Grants:APG/Funds Dissemination Committee/Overview of the FDC set-up project and Bridgespan's involvement

The Bridgespan Engagement with Wikimedia

The Wikimedia Foundation has contracted with The Bridgespan Group to develop a process whereby funds can be equitably and transparently disseminated throughout the movement to achieve the highest possible impact.

The Bridgespan Group is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a better world by strengthening the ability of nonprofits organizations to achieve breakthrough results in addressing society’s most important challenges and opportunities. From July 2009 to July 2010, the Bridgespan Group worked with Wikimedia on the strategy wiki to develop its first-ever strategic plan.

Over the next five months, the team from the Bridgespan Group will work collaboratively and transparently to define the funds dissemination process for the movement. This will include developing a recommendation for the role, responsibility, membership, and processes of the Funds Dissemination Committee, a new body endorsed by the Wikimedia Board of Trustees, as well as other processes needed to disseminate funds effectively to individuals and entities in the Wikimedia movement.

The approach to this work will be as follows:

• April-June: Build the fact base and develop a recommendation
  • Understand the benefits and challenges of the current funds dissemination process
  • Gather community input on the future funds dissemination process
  • With deep community input on the Meta, develop a recommendation to the Board of Directors on the design of future funds dissemination process
• July-August: Detail the solution and prepare for implementation
  • Define the core documents and processes necessary for the recommended funds dissemination plan
  • Outline the timeline and activities for implementing the new processes

The work will be guided by an Advisory Group, comprised of representatives from across the community with relevant expertise and experience. In addition, we will be drafting the recommendation on the Meta, so that the community can directly provide input as it is being created. We are eager for your feedback and participation.