Grants talk:Simple/Applications/Wikimedia Taiwan/2018

Eligibility

WMTW is eligible to apply for a 12-month grant starting 1 January 2018, for a grant up to 2,000,000 New Taiwan Dollars, and with up to 2.0 FTE staff. Eligibility is pending the resolution of any past due requirements listed on this page, which must be resolved before this grant is officially approved. Winifred Olliff (WMF Program Officer) talk 23:26, 26 October 2017 (UTC)

budget

guys, access to the google drive (link is posted in the end of the grant request) is closed. Please, open it, so that others can see rubin16 (talk) 19:03, 21 November 2017 (UTC)

Simple Annual Plan Grant Committee recommendation

Committee recommendations

Funding recommendations: We recommend full funding for Wikimedia Taiwan, or 1,788,500 NTD + 10% contingency, or 1,970,000 NTD. Today this is equal to about 65,000 US dollars. We are providing the following rationale: We appreciate the improvements to the program plan, and believe WMTW has important opportunities to be effective in an important and underserved region. As WMTW is becoming a more stable and effective organization, with better governance and financial systems, we think their potential for impact will grow. WMTW’s request for a part-time staff person devoted to education program work is a request that makes sense given WMTW’s priorities in the upcoming year. WMTW is working effectively with its current staff, and is likely to have success expanding that team.

Comments on the next year's plan: Wikimedia Taiwan is a returning applicant, who has received one SAPG. In previous years, WMTW’s staff was funded through external grants, and so they were permitted to request staff in their first APG request. In 2018, they would like to expand their staff by 0.5 FTE, leading to a total of 2.0 FTE staff. This 0.5 FTE staffing increase will be devoted to expanding their education program. WMTW has been conducting education program work that is entirely volunteer-based for several years, and are seeking to support this with staff in order to expand it and make it more effective. As part of this work, they are also continuing to pursue their successful medical translation initiative. Their emphasis on diversity is also special, as they are already partnering with prominent partner organizations in Taiwan and have been cultivating a successful women-led initiative to create a welcoming and inclusive space for non-male editors.

Comments on the current year's focus and achievements: Wikimedia Taiwan has made improvements in their program structure from last year’s application. This is partly in result of work that we did together, to better understand and clarify Wikimedia Taiwan’s programs and strategies. The board of WMTW seems committed to moving in a more strategic direction with its program plans. Medical translation work that is driven by volunteers and supported by Wikimedia Taiwan continues to drive large numbers of articles, in a content area that is important to the Taiwanese public. In 2017, Wikimedia Taiwan was laying the foundation for future partnerships work that is diversity-focused, and was also giving care to supporting volunteers who are leading the WikiWomen initiative. This has laid a good foundation for this work in 2018. Wikimedia Taiwan stabilized their staffing structure in 2017, after a period of several years of inconsistent funding (and therefore salaries and hours) for their staff positions. This is an important part of stabilizing their organization overall, and making sure that key staff contributors can be retained over time.

Other considerations: Wikimedia Taiwan is uniquely placed as one of few active chapters in Asia, alongside Wikimedia Indonesia. They may have opportunities for more collaboration with other active chapters and user groups in this region. They also face a significant language barrier in interacting with the international movement, as many community members do not speak sufficient English to interact with other movement groups. This is something that has to be addressed if we want groups like Wikimedia Taiwan to be more integrated. Wikimedia Taiwan is at an important stage in their development. They have an effective staffing model, and board and staff work well together.

Comments on the next year's focus: If this grant is funded in full, Wikimedia Taiwan will need support in designing and implementing a public recruitment process to fill the new position, and in onboarding a new employee and fitting this person into their staff team. Wikimedia Taiwan’s board could benefit from a more diverse set of skills, and from expertise from different relevant sectors, as well as more representation from the marginalized groups they are seeking to work with. Wikimedia Taiwan underwent a financial review during the site visit, and some important gaps in finance and governance were identified. We are in the process of making a plan to address these gaps in 2018, which should put the organization in a very stable place. The language barrier presents a significant challenge for Wikimedia Taiwan to connect with other movement groups in the international community, and we will think together about ways our movement can address this (it is our collective problem, and not just something for Wikimedia Taiwan to solve). In 2018 we will need to focus on defining relevant metrics and setting accurate targets. Wikimedia Taiwan is still in a phase where they are collecting some baseline data about their work, as their program structure is still evolving. In future years, we may should be able better understand their progress and achievements through metrics. In 2018, we can also begin discussions toward a strategic planning process.

On behalf of the committee -Chinmayisk (talk) 11:14, 2 December 2017 (UTC)

Decision from WMF

Funding decision: Thanks to the Simple Annual Plan Grants Committee for these thoughtful recommendations, and 谢谢 to the board and staff of Wikimedia Taiwan for this application, which is such a big improvement over last year's plan! We are very excited about how the addition of 0.5 FTE to work on your education program will increase your chapter's impact in the long term, and we are happy to be celebrating this milestone with you. The committee has demonstrated a lot of confidence in the potential of your chapter through this recommendation. This grant is approved in the recommended amount of 1,970,000 NTD, or 1,788,500 NTD to be spent according to the annual budget submitted with this application, and a 10% contingency fee that is only to be used for unforeseen expenses with the approval of WMF. The grant term will begin on 1 January 2018, and will end on 31 December 2018. A midpoint report covering the first 6 months of the grant term should be submitted by 15 July 2018, and a final report covering the entire 12 months should be submitted by 30 January 2019. The committee has outlined many important focus areas for Wikimedia Taiwan in 2018, so we will have a year of hard work ahead of us! We are looking forward to following up on the challenges identified in the site visit, as well as pursuing some of these other areas like defining roles and responsibilities among your board and thinking about how to plan a strategy process for your chapter. I think we can achieve a lot in 2018! 恭喜! Best, Winifred Olliff (WMF Program Officer) talk 01:24, 7 December 2017 (UTC)