Wikimedia movement affiliates/Affiliate derecognition FAQ

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This page includes anticipated questions regarding affiliate de-recognition.

FAQ[edit]

What is happening?[edit]

Based on long standing non-compliance in reporting and failure to meet required steps and deadlines for remediation, which have been communicated to the chapter board, the Wikimedia Foundation will not renew Wikimedia X’s Chapter Agreement. As the posted protocol does not give specific enough detail to the process, this is a breakdown of steps and communications for de-recognition of Chapters and/or thematic organizations. You can review the compliance monitoring and potential de-recognition steps in the process outlined here.

Where can I read recent reports?[edit]

The "reports" page is the main index for reports published by Wikimedia affiliates.

The group is no longer eligible for grants. What does that mean for existing cost commitments and expenses of winding down the chapter?[edit]

Wikimedia X as an organization will not be eligible for future grants from the Wikimedia Foundation and is required to return all unspent grant funds. The Wikimedia Foundation will not provide financial support for any future expenses associated with the organization.

The group is no longer eligible for grants at this time. What does that mean for individual community members?[edit]

The Wikimedia Foundation would welcome requests for support from other individuals or groups in the particular geographic entity.

Would the current officers of Wikimedia X be allowed to request grants through a different organization?[edit]

Yes, so long as there are not open grants issues. Importantly, this depends on whether there are outstanding grants reports or issues associated with those board officers. Signatories on grants are not eligible for additional grant funds until those grant issues are resolved. This includes those members of the board and officers who served during the term of a grant in the case of legal entities, or the specific persons named in the agreement in the case of individual or non-entity awards.

Can individuals from the de-recognized chapter apply for recognition as a new Wikimedia User Group?[edit]

Yes. We encourage members of the de-recognized chapter to consider joining, or, sometimes, even starting a Wikimedia User Group. However, if the members wishing to start a new group are former chapter board members with remaining reporting issues, those issues will need to be resolved before they will be eligible to take part in the leadership of a new user group.

What advance notice does AffCom provide before derecognition?[edit]

AffCom attempts to contact the chapter months in advance to provide instructions for coming to compliance. If willing, AffCom will counsel the chapter to meet minimum requirements.

AffCom does not make any public notice that a chapter is on probation. There is no easy way for anyone to see a list of chapters which are on probation and subject to derecognition in the foreseeable future.

De-recognition Process steps[edit]