NEH grant comments

Since there is quite a bit of opposition to applying for the current NEH grant, here are some comments for consideration, fully realizing that some of these will be controversial:

1. Applying for a grant never means that we will automatically get the grant. Would we not apply because we fear we will be rejected? If so, then we never need apply for any grant.
2. Applying for a grant does mean that we must comply with the terms of the grant, including the completion of any work we have promised to do. It means a conscious choice of commitment to any/all of the Wikimedia projects and goals over an extended period by a significant number of contributors. We cannot take the money and run.
3. The grant is not intended to produce some random number of English-language Wikireaders.
4. The grant is not intended solely for the purchase of servers or other hardware.
5. The grant is not intended solely for the English-language community.
6. The grant is not intended to help an eclectic bunch of people spend their free time and pursue a hobby.
7. The grant is intended to transform the Wikimedia Foundation as represented by its many projects into a real organization, with headquarters, staff (both volunteer and paid), and quantitatively measurable objectives.
8. The grant does not assume that we have those features in place at this moment. The grant is intended for us to put them into place over the two-year period beginning in April 2005.
9. That said, the grant challenges us to consider where we want Wikipedia and the other projects to be five years from now, when we are significantly larger than we are today. Will we still be debating the definition of troll or NPOV, or will we be producing quality materials for international distribution via the Internet and other media.
10. If our decision is the latter, the grant challenges us as a community to make decisions as to the best ways to consciously achieve that goal in the most effective manner.
11. The grant challenges us to consider not only the quantity of our material but its quality too and to put mechanisms in place to ensure that quality is maintained.
12. The grant forces us to consider new projects and to make decisions about existing projects.
13. The grant forces us to make concrete plans for future developments, while recognizing that circumstances and developments might require us to change these plans.
14. The grant forces us to take real steps to get the proper accreditation we will need in the future, such as 501 (c) 3 status.

To reiterate Point 6, until now, Wikipedia and the other projects have largely been fun ways to spend free time, largely funded by the magnanimity of Jimbo and Bomis and supported by the unceasing efforts of volunteer developers such as Brion and Tim. As we grow, we cannot continue to depend on that, nor can we depend on the small contributions that people make sporadically, even during our fundraising drives (and even $1,000 is a small contribution, compared to real needs). If we are serious about the goals of the Wikimedia Foundation, and in particular our "Statement of Purpose," much more has to be done, and we should start doing it now.