Funds Dissemination Committee/Key financial data and insights from Chapters

In May 2012, The Bridgespan Group requested responses to the Chapter Finances Survey in order to develop an understanding of the movement's current and future funding needs. 30 of 39 chapters (~77%) responded to the survey. Results have been tallied and summarized below (all currencies are in USD).

Also note that at the bottom of the page, below the table, we have collected the write-in responses that chapters included in their surveys about their expectations/concerns/questions about the funds dissemination process.

Chapter Finance Survey Summary

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Current chapter expenses

  • In their current fiscal year,
    • 4 chapters reported an expense budget of >$500,000
    • 8 chapters reported an expense budget of $100,000-$500,000
    • 5 chapters reported an expense budget of $50,000-$100,000
    • 6 chapters reported an expense budget of $10,000-50,000
    • 7 chapters reported an expense budget of <$10,000

Expectations for requesting funds next year

  • In the next fiscal year, 27 of 30 chapters anticipate requesting funds
    • 5 chapters anticipate requesting >$500,000
    • 4 chapters anticipate requesting $100,000-$500,000
    • 5 chapters anticipate requesting $50,000-$100,000
    • 7 chapters anticipate requesting $10,000-50,000
    • 6 chapters anticipate requesting <$10,000

Grant programs within the movement

  • 21 chapters who responded reported that they will grant funds to other individuals or entities in their current fiscal year
    • 6 chapters said they would grant >$20,000
    • 5 chapters said they would grant $10,000-20,000
    • 10 chapters said they would grant <$20,000

Chapter fiscal year ends

  • 21 chapters end their fiscal years on December 31
  • 4 chapters end their fiscal years on June 30
  • 5 chapters have other fiscal year end dates
Note: This supports the recommendation that two FDC grant cycles per year will serve most entities in the movement well.

Summary Results Table

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Chapter Expenses Chapter Revenues Chapter Grants Programs Dates
Short-Form Name Fiscal Year-End Previous Year Current Year Previous Year Current Year Previous Year Current Year Anticipated needs To request funds from the FDC To receive funds from the FDC
AR Argentina
AT Österreich 31-Aug 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 5,000-10,000 10,000-50,000 1000-5000 <1000 100,000-500,000 Oct/Nov Jan/Feb
AU Australia 30-Jun 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 1,000-5,000 1,000-5,000 >$20,001 $10,001-20,000 100,000-500,000 Apr/May June
BD Bangladesh 30-Jun 1,000-5,000 5,000-10,000 N/A <1,000 N/A N/A 5,000-10,000 Apr/May June
CA Canada
CH CH 31-Dec 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 N/A 10,000-50,000 1000-5000 10,001-20,000 >500,000 Nov/Dec Jan
CL Chile 31-Dec 10,000-50,000 10,000-50,000 <1,000 <1,000 N/A N/A 5,000-10,000 Nov/Dec Jan
CZ Česká republika 31-Dec 5,000-10,000 10,000-50,000 1,000-5,000 1,000-5,000 5001-10,000 10,001-20,000 N/A
DE Deutschland 31-Dec >500,000 >500,000 100,000-500,000 >500,000 >20,001 >20,001 >500,000 Sep/Oct Jan
DK Danmark 30-Jun <1,000 1,000-5,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A 10,000-50,000
EE Eesti 31-Dec 5,000-10,000 10,000-50,000 <1,000 5,000-10,000 N/A N/A 10,000-50,000 Nov/Dec Jan
ES España 31-Dec 1,000-5,000 1,000-5,000 1,000-5,000 1,000-5,000 N/A N/A 10,000-50,000 Sept/Oct Jan
FI Suomi
FR France 31-Dec 100,000-500,000 >500,000 10,000-50,000 10,000-50,000 >20,001 >20,001 >500,000 (estimate)
GB UK 31-Jan >500,000 >500,000 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 >20,001 >20,001 >500,000 Aug Oct (for approval)
HK Hong Kong 30-Jun 1,000-5,000 5,000-10,000 N/A <1,000 N/A N/A 5,000-10,000
HU Magyarország 31-Dec 10,000-50,000 10,000-50,000 1,000-5,000 5,001-10,000 <1000 1000-5000 50,000-100,000 Oct/Nov Dec
ID Indonesia 31-Dec >500,000 100,000-500,000 >500,000 N/A >20,001 >20,001 100,000-500,000
IL Israel 31-Dec 100,000-500,000 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 10,000-50,000 1000-5000 1000-5000 50,000-100,000 Jan Feb/Mar
IN India 31-Mar 10,000-50,000 50,000-100,000 <1,000 1,000-5,000 N/A 10,001-20,000 50,000-100,000 July Sept
IT Italia 31-Dec 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 5001-10,000 10,001-20,000 N/A
KE Kenya 31-Dec 5,000-10,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A 5,000-10,000 Dec Feb
MK Macedonia 31-Dec <1,000 10,000-50,000 1,000-5,000 10,000-50,000 N/A >20,001 10,000-50,000 Jan
MO Macau
MX México 31-Dec <1,000 5,000-10,000 N/A <1,000 N/A <1000 5,000-10,000 Dec Jan/Feb
NL Nederland 31-Dec 100,000-500,000 100,000-500,000 10,000-50,000 10,000-50,000 1000-5000 1000-5000 >500,000 Nov Dec
NO Norge 31-Dec 10,000-50,000 50,000-100,000 10,000-50,000 10,000-50,000 N/A 1000-5000 10,000-50,000
PH Philippines 31-Dec 5,000-10,000 10,000-50,000 <1,000 <1,000 N/A <1000 10,000-50,000 Jun/Jul Aug/Sep
PL Polska 31-Dec 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 100,000-500,000 100,000-500,000 >20,001 >20,001 N/A
PT Portugal 31-Dec 1,000-5,000 5,000-10,000 <1,000 <1,000 <$1000 N/A 5,000-10,000 Nov/Dec Jan
RS а Србије
RU РУ 31-Dec 10,000-50,000 50,000-100,000 10,000-50,000 10,000-50,000 1000-5000 5001-10,000 50,000-100,000 Nov/Dec Jan
SE Sverige 31-Dec 50,000-100,000 100,000-500,000 10,000-50,000 50,000-100,000 5001-10,000 5001-10,000 100,000-500,000 Oct/Nov Jan
TW Taiwan
UA Україна
US-DC District of Columbia 30-Sep <1,000 >500,000 <1,000 100,000-500,000 N/A 1000-5000 10,000-50,000 Nov Jan
US-NYC New York City
VE Venezuela
ZA South Africa 28-Feb N/A 50,000-100,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A 50,000-100,000 July/Aug Sept/Oct

Additional Chapter Questions or Comments

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Deustchland - Germany

  • Multi-year funding possibilities (important for long-time commitments such as: employment- and lease contracts, long-term project agreements where the project is partially funded by a third party etc.)
  • Format of the financial plans to be submitted (substance/content, degree of detail, volume/scope)


Nederland - Netherlands

  • What will be the framework of criteria to judge submitted grant applications? WM NL is moving fast forward in professionalization. We have set ambitious goals for growth, and expect revenue and expense to increase by 75% per annum for the next five years.


Indonesia

  • Please see previous WMID grant requests [1], [2] [3], in the presence of trust, there's an absence of long painful discussion (sample). If FDC going to look like the recent grant process I give up, I don't have the time and energy to do what is given in the sample.


Macedonia

  • If funds dissemination process is clean, easy process, we'll ask for funding, if not probably won't ask funding, we want to know the format of the financial plans to be submitted (degree of detail, volume/scope). For bigger projects WMMK need to forward in professionalization.


District of Columbia

  • Bear in mind that our chapter is a special case. Our 'last fiscal year' lasted five months (May 6, 2011 through September 30, 2011) and very little happened, and for this financial year we have the incredibly costly Wikimania 2012 conference. Here's last year's financial report.
  • What additional oversight mechanisms will be put in place? Does performance and under/over-utilization of funds in one year impact funding for the next year? At what point does the FDC say "stop asking us for money and raise money yourselves"? What will be done to ensure that regional politics do not have a harmful effect on the distribution of money? Is the FDC amenable to emergency fund dissemination to rescue chapters from bankruptcy, and if so, what would be the consequences? (I don't expect that to be an issue for Wikimedia DC, but it is a question worth raising.)


Hungary

  • In the last four or so years the funds dissemination process (including fundraising and the grants programme) and attached criteria (eligibility; reporting; etc.) have changed at least once every single year; sometimes even more than once and usually with timing that didn't allow enough preparation for all parties leading to uncertainty and the desire to build up safeguards in the form of bigger reserves and pursuing labour-intensive outside funding sources.
  • We understand that the FDC process will be evolving, however, we would really appreciate some stability in the system, once set up: either in the form of multi-year commitments to fund operating costs; or by making sure that changes, especially the fundamental ones are announced well in advance without affecting on-going grants or applications (e.g. so that they affect only subsequent funding cycles, not the current or immediately upcoming one).
  • Once the details are finalized and the dust settles, I would appreciate a direct outreach (e.g. phone call) to the potential grantees (and those who have been eligible in the past, but for some reason are not in the present) to explain and discuss the new situation. (This could make sure that even those get the necessary info who do not have the time to read everything, and linguistic misunderstandings could be ironed out.)


Russia

  • According to current plans, we might be able to perform most plans without FDC grants until 2014, unless our expectations related to donations fail.
  • We would like the process to be as transparent as possible, and we would like to keep an eye on the development from very beginning. We don't have any specific questions that have deadlines yet.


Switzerland

  • Basically it would be interesting to know the timeline and the process in order to prepare our projects plan for 2013.
  • It's unclear the question to "receive" funds because in Switzerland the question is more connected with to "retain" funds as we receive sufficient funds through Wikimedia fundraising to cover our financial request.