Grants:PEG/Ada Initiative/AdaCamp 2014

Funded

This submission to the Project and Event Grants Program was funded in the fiscal year 2014-15. This is a grant to an organization.

IMPORTANT: Please do not make changes to this page without the explicit approval of Project and Event Grants Program staff. They will be reverted.

This project has already been funded, but you may still add or review comments on the discussion page.
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Report: Please visit Grants:PEG/Ada Initiative/AdaCamp 2014/Report to read this report, comment on this report, or review its status.

Basic information

Grant request details

Are you an organization, a group, or an individual?: Organization
Please provide your name, or the name of the group or organization requesting this grant.: Ada Initiative, Inc.
Please provide the name (or username) of the main contact for this grant request. You do not need to disclose your legal name publicly.: Valerie Aurora
For groups and organizations only: Please provide the name (or username) of a second contact for this grant request.: Suki McCoy
Please link to any relevant documents, including your website if you have one.: adainitiative.org, adacamp.org

Project details

Official project name: AdaCamps for women in open tech/culture in 2014
Project start date: This is the date you begin work on your project. Please include a month, day, and year. You must include a project start date.; September 1, 2014
Project completion date: This is the date you finish work on your project. Please include a month, day, and year. You must include a project completion date.; December 31, 2014
Please describe the project in a few sentences: AdaCamp is a series of conferences dedicated to increasing women’s participation in open technology and culture: open source software, Wikipedia-related projects, open data, open geo, fan fiction, remix culture, and more. AdaCamp brings women together to build community, discuss issues women have in common across open technology and culture fields, and find ways to address them. In 2014, we are conducting three AdaCamps. This grant application is seeking funding for AdaCamps in the second half of 2014; AdaCamp Berlin, hosted by Wikimedia Deutschland in October and AdaCamp Bangalore in November.

Financial details

Please request your grant in your local currency. WMF is able to grant funds in many currencies.

Amount and currency requested: $11,480 USD
Please provide an equivalent amount in US dollars using the exchange rate provided by Oanda on the date you open this request: N/A

For organizations only

This section only needs to be completed by organizations requesting grants. Individuals and groups that are not incorporated do not need to complete this section.

Are you an incorporated organization able to provide local proof of nonprofit status within your country? For-profit organizations are not eligible to receive grants through the PEG program.: Answer YES or NO.; Yes
Does your organization currently employ or engage any fulltime or part-time staff or contractors? If yes, please tell us how many staff or contractors you employ or engage, along with their functions or a link to your staff page. For example, "2 full time program managers and 1 part-time contractor accountant at 50% FTE each.": At present, the Ada Initiative has 1 full time Executive Director, 1 full time Director of Operations, and 1 part-time Director of Programs at 60% FTE (http://adainitiative.org/about-us/founders-and-staff/). We also employ professional subcontractors on an as needed including a graphic designer, technical support consultant, accountant, lawyer and event planners.

Goals and measures of success

Project goal

Please briefly describe what will be accomplished if the project is successful.

Project goal: The primary goal of AdaCamp is to increase women's participation and status in Wikimedia projects, open source software, open data, open government, fan/remix culture, and similar fields. We achieve this goal by teaching women skills for participating in, grow attendees' personal networks within, increase attendees' confidence and participation in, and help women develop careers in open technology and culture.

Attendance at AdaCamp is by invitation and attendees are selected from qualified applicants through an open invitation process. The application process is open to people who identify as a woman in a way that is significant to them. Attendees are selected based on experience in open technology and culture, experience or knowledge of feminism and advocacy, ability to collaborate with others, and any rare or notable experience or background that would add to AdaCamp. Participants registration fees are self-selecting and range from no fee to an amount that covers the total cost of an individual. In addition to creating an environment that is welcoming to women, we work to make all our events accessible to people with disabilities.

The Ada Initiative has run four AdaCamps in two countries, with more than 300 women in open tech/culture attending. We survey attendees after each AdaCamp. After our most recent AdaCamp in Portland, 100% of people who answered the survey felt that AdaCamp had improved their professional networks and nearly as many (88%) felt more part of a community of women in open technology and culture. 73% percent of respondents agreed that AdaCamp increased their awareness of issues facing women in open technology and culture and 77% agreed that they are more committed to participating in open technology and culture now, two of the primary goals of AdaCamp.

In 2014, we are switching away from the one large conference model and running multiple smaller AdaCamps in three different continents to reach a greater variety of women in open source and technology. In October, and in association with Wikimedia Deutschland, we will offering AdaCamp Berlin. In November, we will be holding an AdaCamp in Bangalore. Although neither of these events will be limited to Wikipedian participants, we expect a high density of Wikimedia-related individuals to apply. This is because the Berlin AdaCamp is hosted at the WMF DE offices, and our primary local contacts for the Bangalore event are active Wikipedians (Noopur Raval and Netha Hussain).

The Ada Initiative is a non-profit organization founded in February 2011 to increase the participation and status of women in open technology and culture communities, including open source, free culture, Wikipedia and other open knowledge communities, open government, remix culture and others. Founders Valerie Aurora and Mary Gardiner each have over a decade of experience in both open technology and advocacy for women. Our board of advisors includes Wikimedia experts Sue Gardner, Sumana Harihareswara, Noopur Raval, Sara Smollett, Ellie Young, and Gayle Karen Young.

Measures of success

Please provide a list of measurable criteria that will be used determine how successful the project is. You will need to report on the success of the project according to these measures after the project is completed.

Measures of success

Number and proportion of AdaCamp attendees who are Wikimedians (goal: 100 and 40% respectively)
Number of AdaCamp attendees who report in the post-event survey that they:

increased their network in women in open tech/culture
feel more like part of a community of women in open tech/culture
got a greater understanding of the issues facing women in open tech/culture
increased their commitment to participate in open tech/culture

Our goal is that at least 80% of post-event survey respondents agree that AdaCamp helped them achieve these goals. Previous AdaCamps had 88% - 100% of survey respondents agreeing that each of these goals had been achieved.

Production of publicly available documentation licensed CC BY-SA or similar

Project scope and activities

This section describes what will happen if this project is funded. Who will do what, and when?

List of activities

Day 1 of the conference:

Introduction: Participants learn about the unconference structure of the conference and the rules for behavior and engagement during the conference.
Impostor Syndrome Training: Participants will learn about Impostor Syndrome, a common reaction to doing publicly visible and publicly criticised work like that done in open technology and culture. Impostor Syndrome is the feeling that you aren't actually qualified for the work you are doing and will be discovered as a fraud. It is prevalent among women in open tech/culture, many of whom have been socialised to value other's opinion of their work above their own, and to do things "by the book."
Theme 1: Introduction to open stuff and “my community”: Participants identify their open source and technology communities and discuss the barriers to success they experience as women.
Lightning talks: A series of short talks on a wide range of topics given by participants to the group as a whole.
Session organization: Participants identify the topics they would like to discuss during the remainder of the conference and organize the topics into sessions under the themes.
Theme 2: What’s the problem?: Participants define the breadth and scope of the barriers to success they encounter in open source technology and culture.
What are the existing solutions to problems?: Participants identify existing resources and solutions to their barriers, as well as any gaps.
Closing session: Overview of the day and timeline for day 2.
Topic-focused dinner groups in the local community.

Day 2 of the conference:

Introduction: Participants are advised of the structure of day 2 and organize their sessions.
Theme 3: What are other/more ideas to solve problems?: Participants identify ways they can remove or overcome barriers or fill gaps in resources and solutions that will allow them to succeed in open source technology and culture.
Lightning talks: A series of short talks on a wide range of topics given by conference participants to the group as a whole.
Workshops, make-a-thon, edit-a-thon, hack-a-thon, tutorials: Longer teaching sessions focusing on specific skills and working on projects together, such as learning to edit Wikipedia.
Closing session: Participants give feedback to conference organizers about their experience of and during the conference.

After AdaCamp, attendees join the AdaCamp Alumni mailing list, which is active year-round with people asking for support and advice, posting internships and job opportunities, recruiting people for edit-a-thons, and similar activities.

Budget

Please provide a detailed breakdown of project expenses according to the instructions here.

Grantees are subject to line-item scrutiny of expenses. Changes to the approved budget beyond 10% in any category must be approved in advance.

Project budget table: Sponsorship of $11,480 from Wikimedia would allow the Ada Initiative to fund travel and accommodation grants for people who could not otherwise afford to attend, as well as cover food costs for AdaCamps Berlin and Bangalore.

Number	Category	Item description	Unit	Number of units	Cost per unit	Total cost	Currency	Notes
1	Travel scholarships	Travel and accommodation scholarships	1 scholarship	10	500	5,000	USD	$500 scholarship/individual
2	Catering	lunch for Berlin day 1	1 meal	50	22.4	1,120	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
3	Catering	morning snack for Berlin day 1	1 snack	50	11.2	560	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
4	Catering	afternoon snack for Berlin day 1	1 snack	50	11.2	560	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
2	Catering	lunch for Berlin day 2	1 meal	50	22.4	1,120	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
3	Catering	morning snack for Berlin day 2	1 snack	50	11.2	560	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
4	Catering	afternoon snack for Berlin day 2	1 snack	50	11.2	560	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
5	Catering	lunch for Bangalore day 1	1 meal	50	10	500	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
6	Catering	morning snack for Bangalore day 1	1 snack	50	5	250	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
7	Catering	afternoon snack for Bangalore day 1	1 snack	50	5	250	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
8	Catering	lunch for Bangalore day 2	1 meal	50	10	500	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
9	Catering	morning snack for Bangalore day 2	1 snack	50	5	250	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location
10	Catering	afternoon snack for Bangalore day 2	1 snack	50	5	250	USD	estimated using historical cost and adjusted for inflation and the cost of living in each specific location

Budget:

Travel and accommodation grants for up to 10 attendees (up to a maximum of $500 each): $5,000
Food/catering for lunch and snacks for 50 people for 2 days for AdaCamp Berlin: $4,480
Food/catering for lunch and snacks for 50 people for 2 days for AdaCamp Bangalore: $2,000

It is possible that some sponsor may donate part or all of the travel scholarships or food costs directly. If that is the case, we would spend the remaining funds on one or more of the following:

Additional (national) travel grants
International travel grants: approximately $2,000 per person
On-site childcare for up to 10 children: $1,840
Event general liability insurance if not provided by venue: $485
Travel and lodging for the organizers: $7,165

Notes

Number of participants will be a minimum of 50 individuals in Berlin and 50 in Bangalore, which may be increased if demand is greater than expected.
The venue and beverages for AdaCamp Berlin are being provided free of charge by Wikimedia Deutschland.
The venue for AdaCamp Bangalore are being provided free of charge by Red Hat.
Based on prior experience, we expect to receive approximately 40 volunteer hours at each conference to assist with administration of the event.

Total cost of project: The total cost of conducting three AdaCamps in 2014 is an estimated $129,453 USD. AdaCamps Berlin and Bangalore, for which we are seeking funding, comprise $74,993 USD of this amount. This includes Ada Initiative personnel costs of $42,308 USD and other costs of $32,685 USD.

Total amount requested from the Project and Event Grants program: $11,480 USD

Additional sources of revenue that may fund part of this project, and amounts funded: AdaCamp is a project of the Ada Initiative and funded in part by the organization through general individual donations. In addition, each year we solicit corporate contributions and AdaCamp-specific individual donations, as well as registration fees, to fund the conference. To date, we have received corporate contributions (either as monetary or in-kind donations) from Google, Inc., Puppet Labs, Mozilla, Wikimedia Deutschland, Automattic, Red Hat, Simple, New Relic, The Linux Foundation, Spotify, Stripe, Gitlab, Online Computer Library Center, O’Reilly, Pinboard and Python to cover the cost of the three AdaCamps in 2014 including AdaCamp Portland, AdaCamp Berlin and AdaCamp Bangalore. The total cost of the three events will be an estimated $129,453 USD. As of 1 June 2014, we have raised $1,188 USD in AdaCamp-specific individual donations, $75,750 USD from AdaCamp-specific corporate sponsors and $10,456 USD in registration fees for AdaCamp Portland. We can provide updated financial information on request.

Non-financial requirements

See a description of non financial assistance available. Please inform Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) of any requirements for non-financial assistance now.

Requests for non-financial assistance: N/A

Resources and Risks

Resources

This section is used to highlight your potential for successfully executing this project.

Consider including the following information:

List of team members (names or usernames):
Onwiki evidence of community support (such as a project about this discussion):
Endorsements from community members or movement groups:
Special skills or qualifications this potential grantee or project lead brings to this project:
Evidence of past success in executing similar projects:

List of team members (names or usernames):

Valerie Aurora, Executive Director and co-founder
Mary Gardiner, Director of Programs and co-founder
Suki McCoy, Director of Operations

Onwiki evidence of community support (such as a project about this discussion):

None

The Ada Initiative has a proven track record of conducting successful and impactful AdaCamps. Since its founding in 2011, the Ada Initiative has run three AdaCamps in two countries, reaching more than 300 women in open technology and culture. The vast majority of these participants reported that they felt that AdaCamp had improved their professional networks and felt more part of a community of women in open technology and culture as a result of AdaCamp.

Ada Initiative co-founders Mary Gardiner and Valerie Aurora created and implemented projects like the Ada Initiative conference anti-harassment policy, now adopted by hundreds of open technology and culture events. Aurora created and teaches the Ada Initiative Allies Workshop, which teaches men simple ways to support women in open technology and culture. Gardiner created AdaCamp, the world’s first conference for women in open technology and culture. Both co-founders are experienced software engineers. Aurora’s contributions to open source software were recognized with the O’Reilly Open Source Award in 2013. Gardiner’s contributions the the open source community were recognized with the prestigious Linux Australia Rusty Wrench award in 2012.

The Ada Initiative has run three AdaCamps in two countries, with more than 300 women in open technology and culture attending. Information on AdaCamp and links to the AdaCamp post events reports for AdaCamp DC, AdaCamp Melbourne and AdaCamp San Francisco can be found at http://adacamp.org/.

Netha Hussain wrote a report about attending AdaCamp Portland.

Risks

This section is used to identify key risks or threats that would prevent you from achieving your project goals and how you would mitigate those risks and threats.

Potential risks:

Venue not available due to unforeseen circumstances: The Ada Initiative will secure backup venues in both Berlin and Bangalore.
Unavailability of staff due to unforeseen circumstances: 1-2 staff or consultants are scheduled to attend each conference. The Ada Initiative has a total of three staff members and one sub-contractor that are knowledgeable in running the conference and can attend to facilitate if needed.
Inability to raise all necessary AdaCamp-specific funds: We are committed to holding all three events planned for 2014 and would allocate general operating funds to offset any deficits for AdaCamp.

Impact

In the sections below, please describe how the project is related to the Wikimedia mission and Wikimedia's strategic priorities.

Fit to strategy

How will this project support the key organizational objectives of

increasing reach (more people will access or contribute to Wikipedia or our other projects), participation (more people actually contributing), quality (more content, more useful content, or higher-quality content), credibility (more trust in our projects), organizational maturity and effectiveness (how it will move you or the Wikimedia community forward), or financial sustainability (how it will help you achieve more in the long run)?

This statement should address at least one of the strategic priorities listed here specifically. See Project and Event Grants program criteria for decision making.: AdaCamp brings together individuals from around the world with a passion for open source culture and content, including projects that fall under the wing and mission of the Wikimedia Foundation. AdaCamp will improve the participation of women in open technology and culture by bringing together experts in women in open technology and culture to brainstorm, create new strategies, and share best practices from other communities that are facing the same issues. By co-locating with Wikimedia Deutschland and conducting a AdaCamp in Bangalore with the assistance of local Wikimedians, we expect to reach a proportionally larger audience of women interested in Wikimedia-related activities.

Benefits

If the project will benefit a specific online community, please tell us.: In addition to the impact on participants themselves, AdaCamp attendees will produce or improve several documents during the conference, all publicly available and licensed CC BY-SA. Previous session topics included success stories of open technology and culture communities with majority female participation, the open libraries movement, improving parent- and child-friendliness at conferences, hackerspaces, journalism and technology, diversity beyond gender, women of color, motherhood and feminism in technology, job seeking and career advice, and being feminine or expressing femininity in technical spaces. Moreover, the organizers and attendees will make connections with tech savvy women who can be potential advocates for Ada Initiative and women in open source.

Please provide a brief statement about how the project is related to other work in the Wikimedia movement. For example, does the project fit into a work area such as GLAM, education, organizational development, editor retention, or outreach?

AdaCamp embodies many of the stated goals resulting from the Wikimedia Diversity Conference 2013 in Berlin:

Increasing outreach and inclusiveness of women in open source technology and culture
Creation of a welcoming and supportive environment for women
Increased accessibility to open source culture by providing scholarships for attendance and physically accessible conferences

By supporting the efforts of the Ada Initiative, this grant will bring AdaCamp to new communities in two continents. We expect in particular to grow and prevent burnout in a new generation of advocates for diversity in the Wikimedia movement, continuing and building on the work of AdaCamp DC in 2012 and the Wikimedia Diversity Conference in 2013.

If successful, will the project have the potential to be replicated successfully by other individuals, groups, or organizations? Please explain how in 1–2 sentences.: In addition to utilizing attendees to serve as volunteers, helping them gain experience in running similar conferences themselves, we are in the process of documenting how to run AdaCamp conferences in a form that can be released CC BY-SA. All of our event policies are public and licensed CC BY-SA and some have been adopted by other Wikimedia-related events. Several AdaCamp attendees have contacted us for help with organizing similarly inclusive events in this format.

Please list other benefits to the movement here.

Sponsorship of AdaCamp will send the following messages:

Wikimedia Foundation is interested in improving women's participation in Wikimedia projects
Wikimedia Foundation as an employer welcomes and supports women employees
Women interested in supporting Wikimedia projects should apply for Wikimedia-related internships, Wikimedian-in-residence, and Wikimedia-related jobs

Also, sponsorship of AdaCamp will increase the visibility of the Wikimedia Foundation among women, encouraging them to participate in Wikimedia as employees/volunteers.

For grantees

If you are the grantee or representative that wrote this grant submission, you may request changes by using these links:

Create a request for an extension of the approved project completion date.
Create a request for changes to the approved project budget.