Wikimedia CH/Policies/Scholarships

Scholarships are funds destined to be used by a volunteer for attending events organized by the Wikimedia Foundation, or by Wikimedia CH or other Wikimedia chapters. For example: WikiCon (especially in one of the Swiss languages), Wikimania, WikiConvention, Wikidata Con, Wikimedia Hackathons, WikiCite events, local meetups, etc.

A Scholarship granted by Wikimedia CH covers travel costs, registration fees and accommodation if the event takes place more than 50 kilometers away from the candidate’s usual address. For candidates living closer, the Scholarship covers the travel costs and the registration fees.

Wikimedia CH can also grant partial scholarships if the conditions of eligibility are filled and if the budget allows for it. Partial Scholarships are granted if the applicant already received another grant for the same event.

In a spirit of reducing our carbon footprint, travel by plane should be reduced as much as possible. Applications including travel by plane must be more detailed (see below under ”Process description”).

The following terms and conditions apply for the Scholarships:

Scholarships are meant for one person and cannot be granted to a group or an association.

As a general rule, our “General Reimbursement Policy” applies.

Scholarships will not be granted to participants who wish to attend events that have a maximum number of participants by chapter/usergroup, nor for conferences addressed to non-Wikimedians, nor for events covered by the Wikimedia CH’s Education or GLAM Programmes.

The reimbursement of the accommodation's costs is intended solely for the duration of the event.

The reimbursement of the travel costs is intended for the way to and the way back from the event departing from the main physical address of the recipient. For further aspects please consider the reimbursement policy.

Conditions of eligibility

Candidates can apply for a Scholarship if:

They are an active user in at least one of the Wikimedia projects.

They are active at least in one of the Swiss languages in a Wikimedia project or live in Switzerland or are active around Swiss topics in the Wikimedia universe.

They are comfortable enough to attend the event without further help from Wikimedia CH (i.e translation).

The application is done at least two weeks before the event takes place.

They adhere to and follow the Wikimedia Respectful behaviour space policy as well as the Universal Code of Conduct.

Process description

Application

To apply for a Scholarship, candidates must send an e-mail to grant@wikimedia.ch with the following information:

Wikimedia Username of the candidate

Name, dates, location, and programme of the event

Overall budget with the foreseen costs (registration fees, accommodation and travel costs). A prediction is sufficient.

Information about whether the candidate already applied for a WMCH grant in general (which one) and received a grant for the same event.

When travel costs are foreseen, please take the following point into account:

Choose as a first-choice public transportations (includes: maritime transportation, land transportation and road transportation for groups), second-choice car-sharing and third-choice travel by plane.

When travel by plane is foreseen, please make sure to explain:

Why this is needed and important for you and how the journey is related to the Wikimedia CH Strategy.

Why no local person can attend in your place

What additional value your participation brings to the Swiss Wikimedia Community

Wikimedia CH wishes to reduce travel by plane as much as possible in a global effort for our climate. However, the event's global context will be considered. 

Acceptation

It can take a few days until your Scholarship request is accepted. Please send it as soon as possible and at the latest 2 weeks before the event takes place to allow for the request to be processed.

Once the application has been accepted, the recipient will receive the written promise (email) that Wikimedia CH will reimburse the costs after the event. For recipients that cannot afford to disburse the money beforehand, please get in touch via email to find a solution.

Reimbursement

The recipient must fill out Wikimedia CH's expense report (see right). Good quality scans of the receipts are to be sent by email with the Expense Report. Please keep the originals until the reimbursement is done. Without the receipts no reimbursement will be made.

Reporting

Once the event is over but not later than 30 days the scholarship recipient will have to send a written report (1-4 pages) concerning the event to grant@wikimedia.ch. A report template is in preparation and will be uploaded here one available. Without a report, no expenses will be reimbursed.

Wimedia CH aggregates the metrics and evaluates the impact for the Swiss Wikimedia Community. The report may be published and linked to the Wikimedia CH annual reporting.