Grants:TPS/Support/PSC Minutes

Below are minutes of the Participation Support Committee's meetings.

12 September 2012

1. Discussion of request Participation:Wotancito/Encuentro_Latinoamericano_de_Bibliotecarios,_Archivistas_y_Museólogos; comments reviewed and request approved.

2. Discussion of program review and reconciliation: due by mid-November in order to give both processing organizations time to review program data.

Mar 9th 2012

Attended: Asaf Bartov (WMF), Winifred Olliff (WMF), Johannes Rohr (WMDE)

1. Discussion of open request Participation:Hfordsa/Middle Eastern Participation and Presence in Wikipedia Workshop; additional answers sought on talk page.

2. Discussion of open request Participation:HstryQT/American Association of Museums; additional support for significance and number of participants sought on talk page.

3. Participation report Participation:MetalBrasil/Campus_Party_2012 is approved.

4. Resolved to have the program description page translated (via the Translate extension and a call for volunteer translators) as soon as the program rename work is complete. Once translations are ready, the program can be publicized in non-English lists and communities.

5. Resolved that WMDE would disburse some of the non-USD requests as well.

Feb 29th 2012

Attended: Asaf Bartov (WMF), Johannes Rohr (WMDE)

1. Resolved to rename the program the Wikimedia Participation Support program.

2. Discussion of open request Participation:Hfordsa/Middle Eastern Participation and Presence in Wikipedia Workshop: unclear what "policy" means in request goal. Questions on talk page.

3. Review of Participation reports:

3.1 Participation:Nasir8891/WikiConference_India_2011 report is approved.

3.2 Participation:R.T.Argenton/CulturaDigitalBR2011 report is approved.

3.3 Participation:Wikitanvir/WikiConference India 2011 report is approved.

3.4 Participation:Solstag/CulturaDigitalBR2011 report is approved.

3.5 Participation:MetalBrasil/Campus_Party_2012/Report missing key information. Questions on talk page.

Feb 8th 2012

Attended: Asaf Bartov (WMF), Johannes Rohr (WMDE), Winifred Olliff (WMF)

1. Discussion of program name:

1.1 To better comply with good accounting principles, the program should not refer to "grants"; WMF accountants suggest these are "reimbursements", from an accounting perspective, and avoiding calling them "grants" would avoid unnecessary additional paperwork on both the WMF's and the grantees' sides.

1.2 Considering the names: "Participation Support", "Participation Scholarships"

2. Review of Participation reports:

2.1 Participation:Varnent/CreatingChange2012 report is approved

2.2 Participation:SarahStierch/DISH2011 report is approved

2.3 Participation:Nasir8891/WikiConference_India_2011: discussion of reallocation of funds (from Nasir and Tanvir, WMDE will only share the cost of funds spent because remaining funds will be reallocated to Wikimedia Bangladesh startup activities), discussions about ties to Bengali wikipedia, waiting on response on report talk page

3. Discussion of text for program announcement - will send out next week when we finalize the name

Dec 28th 2011

Attended: Asaf Bartov (WMF), Johannes Rohr (WMDE) [by written communication]

1. Discussion of open request:

1.1 Participation:MetalBrasil/Campus_Party_2012 -- approved. The Committee is satisfied that a high potential for meaningful outreach exists in the event, and that the participant is likely to create opportunities for northern Brazil.

Dec 21st 2011

Attended: Asaf Bartov (WMF), Winifred Olliff (WMF), Johannes Rohr (WMDE)

1. The committee reviewed participation support reports by LauraHale and B1mbo -- resolved to accept both and authorize disbursement.

2. Discussed need to clarify intent of the Participation Support program: agreed the primary goal is to enable participation of community members in non-Wikimedia events. Wikimedia events typically offer specific scholarships, often based on a lump grant to the organizers (usually from the WMF); that is still the preferred model to fund scholarships for Wikimedia events. The PG program description will be amended to reflect that.

3. Discussion of open requests:

3.1 Participation:Wikitanvir/RecentChangesCamp_2012 -- not funded for the following reasons:

3.1.1 RCC is organized by Wikimedia Australia. Per item #2, participation support is not meant to fund scholarships for Wikimedia events (nor for pan-wiki events like RCC). Update: it has been pointed out to the committee that RCC is not organized by WMAU, but only sponsored by WMAU. Nevertheless, the Committee still considers this event, whoever organizes it, a "community" event, and thus outside the scope of the Participation Support program.

3.1.2 The benefit of participation in RCC is unclear and impossible to estimate, because of the unconference format. While it is granted that some unconferences have fantastic results, it is also the case that some have very little to show by way of impact beyond socializing. Given the very high cost of international participation at this particular RCC (no one’s fault), it is felt that the likelihood and level of benefit from RCC does not justify the expense of funding international attendees.

3.1.3 The budget presented does not comply with our expectation of frugality and our travel policy ($400 daily travel; $215/night hotel when significantly cheaper options exist; $174 per diem basis instead $134 per US rate)

3.1.4 The committee notes the endorsement from Wikimedia Australia (an organizer). The committee rejects the suggestion that travel cost from Bangladesh to Canberra is lower than to Berlin. The committee also notes that since Wikimedia Bangladesh is now a recognized chapter, funds will be made available to delegates from WMBD to attend the Berlin conference whether or not they attend RCC, so there would be no money saved by the proposed participation.

3.2 Participation:Arvin_Ello/RecentChangesCamp2012 -- not funded for the following reasons:

3.2.1 same as 3.1.1

3.2.2 same as 3.1.2

3.2.3 Applicant has no editing experience at all, and thus would have very little to contribute at RCC, which is, though an unconference, certainly a meeting of wiki practitioners.

4. Resolved to follow-up on funded participation support after six month to gauge impact and compare to goals and to post-event report.

5. Resolved to communicate on public channels about Participation Support policy, specifically clarifying the program intent (item #2) above, pointing attention to our travel policy, and adding the follow-up.

Oct 26th 2011

weekly meeting time: Wed 9AM PST (GMT-7), *if* there are any open requests
WMF will create an acceptance letter (done)
WMF will create a reporting template (done)
Weekly meetings will include review and discussion of incoming reports
WMDE will check whether they must have original, physical receipts (done)
Acceptance letters should be signed -- electronic signature is fine, PGP fine too
Resolved: Approve current two requests from Bangladesh (USD, so WMF to disburse), based on commitment to new Wikimedia Bangladesh and relevance of the India conference to the projects in Bangladesh.
WMF will share the tracking sheet for participation support (done)
WMF to announce the program on the public channels (done)
WMF to reach out to other chapters to join the program as funding chapters (and send a delegate to the PGC) (done)