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Grants:PEG/User:Pjthepiano - Wiki Education Foundation/US and Canada Wikipedia Education Program/Report

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Report accepted
This report for a Project and Event grant approved in FY Pending has been reviewed and accepted by the Wikimedia Foundation.
  • You may still comment on this report on its discussion page, or visit the discussion page to read the discussion about this report.
  • You are welcome to Email grants at wikimedia dot org at any time if you have questions or concerns about this report.


Project status

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Did you comply with the requirements specified by WMF in the grant agreement?

YES

Is your project completed?

YES

Final Report

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The previous reports on this grant (Interim Reports 1 & 2, linked below), together represent our final reporting. Nearly all grant outcomes were achieved prior to the submission of our last report (Interim Report 2).

For good measure, following is a recap and expansion on earlier reporting against the goals stated in the grant request.

  • Legal incorporation: Wiki Education Foundation incorporated legally as a non-profit in mid-2013. We received 501(c)(3) status in June 2014.
  • Assume operations of Education Program: Wiki Education Foundation has been supporting instructors, students, and community as described in our monthly reports.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders to support U.S. and Canada programs: Wiki Education Foundation has consulted with different groups of stakeholders through surveys, emails, and phone calls. We have also supported instructors and students with Wikipedia teaching materials. Our staff attended and presented at WikiConference USA and Wikimania 2014.
  • Secure additional funding: Wiki Education Foundation secured funding (at 90% of our planned expenses for April 2014–June 2015) through a third party grant (see our announcement in April). In June 2014, we hired a fundraiser to secure additional funds. In August 2014, an anonymous donor committed an additional $500,000 for use in this fiscal year.
  • Secure operational infrastructure: Wiki Education Foundation established a strong base of operations in 2014. We hired a Director of Finance and Operations, developed policies and protocols that conform to best practices in HR and operations, and secured and moved into an office space in the Presidio of San Francisco. We also further developed our website, www.wikiedu.org. We are fully staffed as per plan for this year with 10 full time employees and two half-time staff members.

Report on Expenditure and Return of Funds

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The total amount of grant funding expended was $56,041 for the period of August 2013 through March 2014, when, as per our interim report, we ceased spending against the grant given that we had accomplished the goals that were correlated to the budget.

At that time, the Wikimedia Foundation approved an extension of the grant (through August 2014), on the basis that we were considering using the remaining funds to hold an academic Wikipedia conference, as described in the narrative of our grant proposal.

We do not foresee that a conference as described in our original grant proposal will be organized before August 2015. Given that the intent of the grant was to support the startup phase of the organization in 2013–14, its allocation towards a conference in 2015 would raise legitimate questions from the broader Wikipedia community about whether this event could still be tied to our original grant proposal. Therefore, we will return unspent funds from the grant to the Wikimedia Foundation and consider re-applying for an events grant at a later date.

The total amount of unspent funds to be returned is $91,529. This majority portion of the grant was not expended because (a) the hiring of staff supported by the grant took place at a later date than planned (although all outcomes were achieved during the grant period); (b) near the end of the grant period, we secured a different source of funding to cover core costs.

We are grateful to the Wikimedia Foundation for its generous support, and pleased to report that we have successfully achieved the goals for our organization’s startup phase. The lessons learned under this grant will inform our work as we move ahead.

Addendum to Final Report

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Report Narrative - update

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Q: Metrics: Please provide more detail on how the Wiki Education Foundation progressed toward this measure of success: Have recruited and trained a sufficient number of campus and online ambassadors to support the Education Programs. What is a "sufficient number" and did you reach your goals?
A: We worked with around 40 Ambassadors, and supplemented their work with additional support resources, for example, online trainings and brochures for faculty. We know that the ultimate goal of securing good support for our program was achieved because in Spring 2014, we had zero "incidents", which we define as a Wikipedia editor raising a problem with a class. The lack of incidents argues that our support structure for the duration of this grant was enough to adequately support the program.

Report Financials - update

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Q: We will also need scanned copies of receipts for all expenses as per the reporting requirements.
A: Receipts have been emailed to grants @ ...

Q: Documentation of expenses: This includes a financial report that lists the expenses, budgeted amount, and actual amount spent.
A: Please see table below.

Number Category Item description Unit Number of units Actual cost per unit Actual total Budgeted total Currency Notes
1 Equipment Laptops, printer/copiers, software, etc. n/a 3 laptops 700.00
2,014.53
1,885.91
4,600.44 4,000 USD Includes 1 used computer and service contracts on new laptops.
2 Materials Copier paper, printer ink, envelopes, folders, letterhead, business cards, etc. n/a n/a n/a 216.75 1,000 USD Computer accessories
3 Staff Interim Executive Director; Interim Program Manager 1 person 2 21,168.64
24,810.99
45,979.63 100,370 USD
4 Travel Supports travel for program support, staff recruitment/interviews, and fundraising 1 trip Program support (10), Interviews (8), Fundraising (1) 1,393.47
525.00
1,918.47 15,000 USD Includes 1 fundraising trip to Boston and fees for recruiting/job postings.
5 Fundraising Supports a consultant to assist with fundraising 1 person 2 n/a 0 10,000 USD
6 Professional Services Fees associated with legal and accounting services that cannot be obtained pro-bono n/a n/a 300.00
434.45
9.00
250.00
993.45 2,000 USD Includes accounting service, accounting online software license, bank fees and payroll service.
7 Insurance Liability, Directors & Officers Insurance n/a n/a n/a 0 2,000 USD Insurance obtained at later date/after grant period.
8 Mail/Shipping Includes, for example, mailing materials to students/professors 1 month of mail 1 month of mail n/a 0 700 USD Brochures had not been printed yet, so no mailings were needed.
9 Board Meeting Third quarter board meeting 1 attendee 1 attendee n/a 1,158.85 10,000 USD Meeting held virtually or via conference call.
10 Legal Includes filing fees for articles of incorporation, application for tax exempt status, etc. n/a n/a n/a 1,001.88 2,000 USD Based on an estimate provided by Wiki Education Foundation's attorney.
11 Technology Establish a public website for Wiki Education Foundation n/a n/a n/a 0 500 USD
Total 55,869.47 147,570 USD
  • Please note the following adjustment to unspent funds, as per this addendum: the amount originally reported as "excess" has increased by $171.29.