affiliate through the steps from inception to their first employee. As a member of the Affiliations Committee I have helped many of the affiliates now turning for FDC funding, and have participated and lead the implementation of a number of strategic decisions affecting the affiliates (in particular, around the creation of the user group model).
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Not yet verified
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Ad Huikeshoven (Ad Huikeshoven)[edit]
Ad Huikeshoven (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
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| Statement | The FDC plays a pivotal role in the Wikimedia Movement. The board of the WMF has committed itself to developing a strategy and vision for the movement in the next 12 months. The FDC can formulate a vision on viable and preferable development paths of organizational growth of Wikimedia affiliates and how their programmatic activities might serve the strategy of the movement. I like to see the number of APG eligible affiliates to grow, and generally less concentration of activity in a single entity. In principle the organization of the Wikimedia movement could be as radically decentralized as Wikipedia itself. One of the challenges is the perceived gap between affiliate membership organizations and editor communities. Diversity of funding is another challenge for some affiliates. In my view the FDC grant for an affiliate should not exceed the amount of external funding raised by the affiliate. The FDC has been established to disseminate funds. In the past years not all available funds were disseminated. I welcome a total requests for funding to exceed the available budget - so there is actually something to discuss and to decide. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
From 2012 to 2016 I have been a board member of Wikimedia Nederland, starting as treasurer. I’ve been involved in developing annual plans and grant application for WMNL since 2012 four times including reporting and overseeing reporting.
In my daytime job I have had experience with coordinating evaluations of a several dozens grants in a program totaling several hundred million euro. For Wikimedia Nederland I have been involved in setting up and executing a micro grant program. I have developed and overseen a scholarship program for Wikimania for the past three years.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I served on the Audit Committee of the Wikimedia Foundation in the period 2007 to 2012. I have been a board member of an affiliate at the time the first employees were hired. I am one of two most frequent visitors of the Wikimedia Conferences in Berlin and Milan. I have visited Wikimania Haifa, Hong Kong, London, Mexico City and Esino Lario. I graduated in 1992 in Economics and Business Adminstration at Maastricht University.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Not yet verified
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Anne Clin (Risker)[edit]
Risker (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Statement | I have been a member of the FDC for the last two years, as the committee has developed into a mature, effective and valued component of the Wikimedia community. I am strongly committed to ensuring that the committee continues to make recommendations that dispense movement resources in a way that is equitable and reflects the needs and strategic goals of the Wikimedia movement as a whole. In addition to actively participating in the review of all requests made to the FDC, I plan to work with other committee members to develop a robust orientation program, a member handbook, to develop a process for FDC self-evaluation that incorporates feedback from applicants, and to liaise with the WMF to develop a multi-year strategy for funding of FDC-level annual plan grants. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
In addition to the two years of FDC experience, I participate in the development, analysis, and evaluation of annual plans and programs within my workplace. My focus is on evidence-based decision-making.
Two years of FDC experience. I have also occasionally participated in review of other WMF grant requests, and participated in the review of the WMF grantmaking program redesign.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I am one of the few FDC members or candidates who has no association with any chapters or other affiliated groups; thus, I come to the Committee with a different perspective that is not otherwise captured. I am pre-disposed to looking beyond the words on the screen when considering grant proposals; my 7 years of working within some of the less public areas of the Wikimedia community (as a former Enwiki arbitrator, an oversighter and a checkuser who has led major investigations) have taught me that there is often much more than what is easily quantifiable in templates, diffs or metrics. As the only woman on the current committee, I have come to understand the benefits and the necessity of having a broadly diverse group reflecting on these large, unrestricted grant proposals. My experience at the international level includes attendance at five Wikimanias and one Wikimedia Affiliates Conference, as well as attendance at regional conferences or seminars in North America.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) and Janice Tud | |
May Hachem (May Hachem93)[edit]
May Hachem93 (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Statement | An active editor of Wikipedia, an Education Program leader, and a co-founder of Wikimedia Egypt Chapter. Joined Wikipedia in May 15, 2013, through Wikipedia Education Program as a student. Granted the editor rights on July 30, 2013 and starting serving as a Wikipedia ambassador since October 2013. Euro news interviewed me about my activity to narrow the gender gap in this episode of their weekly show ‘learning world’: (starting at 4:10) http://www.euronews.com/2015/01/09/learning-as-easy-as-a-b-free/. Trained +600 students within the last three years in 7 different language departments. Launched the program in Al- Azhar University in Nov. 2014. It was the first student’s activity in Al- Azhar campus. Given +25 workshops since the beginning of my volunteering including edit-a-thons and training of other volunteers, including online workshops.Run the first women and society course in the middle-east which added 48% of the bytes during spring/summer September 2014 according to this link: Wikiwomen Prize Report. Co-created the Wiki Women prize on wiki aiming at encouraging more women to edit Wikipedia and adding more women-related content, which has lead to massive contributions during the contest, i.e. +5 million bytes added to Wikipedia in one month. Organized Wikipedia Education Program Semi- annual conferences in Egypt. I have started a new collaboration between Wikipedia and the UN Women. Started the program in Alexandria University in 2016 with the school of medicine students. Volunteering with the UN Women regional office in Cairo for the Arab World to organize editing campaigns in collaboration with Wikipedia. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
1.I have been a leader in Wikipedia Education Program in Egypt for two years, Leading the program in three universities now, starting the program from scratch in two of them. The program in Egypt one of the most successful programs all over the Arab world. My participation includes:
2.I am a co-founder of Wikimedia Egypt
As part of Wikimedia Egypt, I review and help writing grants requesting budget for the chapter's activities for two years now.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? This will be -hopefully- my first time to join the FDC team, however, I believe based on the previously mentioned volunteering history, I will be able to review and understand most, if not all, kind of grants proposed, being part of an active chapter like Wikimedia Egypt and leader in three universities and being part of the UN Women projects adds a lot to my experience and analytical skills and communication skills. Besides, currently, I am running a campaign with the UN Women office in the Arab World and Empower Women.com to run an editathon in Egypt for 300 volunteers, Arab representatives in 4 Arab countries, the UN Women headquarter in New York, Women in Red project, all will edit articles as part of the project which is editing articles - in both English and Arabic- for one month and upload them on the 12th of August, 2016. This is proof to my organizational and communication skills which will help me performing well if I was selected for the FDC membership. Finally, I have attended Wikimania this year and WikiArabia early this year, which increases my international and regional awareness of the projects and activities led by chapters on both levels.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Not yet verified
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Pierre-Selim Huard (PierreSelim)[edit]
PierreSelim (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Statement | My name is Pierre-Selim, I'm 33 years old, I'm a contributor of the Wikimedia projects for almost 10 years now, member of Wikimedia France for almost 7 years and member of the board of Wikimedia france since 2013 (with a one year iatus in 2014). At work, I'm in the management team of a small business producing "global metrics tools" for airlines.
I've been interested in the FDC since it's inception because it's a unique framework that allows various entities to get unrestricted grants. The FDC is now funding about 15 entities, which makes it a success. The APG framework has been a cornerstone for my volunteer work in Wikimedia France. I've been able to introduce formal evaluation and a continuous improvement process that lead to the creation of a "quality" committee on the board of trustees. I believe I can therefore bring a good mix of skills including: annual plan/budget oversight, understanding metrics (their context and their limits), understanding evaluation processes (from both side). | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
As a volunteer, I’ve been part of the organization committee of Wiki Loves Monuments in France for several years, and as a board member I have oversight the execution of Wikimedia France several times. I have led to the creation of the quality committee of Wikimedia France and co-authored http://tools.wmflabs.org/wm-metrics/ to help us evaluate our impact on Wikimedia Commons.
At work, I’ve led the creation of metrics software that evaluate fuel efficiency initiatives of airlines. First as product owner, then as management (and head of product/science departments). I have a broad experience in evaluation and continuous improvement plans from my volunteer and professional background.
Wikimedia France has been a participant in the APG since its first round, and I have a good experience of that side.
On a smaller scale, I’ve been part of the micro grant committee of Wikimedia France, and I have pushed a lot for efficiency of this committee (at the end of my term we were processing twice as much grants than previously twice as fast, which was a good improvement.)
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? Volunteering at Wikimedia France gave me a good experience in APG. We were some of the first to fail Grants:APG/FDC recommendations/2012-2013 round1. We were also the first to reach recommendation of full funding in Grants:APG/FDC recommendations/2013-2014 round 2.
As a board member, one of my interests has often been the international dimension of our movement (I used to represent WMFR in the WCA) and I enjoy discussing with other affiliates' programs and challenges (either at WMCON or Wikimanias).
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Not yet verified
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Bishakha Datta (Bishdatta)[edit]
Bishdatta (talk • meta edits • global user summary • CA • AE)
| Candidate details | 
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| Statement | I've wanted to be a member of the FDC ever since I was its board liaison from 2013 to 2015. I see the FDC as a radical and successful experiment in grantmaking that makes Wikimedia organizations stronger by helping realize their dreams. In this way, the FDC directly contributes to building the Wikimedia movement. I come from the non-profit world and much of the grantmaking I've seen outside Wikimedia is different. In traditional grantmaking, individuals make funding decisions and individual preferences and biases also play a role in these decisions. The FDC is a collective grant-making process that puts aside individual agendas in the interests of the Wikimedia movement. I believe in this. I've seen how it has worked in practice and would like to contribute to making it – and the movement - even stronger. If selected, I would bring a unique insider-outsider perspective, both as a Wikimedian and as a non-profit person. | |
| Compulsory questions | 1. What experiences of yours do you think will enhance the work and recommendation process of the FDC?
I run a non-profit in India that amplifies women's voices and removes barriers to voice, speech and expression. This means that I am used to thinking strategically and programmatically. I regularly create, build, strengthen, monitor and evaluate our own programs, literally on a daily basis. I understand how non-profits work, what it means to think strategically, to produce results, and to be accountable to communities, movements and donors.
I also serve on several non-profit boards in India and Asia – all related to women's rights. As a board member, I am used to assessing and evaluating strategic plans and programs of these non-profits. I am part of the women's rights movement, so analysing strategy for me means asking fundamental questions. (For example, how will this strategy or this program actually change women's lives?)
I've been involved with grantmaking from both sides, both as someone seeking grants and as someone advising on grants for various national and international foundations. So I understand grantmaking from both perspectives.
2. How does your history with Wikimedia make you suited for the FDC? I was a member of the Wikimedia board of trustees for five years from 2010-2015. During this time, I was an advisor to the first WikiConference in India, held in 2011 in Mumbai. I was also part of the core group that held the first gender gap workshop in Mumbai, India. While on the board, I was board liaison to the Affiliations Committee, the Funds Dissemination Committee and the Election Committee. I was also part of the Movement Roles working group which led to the creation of new forms of affiliation, including thematic organizations and user groups. I edit occasionally.
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| Verification | Identity verification performed by Wikimedia Foundation staff and eligibility verification performed by the Elections Committee | |
| Eligibility: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) |
Identification: Verified Verified by: Delphine (WMF) (talk) and Janice Tud | |
Update from the Board and shortlist of candidates[edit]
As Board representatives to the Funds Dissemination Committee (FDC), we would like to thank all the candidates who nominated themselves for the four vacancies on the FDC. Thank you for the thought and effort that you have put into your applications and into the other components of the nominations process, including your thoughtful responses, reflections and insights to the m:Grants:APG/Funds Dissemination Committee/Nominations/2016/Q&A.
Six of the original thirteen submissions have been shortlisted. All candidates were interviewed this round by one or two members of the FDC staff (Winifred Olliff and Delphine Ménard).
We looked particularly at the following points in shortlisting the candidates:
- Wikimedia history/experience;
- Non-WM history/experience;
- Alignment with the FDC criteria developed in the framework;
- Overall portfolio mix (languages, region, gender, chapter/wikiproject/community experience etc.)
- Statements and responses to the questions and answers and in interviews.
Summaries and transcripts of the interviews were shared with us, giving us a chance to understand each candidate’s background, experiences and interests in greater depth.
In the coming month, the Board of Trustees will select four members to the FDC from the interviewed shortlist. We will announce these appointments by close of day UTC 2 Sptember 2016. Once again, we thank all those who nominated themselves to the FDC; there were several very strong candidates this round, and shortlisting them was difficult. Choosing four will also be a challenge.
Best,
Dariusz and Guy
Shortlisted candidates: (in order of submission)
- Candelaria Laspeñas (Cande laspe)
- Garfield Byrd (Gtbiv)
- Andrea Zanni (Aubrey)
- Felix Nartey (Flixtey)
- Anne Clin (Risker)
- Bishakha Datta (Bishdatta)
On behalf of the Board representatives to the FDC, Pundit (talk) 12:27, 5 August 2016 (UTC)
Board decision on FDC member appointments[edit]
We are pleased to inform you that the WMF Board of Trustees has come to a decision about which four candidates to appoint to the FDC. The resolution is now published in https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Resolution:Funds_Dissemination_Committee_Membership_2016
We have selected four appointees as follows:
- Garfield Byrd (User:Gtbiv)
- Anne Clin (User:Risker)
- Bishakha Datta (User:Bishdatta)
- Candelaria Laspeñas (User:Cande_laspe)
On behalf of the Board, we want to thank Dumisani, Matanya and Osmar for their service to the FDC. We deeply appreciate the years they have served the committee and all the work they have done during many rounds of FDC recommendations. Their insights, perspectives and experiences have been invaluable to the work of the committee, and have gone a long way in shaping the development of the APG process into a succesful and important part of grant-making in the Wikimedia world.
We also want to thank all the candidates that participated in this round of nominations, and encourage them to consider re-applying for the committee next year, when new members will be elected to serve on the committee.
On behalf of the Board representatives to the FDC
Pundit (talk) 14:17, 16 September 2016 (UTC)