Wikimedia Foundation elections/2022/Affiliate Organization Participation/Candidate Questions/Question14
Would you support the idea of WMF sponsoring free knowledge projects it benefits from such as the OpenStreetMap Foundation or the Internet Archive?
Farah Jack Mustaklem (Fjmustak)
Very much so. If the WMF is in a position to sponsor other free knowledge projects, it should definitely do so. Supporting open knowledge ensures they remain viable alternatives to the much more heavily funded proprietary solutions.
Mike Peel (Mike Peel)
I support the idea, providing it's clearly linked to the Wikimedia movement's goals, and has clearly defined objectives that will have significant impact. Checking that this is the case requires community engagement in reviewing proposals.
Gilbert Ndihokubwayo (Gilbert Ndihokubwayo)
Yes, I would support the idea of WMF sponsoring free knowledge projects it benefits from such as the OpenStreetMap Foundation or the Internet Archive, because the projects contribute in collecting data that WMF will need, as well as we want knowledge from all languages and cultures.
Tobechukwu Precious Friday (Tochiprecious)
Because it’s donor money, funding Wikimedia movement projects should always be a priority and the Foundation should always be transparent in its actions. Sponsoring free knowledge projects it benefits from is a good idea but from a financial surplus and in compliance with the donor policy; while the donors are aware of how their donations are used; and with the establishment of the knowledge Equity Fund, communities should also play an active role in regards to this.
Lionel Scheepmans (Lionel Scheepmans)
One more time. Let's talk about sharing knowledge, not sharing money.
Abderamane Abakar Brahim (Abakar B)
Supporting its free knowledge projects is a very good idea and allows in the event of a crisis to have a topographical idea of the passage for humanitarian aid and to have an overview.
Joris Darlington Quarshie (Joris Darlington Quarshie)
Yes, I do! So far it is contributing to the progress of the Wikimedia Foundation and we both do benefit from each other there is nothing to lose.
Egbe Eugene Agbor (Eugene233)
No response yet.
Kunal Mehta (Legoktm)
Sure, when it makes sense to do so, as we've done in the past with the MariaDB Foundation (very illuminating thread to re-read by the way) and Freenode. Sometimes we've done more targeted contracts like with Phabricator, git-annex, packaging in Debian, and more. Or we can lend servers/hosting support via Cloud Services like with Freenode (again) and smaller projects like WikiApiary.
In T289899 I proposed funding a security audit of Mailman3, which is yet another way to support other free knowledge and software projects and give back. In short, there are a lot of different ways we can sponsor other projects that we benefit from, and we should continue that practice when appropriate. Most past examples are for free software projects, but we should also consider free knowledge projects too.
Shani Evenstein Sigalov (Esh77)
Absolutely yes! See my answer to question #9.
Gina Bennett (Redwidgeon)
Yes, as long as the projects support the vision, goals and values of the WMF.
Michał Buczyński (Aegis Maelstrom)
Yes, using the same or similar resource allocation frameworks (funding for impact, expecting reasonable scrutiny etc.) which are used for the Movement entities.
As I wrote responding to Question 9, Resource Allocation Working Group actually discussed boundaries of the Movement using such entities as examples; and if there is a wide agreement we can support them as we enjoy their work, and under proper circumstances funding them could be highly beneficial to the general Movement.