Grants given to Wikimedia Foundation/IFAP

UNESCO's "Information For All Program" [IFAP] has a grant for improving awareness, understanding, and information literacy, due on February 20. One question right now is whether or not to apply, and what project to propose in the application.

Links to IFAP and the current grant information:

How to apply

This looks right up our alley. Deadline is Feb 20. We need to specify a project with measurable goals, and fill out a short HTML form with a description and budget. We don't have to have a partner or sponsoring org by then, but it appears that one would be helpful.

We must fill out the following windows in an HTML form, bearing in mind the goals of this grant, especially the "Main Priority" goals under "3. Project classification". These windows must be filled out (note especially 4.5 and 4.6). 100-200 words in each category will probably suffice.

See the talk page for potential project ideas to submit.

Application form

These are the fields of the application form, in the order presented; all text below is exactly as it appears on the form.

1. Project summary

1.1 Project title:	
1.2 Project summary: (200 words)	
1.3 Total project budget:	
1.4 Geographical location of project:
 1.4a International:	
 1.4b Regional:	
 1.4c Subregional:

2. Proponent information

2.1 Name:	
2.2 Address:	
2.3 Phone:	
2.4 E-mail:	
2.5 Project partners:	
Endorsement by IFAP National Committee: Yes/No/NA

3. Project classification:

3.1 Main priority:

[ ] Promoting information literacy, through capacity building particularly for information professionals
[ ] Strengthening awareness about the importance of preservation of information of all kinds
[ ] Promoting a better understanding of the ethical, legal and societal implications of ICTs

3.2 Other priorities:
 3.2.1 UNESCO’s Medium Term Strategy 2002-2007 (31 C/4)::

[ ] Promoting empowerment and participation in the emerging knowledge society through equitable access, capacity-building and sharing of knowledge
[ ] Promoting the free flow of ideas and universal access to information
[ ] Promoting the expression of pluralism and cultural diversity in the media and world information networks
[ ] Access for all to information and communication technologies, especially in the public domain

3.2.2 Millennium Development Goals:

[ ] Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
[ ] Achieve universal primary education
[ ] Promote gender equality and empower women
[ ] Reduce child mortality
[ ] Improve maternal health
[ ] Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
[ ] Ensure environmental sustainability
[ ] Develop a global partnership for development

3.2.3 WSIS Action Plan Areas:

[ ] Information and Communication Infrastructure
[ ] Access to Information and Knowledge
[ ] Capacity Building
[ ] Building Confidence and Security in the Use of ICTs
[ ] Enabling Environment
[ ] ICT Applications
[ ] Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, Local Content
[ ] Media
[ ] Ethical Dimensions of the Information Society

4. Project details:

4.1 Overall goal:

To expand the Wiktionary project and transform it into a freely accessible, multi-lingual dictionary that can be used by professionals internationally. In addition to same-language definitions, the project would contain translations of words and basic phrases in hundreds of languages, both commonly and less commonly spoken, as well as pronunciation soundfiles. This would help to preserve moribund languages, while at the same time providing a source for information professionals to work effectively with languages with which they are unfamiliar. The project will include redesign of the existing database to make it more user-friendly, and the collection of vocabularies from native speakers of over 200 languages.

4.2 Specific objectives:

4.3 Activities:

To redesign the existing Wiktionary database, so that it is more user-friendly and more easily accessible to speakers of different languages.
To promote the Wiktionary project among language professionals and native speakers of various languages.
To create a basic world list for which samples will be collected.
To conduct basic field work to collect samples (including sound samples) of lesser known languages around the world.
To train volunteers to collect these samples locally.
To promote the use of Wiktionary among information professionals.
To advance the use of public domain tools such as Wiktionary and its sister projects (Wikipedia, Wikibooks, etc.) among students and teachers worldwide.

4.4 Expected results:

We anticipate that Wiktionary will grow to encompass basic word lists of 1,000+ words in some 200 languages within two years. Given the number of potential languages and the number of words/phrases that can be developed, the possible number of entries can potentially run into the millions in the long-term. The IFAP will enable us to initiate this project globally. Further grant moneys from alternative sources are being investigated to expand the scope of this project.

4.5 Success/performance indicators:

4.6 Monitoring and evaluation:

4.7 Budget breakdown (in US Dollars):
   Personnel:	
   Contracts:	
   Training:	
   Equipment:	
   Miscellaneous:

potential collaboration

SLA, IFLA (both int'l library associations)
UN grants librarians often pursue

I did not find references saying we should necessarily have a partner. Anthere

well, there's both space to list partnership and the "are you officially endorsed by a national committee?" question. That's all I meant. +sj+