Talk:Community Resources and Partnerships/India General Support Project/Boli Cheto Foundation's Annual Work Plan for 2024-25

Follow-up questions on your grant application

Latest comment: 6 months ago2 comments2 people in discussion

Hello Boli Cheto The Language and Livelihoods Foundation,

Thank you for putting in a general support application and also for sharing an update at the most recent learning circle conversation: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGU2cyqfv8/ojP_jxT7KZvMoeihYMeQ-w/edit?utm_content=DAGU2cyqfv8&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton

For documentation purposes, I am also including a list of resourcing programmes (non-exhaustive) which were accessed by individuals who were/are connected with your organisation previously. Please feel free to add onto the list as necessary.

2023/2024: Indigenous Language revitalization through Wikimedia Movement - A pilot for Gondi and Kolami

Observations/ Recommendations / Notes Below, you will find the consolidated feedback and observations from the review team (i.e. SA regional funds committee and programme officer). Do take time to read and respond (i.e. provide more details) to the sharing(s) as necessary. Note: The review team may not have the same lived experience or understanding of the local context as you/your team. Hence, providing further insights will be very helpful in building on our collective wisdom and shared learnings.

1) Related to question 8/ challenges, programmes, approaches and strategies: Thank you for sharing your intention behind advancing linguistic diversity and cultural preservation across India and references to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. a) Based on your grant application, we need further clarity on how you are scoping and defining the problem with respect to Kolami and Gondi languages. For example: Are you able to provide further statistics/ references related to your local context, changing legislation that could limit the preservation of the languages for future generations etc b) Is there a reason why you are prioritising these languages and why Wikiprojects is the most suitable platform compared to others? c) Are there sufficient digital resources that can serve as reference(s) given the limited content available online and how are you going about addressing this? d) Apart from content creation, is creation of quality content also valued? If yes, how do you go about reviewing and rating content contribution? e) How are you looking at retention and supporting continued interest of the communities that you have reached out to? Here's a resource from Let's Connect on Retaining New Editors #2 which could be supportive and and adapted/adopted as part of your toolkit for future iterations of your retention strategy. Here's an example of an organisation that has sought to partner with the Wikimedia movement: Grants:Programs/Wikimedia Alliances Fund/Promoting and Fostering the Use of Open Educational Resources in Indonesia

2) Related to question 5/ annual plan: We noted that you have provided a brief timeline for the year instead. To help us better understand the feasibility of your activities, could you please provide more details related to when and how the activity will be implemented. Examples which you may find helpful in presenting your timeline of activities - Project/organiser/month format; Strategy/ activity/ month format; Outcome/output/activity/location/month

3) Related to budget section: Thank you for sharing your proposed budget.

- Suggestion: a) As this year's request is almost 3 times the budget request from the previous year, the following details would be helpful in understanding the increase a) Add a column to the same spreadsheet to include the purposed budget request from last year and provide more details for the change. 2) Elaborate on percentage of staff time dedicated to the project. This is so that we understand if the role is also concurrently funded by another project. c) Could you also provide a list of funding sources to your organisation? You can find a sample template in sheet 3

4) Related to question 11/ describe your team Could you provide the wiki usernames of your implementation team and a description of their relevant experience in the assigned roles within and outside of the Wikimedia movement? Could you also provide an organisational chart, including the Board members of your organisation?

Note to applicant: During the review process, the SA Funds Committee meets 3-4 times (2-2.5 hours/ session) during the review cycle to discuss the grant applications submitted for the cycle. Thereafter additional time is dedicated for individual review (i.e. one review form is submitted for each application - estimated time spend can be about 1 hour/application/person). We would like to highlight that the review team spends a significant amount of time on each application reviewing and providing their perspectives. We hope you will also participate fully in the process by setting aside dedicated time and mind space to provide thoughtful responses to the feedback. During the discussion rounds, we have also captured the verbatim feedback below. Some of which may be on a similar topic. If you notice the trend, it would mean that the question/ observation was raised by several members of the review team and we encourage you to dig deeper to provide more information. If you require support in understanding the context to the feedback and/or in crafting a response. Please know that you can reach out the programme officer for support.

5) This is not a clear proposal; it seems very generic, and lacks clarity about the activities. For example: : "We will be working on introducing Wikimedia in early education to revive the Gondi and Kolami languages." --- this statement itself needs many details, but the first question is "how"? Will they work directly and engage with students or with teachers? - "Introducing new approaches to underrepresented culture and heritage, e.g. decolonising or reparative work". What is an example of this? Terms used like "decolonization" need to be a bit more detailed, given how important this work is and the impact it can have.

6) The proposal needs more clarity on scale, timeline, capacity, role, budget. For example, budget for events is "420000" -- it is not clear how many events they have planned and how they have arrived at this estimate.

7) Structured Feedback Mechanism: While the proposal emphasizes community engagement, it would benefit from a more structured approach to collecting and utilizing feedback from participants. Implementing regular surveys, interviews, or feedback sessions would allow the foundation to gather insights on the community’s experience, which could help refine project activities based on real needs and outcomes.

8) Defining Success Metrics and Impact Assessment: The proposal could be strengthened by incorporating clear metrics for success, such as target numbers for language documentation projects, content created, or volunteer engagement. Establishing these indicators would make it easier to track progress and evaluate the impact of each initiative. Including both quantitative and qualitative metrics would provide a comprehensive view of the project's effectiveness.

9) Capacity-Building for Sustainability: Given the focus on indigenous languages and cultural knowledge, building the capacity of local contributors should be a priority. Providing ongoing training and resources for participants to continue contributing independently could ensure that the project’s impact extends beyond the initial funding period. Offering training in Wikimedia editing, digital storytelling, or other relevant skills could support long-term contributions from the community.

10) Potential for Regional Partnerships: The foundation could explore partnerships with other regional language or cultural organizations to create a broader support network. Collaborating with similar organizations could provide additional resources, enhance outreach efforts, and foster cross-learning opportunities. Regional partnerships might also help in scaling the foundation’s activities and sharing successful methodologies with other indigenous communities.

11) Documentation of Learnings and Best Practices: As this initiative progresses, creating a record of best practices, challenges encountered, and solutions applied could be valuable for future planning and knowledge sharing. Documenting these learnings would allow the foundation to build on past experiences, and sharing them on platforms like Wikimedia Meta could support other communities working on similar goals.

12) Conclusion on Budget Justification - Considering the context of partial funding requests and the mobilization of additional resources, it is important for the Boli Cheto Foundation to provide clarity on the following aspects:

- a) Detailed Fund Breakdown: A comprehensive breakdown of how funds from the Wikimedia Foundation will be utilized versus funds from other sources will enhance transparency and accountability.

- b) Operational Costs versus Project-Specific Funding: Clarifying whether the Wikimedia funding will solely support Wikipedia-related events or if it will also contribute to broader organizational goals can provide stakeholders with a better understanding of the foundation's funding strategy.

- c) Impact Assessment: Including metrics that detail how both Wikimedia funds and external contributions will be measured in terms of community impact, outreach, and cultural documentation would strengthen the proposal and justify the total budget request.

- d) Overall, the proposal would benefit from a clear articulation of how it fits into the foundation's broader funding strategy and operational framework, ensuring that all stakeholders understand the financial landscape surrounding the Boli Cheto Foundation's initiatives.

Thank you and we look forward to speaking on the 19 November and reading your responses by 24 November. Please let us know if you require more time.

Regards,

Jacqueline on behalf of South Asia Regional Funds Committee

JChen (WMF) (talk) 03:32, 18 November 2024 (UTC)Reply

Responses from Boli Cheto Foundation

Hello JChen (WMF) and South Asia Regional Funds Committee,

Thank you for hosting the meeting on 19 November. The interaction was insightful and instrumental in refining our understanding, allowing us to carefully draft our responses to align with the committee’s expectations.

Our plan holds immense significance as it addresses critical gaps in indigenous language preservation and cultural heritage through Wikimedia projects. By empowering underrepresented communities, creating open knowledge repositories, and building sustainable local capacities, we aim to drive meaningful impact that resonates with the free knowledge movement.

Here are the responses for each of the follow up questions :

1) Related to question 8/ challenges, programmes, approaches and strategies:

Thank you for acknowledging our efforts to promote linguistic diversity and preserve cultural heritage across India. We deeply appreciate your recognition of our alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which guide our commitment to fostering inclusivity and ensuring the representation of underrepresented languages and communities.

a) Scoping and defining the problem

Gondi and Kolami are not recognized under Schedule 8 of the Indian Constitution, resulting in limited institutional support for their preservation. Past initiatives by governments and tribal agencies were impactful but unsustained. With speaker populations declining and younger generations shifting to dominant languages, these languages face extinction. Additionally, there is minimal representation in digital and educational spaces, further jeopardising their survival.

b) Why prioritize Gondi and Kolami, and why Wikimedia?

Gondi and Kolami are endangered indigenous languages with rich cultural significance. Wikimedia is ideal because it supports multilingual content creation, is globally accessible, and operates on an open knowledge model, allowing communities to document and share their heritage. Unlike closed platforms, Wikimedia fosters collaboration and sustainability, ensuring that content can evolve while remaining free and universally available.

c) Addressing the lack of digital resources

While Gondi and Kolami lack extensive digital resources, regional materials in Telugu, Marathi, and Hindi can serve as references. We are documenting oral traditions and collaborating with communities to create new content. Partnerships with academic institutions such as Hyderabad Central University and Gondwana University, along with digitization efforts, aim to make rare materials accessible under open licenses, thereby enriching the available resources for these languages.

d) Ensuring content quality

Content quality is prioritised through community reviews and expert involvement. We organise workshops to train contributors in citation, formatting, and linguistic accuracy. Collaboration with academics and native speakers ensures culturally accurate, high-quality content. Regular peer reviews and community feedback are integral to maintaining standards on Wikimedia platforms.

e) Retention and community engagement

To retain contributors, we focus on community-led initiatives, capacity-building workshops, and recognition for contributors. We provide mentorship, ongoing technical support, and tools for sustained engagement. Retention strategies include integrating language efforts into cultural events, fostering local ownership of projects, and incentivizing long-term participation through gamification and recognition programs.

2) Annual Plan Timeline Brief:

We updated the timeline to a detailed strategy/activity/month format. This ensures clarity, feasibility, and tracking of activities throughout the year.

Here is the link to the updated Annual Plan : Link

3) Budget Justification Brief:

a) Added a column comparing the previous year’s budget with current requests and detailed justifications for increases.

b) Clarified staff time allocation: Program Director (50%), Manager (70%), Coordinators (90%), with no overlapping funding.

c) Listed funding sources, including Wikimedia, ITDA support, and academic collaborations for transparency and accountability.

Here is the link to updated budget : Link

4) Related to question 11/ describe your team

Program Director

Jyoti Devi Medhi (User:Medhi jyoti)

Ms. Jyoti Devi Medhi (She/her) serves as the Director of Boli Cheto. She oversees project activities and builds strategic partnerships across Northeast India and Southeast Asia. With an MBA and extensive consulting experience, she collaborates with government and policy organizations on regional development initiatives.

Program Manager

Nethi Sai Kiran (User:Nskjnv)

Mr. Nethi Sai Kiran (He/him) is a language activist and experienced Wikimedian with five years of involvement in various Wikimedia initiatives. As Program Manager, he is responsible for comprehensive project management, overseeing implementation, and reporting outcomes.

Program Coordinators

Athram Mothiram (User:Mothiram 123)

Mr. Athram Mothiram (He/him) is a teacher, writer, and poet from the Kolami community. As Program Coordinator, he manages the Kolami Wikipedia project and works closely with local government bodies and the Kolami community to ensure meaningful engagement.

Sidam Kiran Kumar (User:Kiran sidam)

Mr. Sidam Kiran Kumar (He/him) is a Gondi community leader, writer, and active Wikimedian. As Program Coordinator, he oversees the Gondi Wikipedia project and liaises with Gondi community-based organizations to promote participation and cultural preservation.

Our organization’s board is a dynamic collective of experts from diverse backgrounds, including esteemed academics, dedicated social workers, and accomplished writers from Indigenous communities. This thoughtfully assembled team ensures inclusivity, fosters meaningful collaboration, and supports well-rounded, impactful decision-making processes.

Link to Organizational Chart: [1]

5) Lack of clarity in proposal activities:

We appreciate the feedback and agree that additional details are essential. For introducing Wikimedia in early education for Gondi and Kolami, we plan to engage directly with both teachers and students. This will involve:

Organizing workshops with teachers to incorporate Wikimedia into lesson plans.
Conducting interactive sessions with students on creating and editing Wikipedia content in their native languages.

On "decolonization," our approach focuses on empowering indigenous communities to reclaim and document their linguistic and cultural heritage. For instance, we will digitize oral traditions and ensure the content reflects the perspectives and narratives of the Gondi and Kolami people, countering historically dominant viewpoints.

6) Need for clarity on scale, timeline, capacity, and budget:

We have planned 2 Major training events (WWT with each 1.5 lakh INR) and 4 offline community events (10K INR each), 2 school teacher training sessions (25k each) and 3 photo walks(10k each) over the year. The budget of ₹420,000 accounts for venue costs, materials, logistics, and travel. This breakdown ensures transparency. A detailed calendar (already provided) includes timelines for these events and shows how capacity is allocated across activities.

7) Structured Feedback Mechanism:

We will implement structured feedback mechanisms, such as pre- and post-training surveys, interviews, and monthly feedback sessions with community members. This feedback will be analyzed to refine activities and ensure they align with participant needs. Additionally, a feedback loop will be established through periodic reporting to the Wikimedia community on progress and challenges.

8) Success Metrics and Impact Assessment:

To ensure measurable outcomes, we will track:

Quantitative metrics: Number of articles created or edited, new contributors onboarded, and training sessions conducted. We will use the necessary tools like Outreach dashboards, Quarry, CampWiz, etc to track the metrics.
Qualitative metrics: Community satisfaction, improvement in language documentation, and stories of impact shared by participants. Regular evaluations will help measure progress against these benchmarks.

9) Capacity-Building for Sustainability:

Capacity-building is a cornerstone of our strategy. Activities include:

Wiki Warrior Training (WWT): A specialized program to train community members in Wikimedia editing and digital literacy.
Ongoing mentoring and resource sharing to empower local contributors to sustain engagement and independently manage Wikimedia projects.

10) Potential for Regional Partnerships:

We plan to collaborate with academic institutions (e.g., Hyderabad Central University, Gondwana University) and other regional language organizations and Regional Wikimedia Affiliates to pool resources and expand outreach. Partnerships with organizations working on indigenous language preservation will also help scale our activities and share learnings across communities.

11) Documentation of Learnings and Best Practices:

We will document best practices, challenges, and solutions encountered during the project. This documentation will be shared on Wikimedia Meta and other platforms to support knowledge-sharing with other communities working on indigenous languages. It will include detailed case studies to guide similar initiatives.

12) Budget Justification:

a) Detailed Fund Breakdown:

A comprehensive fund breakdown is included in the proposal, showing allocations for personnel, events, digital resources, and administration. Additional funding sources include partnerships with local government agencies and academic institutions.

b) Operational Costs vs. Project-Specific Funding:

Wikimedia funding will primarily support Wikipedia-related events and language documentation initiatives. Operational costs are partially supported by other sources to ensure project-specific funding remains focused.

c) Impact Assessment:

Metrics include the number of active contributors, content created, and increased representation of Gondi and Kolami languages on Wikimedia platforms. These metrics will be regularly monitored and reported.

d) Integration with Broader Funding Strategy:

The proposal aligns with Boli Cheto Foundation's broader goals of preserving indigenous languages and fostering community ownership. By mobilizing resources beyond Wikimedia funding, we aim to create a sustainable framework for ongoing impact.

Summary:

We acknowledge the need for greater clarity and have updated the proposal to address gaps. These changes reflect a more detailed approach to activities, feedback mechanisms, partnerships, budget allocation, and impact assessment. Our revised framework aims to ensure transparency, accountability, and meaningful progress toward preserving Indigenous languages.

Thank you, On behalf of Boli Cheto Foundation

Sai (talk) 17:29, 25 November 2024 (UTC)Reply

Your grant application has been approved

Latest comment: 6 months ago1 comment1 person in discussion

Hello Boli Cheto The Language and Livelihoods Foundation,

Thank you for your responses to the follow-ups questions.

Congratulations! Your grant application has been approved in the amount of INR 1,164,812 from 1 January 2025 to 31 December 2025.

Here are some comments from the review team that were captured from the final deliberation round

13) Please focus on One Language One Project (ideally Wiktionary) and show the impact and document the learnings before engaging further on more projects and languages.
14) Being apart of Wikimedia Affiliated organization and having multiple source of funding, the administration cost of the program is massively high and unjustifiable.Hardly have any scope of contributions from public or associates.
15) The team includes 4 paid consultants and nothing else. No volutneers are part of the team. There is no reason to believe that feedback was solicited from the larger team of volunteers.
16) I don't see a clear plan. By when do they plan to launch standalone projects in Gondi and Kolami? Other than metrics about numbers of articles created, which doesn't seem very low or very high, there doesn't seem to be a community of 3-4 volunteers who make 10 edits per month.
17) While, there are 3 paid consultants in their current grant which ends in December 2024, there don't seem to have 3 active editors (a very modest 10 edits per month are needed) for a period of 3 months in either of the 3 projects that they are supporting.
18) They should expand the team by including other volunteers in the region and also by partnering by organizations like CIS which has immense experience in working with different languages and supporting communities.
19) What is their long-term goal?
20) In alignment with Movement Strategy 2030 Initiative #35 (Facilitate a culture of documentation), we also recommend that you take special care in documentation in areas of planning, programme implementation and evaluation.

Recommendations

On this talkpage, we would like to flag questions/ responses for (1), (7 - 11) for inclusion into your implementation plan and take into consideration the comments from the review team (13 - 20). We also suggest that you provide regular updates on this talkpage when you have made progress in these areas with links to other relevant pages for further details.

For (3) and (12), please provide the link to a revised budget based on the final approved funding amount while also taking into consideration the feedback that has been provided to date. You can use your current budget file -> add a tab and name it “revised budget” -> share the link here.

For the review of your next grant application, we will take into account your new application AND progress that you have made in the areas of the recommendations captured on this talkpage. Hence we would encourage you to be proactive in sharing key updates here on a regular basis. If there are recommendations that you have considered and have assessed that it is not the right fit for now, please also provide an update to share your learnings/thought process as well.

Change in implementation plan

We know even the best thought through plans may change.

In the event that there are changes to your implementation schedule, you can reach out to request for a grant extension (i.e. extend end date). Similarly, if there is a surplus budget or changes to your planned budget, you can reach out to me about reallocation (via email and on this talkpage). There is also the option to have the unspent funds deducted against a future grant. More details here: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Return_unused_funds_to_WMF

Additional resources which may be useful

The reporting requirements and templates for the grant can be found here. All reports are to be completed and submitted via Fluxx.
Timelines for reporting can be found in your grant agreement or on Fluxx.
Instructions for post award: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Processing/Grantee_Portal/Post_award
Documenting project expenses: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Grants:Documenting_project_expenses

We thank you for your participation in the grant application process and hope to continue to journey with you as you embark on the implementation phase. Good luck!

Regards, Jacqueline on behalf of SA Regional Funds Committee JChen (WMF) (talk) 16:05, 29 November 2024 (UTC)Reply