Community Resources/Grants Strategy Relaunch 2020-2021

Grants Strategy Relaunch
2020-2021

Grants Strategy Relaunch Proposal presented by Kassia Echavarri-Queen, Director of Community Resources

The Community Resources team is reviewing its current grants programs (Annual Plan Grants, Simple Annual Plan Grants, Project Grants, and Rapid Grants) to ensure we are aligning with the strategic direction, with a focus on equity and building a thriving movement.

We want to implement and learn from new models for grants programs that will feed into the broader resource allocation needs of the movement. The scope of these proposed changes to the grants strategy does not include the broader governance changes of hubs and the Global Council, yet hopes to support those ongoing conversations.

We are examining:

Our role as a team to support communities and the movement
Our programs to understanding the needs we are currently addressing, and what elements need to be incorporated to achieve the strategic direction
Our processes - applications, reporting, metrics, funding criteria, and participatory decision-making processes and their alignment with equity

Expected outcomes

By the end of this consultation our goal is to have a more accessible grant program portfolio that is aligned to the movement’s strategic direction and priority for knowledge equity and knowledge as a service. We know this will be an iterative process where we continue to evaluate, to learn and adapt.

By the last phase of the consultation, we'll be able to answer these questions:

What should the role of the Community Resources team be in supporting grantees?
How are Wikimedia Foundation grant programs changing and for what purpose?
Across grant programs, what changes need to be made to our processes to ensure equity?