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Grants:PEG/WM EE/Continuing office rental

< Grants:PEG | WM EE
Funded
This submission to the Project and Event Grants Program was funded in the fiscal year 2013-14. This is a grant to an organization.

IMPORTANT: Please do not make changes to this page without the explicit approval of Project and Event Grants Program staff. They will be reverted.


Basic information

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Grant details

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Project details

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Official project name
Continuing office rental.
Project start date (include month, day, and year)
1st June 2014
Project completion date (include month, day, and year)
31st December 2014
Please describe the project in 1–2 sentences
This is a project to continue renting an office for Wikimedia Eesti in order to increase its operational capacity through the creation of good working conditions.

Financial details

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Currency requested
Euros
Amount requested in currency requested
€1,769.40
Equivalent amount in US$ on the date of this submission
US$2,453.62
List the exchange rate used to calculate the amount listed in US$
US$1,3867 per euro (European Central Bank exchange rate on the 10th of April 2014)

Grantee details

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See the eligibility requirements for more information.

What is the official name of the organization requesting this grant?
Mittetulundusühing Wikimedia Eesti
Are you an organization, an individual, or an individual submitting on behalf of a group?
Answer ORGANIZATION, INDIVIDUAL, or GROUP.
ORGANIZATION
Are you a for-profit entity?
Answer YES or NO.
NO. Non-profit with charity status and the according tax exemption.
Are you able to provide local proof of nonprofit status within your country?
Answer YES or NO.
YES
Does your organization currently employ any fulltime or part-time staff or contractors?
Answer YES or NO.
YES
If you answered YES, please indicate how many. You may use fractions or percentages for part-time staff if appropriate.
2 administrative employees (board assistant and project manager) working part time (50% and 75% respectively).
2 temporary employees for the education pilot project: trainer and coordinator (full-time and 45% respectively).
If yes, please provide a list of their job functions, or a link to your organization's staff page, if it lists all employees and contractors employed or engaged by your organization.
A list of the job functions of administrative staff of Wikimedia Eesti.
A list of the job functions of education pilot project staff.

Contact information

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Primary contact name
Kaarel Vaidla, User:Misosoof
Primary contact username or email
User:Misosoof, kaarelvaidla@gmail.com
Primary contact title (position within the organization)
Wikimedia Eesti (WM EE) project manager.


Alternate contact name
Teele Vaalma, User:Adeliine
Alternate contact username or email
User:Adeliine, teele.vaalma@gmail.com
Alternate contact title (position within the organization)
Board member of Wikimedia Eesti (WM EE)

Goals and measures of success

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Project goal

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Please briefly describe what will be accomplished if the project is successful.

Main goals

The main goals of the project are:

  1. to increase the organizational effectivity of Wikimedia Eesti by providing a convenient and private space for discussions and coordination activities;
  2. to improve the level of documentation, archiving and reporting activities of the organization by assembling all the relevant documents in one, generally accessible locus;
  3. to increase public recognition of Wikimedia Eesti by establishing its physical presence.

Measures of success

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Please provide a list of measurable criteria that will be used determine how successful the project is. You will need to report on the success of the project according to these measures after the project is completed.

Preliminary remark

This grant proposal is a result of seizing a sudden good opportunity for renting an office for Wikimedia Eesti, and although the need to rent one had become evident a long time ago, due to time problems the present situation has not been mapped appropriately to make the amelioration of the condition of Wikimedia Eesti precisely measurable. Nevertheless, some possible criteria will be given subsequently.

Measures of success
  1. Problem free renting of the office space until the end of the year 2014.
  2. Fully operating organization throughout the year (i.e. no or few coordinational or operational drawbacks during the year).
  3. Archiving and accessing the documents of the organization is easier than ever.
  4. All the financial and activity reports presented in time or with minor delays.
  5. Making the office of Wikimedia Eesti visible in the city space of Tartu.
  6. Public reception hours created to serve a possible public interest.

Project scope and activities

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This section describes what will happen if this project is funded. Who will do what, and when?

Background of the project

As you already know, Wikimedia Eesti rented an office space in local NPO hub from August 2012 to April 2013. Unfortunately this did not correspond to our needs and as a result this option was given up. Nevertheless, the idea of having an office was not and ever since we have looked around for fitting possibilities. The need for an office increased when Wikimedia Eesti hired its first employees. A certain urgency emerged when former bord member resigned from the board and it became impossible to use his workplace for meetings and storaging purposes. Since February 2014 the board meetings of Wikimedia Eesti have been held in a public library and memorabilia has occupied the home of one of our board members. We are not happy with this current state, which ceaselessly and unfailingly produces inconvenience to the active members of the organization.

Since the hiring of the project writer, Wikimedia Eesti has tried to encourage local enterprises to support our activities. One of the aims of this endeavor has been acquiring of the funds necessary for renting an office, but it has been ineffective. We have also tried to include renting of the office space in our non-WMF projects, but without any success. We have also discussed our office possibilities with the city of Tartu, but without any considerable result. As a consequent, we have not acquired any office space for free and do not have any funds that we could use for renting an office.

Further explanations

As Wikimedia Eesti has not been happy with the present officeless state of operating, we have spread the word that we are in a need for one. We have already visited several possible office spaces, but in general they have been: 1) too big for us (and thus also quite expensive) or 2) in need of capital repairs. It has been quite obvious that it is very hard to find a suitable office in Tartu.

In parallel Wikimedia Eesti has been engaged in efforts to secure possible funding for the renting of an office from the city of Tartu and local enterprises. Unfortunately, so far without any success.

On the 8th of April 2014 the representatives of Wikimedia Eesti had a chance to visit a small office in the center of the city of Tartu. The office itself has a surface of only 24m2, but comes with the possibility to use common space, including a meeting room for about 15 persons - it isn’t too big and does not need any repairs.

We felt that this office is exactly what we need at our present stage of development, but we also had to reckon our lack of funds: the rent of the office would be monthly 96 euros and together with the utilities around 170-180 euros per month (depending on the month). This seemed a very reasonable price in the regional and also absolute scale and we decided to contact the Wikimedia Foundation Project and Event Grants program team in order to discuss possible solutions.

Unfortunately, there was no time left for a decision. There were several other entities interested in this particular office, but as the representative of the owner was pro-Wikipedian, he gave Wikimedia Eesti a minute advantage to decide until the 9th of April. As it was clarified that the contract to be signed will be termless with the possibility to end it with one month’s notice and there were no brokerage fees nor guarantees to be paid, Asaf Bartov, the head of PEG program team communicated his decision, that under unique timing constraints WMF grants Wikimedia Eesti the possibility to seize the opportunity to rent this office in the city of Tartu with a rent advance provisionally for 2 months, until an appropriate grant proposal for the remaining period can be evaluated by Grants Acquisition Committee and PEG team in habitual manner.

Project activities:

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As the time period from present to June 2014 is covered by extraordinary advance, the ordinary grant proposal focuses on the time period of 7 months from the 1st of June to the 31st of December.

During this period Wikimedia Eesti will rent the office and will 1) arrange board and other meetings (e.g. coordination gatherings with project leads and voluntaries)in the newly acquired office space, 2) installs and re-systematizes documents related to accounting and administration, 3) introduces office opening hours for general public, 4) furnishes the office with necessary furniture (Wikimedia Eesti will try to find most of the furniture from freecycling solutions, but some investments may be appropriate).

Although the period of the grant will end on the 31st of December 2014, according to the plan of the Wikimedia Eesti the renting of the office will not be discontinued, as we are giving our best to be funded (with an office) by Annual Grant Program of Funds Dissemination Committee for the year 2015.

Office renting activities
Month Activity
June-July Installing and re-organizing accounting and administration-related documents to be freely accessible in the office.
August-December Introducing and maintaining open office hours for general public.
June-December Regular board and other meetings taking place in the office.
June-December Necessary additional furnishing of the office.


Visualized schedule of office renting activities by month

Activity Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Regular meetings
Additional furnishing
Organizing archives
Office open forpublic
Preparation, unsure activities Certain activities No activities foreseen


The office is visible on a real estate portal until it will be removed.

Budget and resources

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Please provide a detailed breakdown of project expenses according to the instructions here.

Grantees are subject to line-item scrutiny of expenses. Changes to the approved budget beyond 10% in any category must be approved in advance.

Initiation of office renting (extraordinary advance from WMF)

Item Unit cost Amount Unit Total cost Comment
Rent €115.20 1.567 1 months €180.48 All renting costs
Actual rent €96.00 1.567 months €150.40 Rent base to be payed to the owner.
Taxes from rent €19.20 1.567 months €30.08 Value added tax from the rent according to Estonian laws.
Utilities €96.00 1.567 1 months €156.00 A calculation of average fees for utilities. The actual fee will depend on the month and the costs incurred. See the list of utilities below.
Utilities per se €80.00 1.567 months €130.00 The cost for utilities without taxes.
Taxes from utilities €16.00 1.567 months €26.00 Value added tax from utilities according to the Estonian law
Installation costs estimated €150.00 An estimate of office installation costs.
Total €486.48


1 The renting contract for the office was signed on the 11th of April and as a result the rent costs and also costs for utilities are reduced for the first month.


Continuation of office renting (grant application budget)

Item Unit cost Amount Unit Total cost Comment
Rent €115.20 7 months €806.40 All renting costs
Actual rent €96.00 7 months €672.00 Rent base to be payed to the owner.
Taxes from rent €19.20 7 months €134.40 Value added tax from the rent according to Estonian laws.
Utilities €96.00 7 months €672.00 A calculation of average fees for utilities. The actual fee will depend on the month and the costs incurred. See the list of utilities below.
Utilities per se €80.00 7 months €560.00 The cost for utilities without taxes.
Taxes from utilities €16.00 7 months €112.00 Value added tax from utilities according to the Estonian law
Furniture €250.00 estimate €250.00 An estimation of possible costs necessary for buying additional furniture.
Office signs €13.67 3 pieces €41.00 Creation of signs to let the public know where we are.
Total €1,769.40


Total cost of project
€1,769.40
Total amount requested from the WMF Grants Program
€1,769.40


List of utilities
Electricity, heating, water, security, garbage disposal, internet, cleaning of common rooms, cleaning of external territory.

Non-financial requirements

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See a description of nonfinancial assistance available. Please inform Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) of any requirements for non-financial assistance now.

Requests for non-financial assistance
This project does not have any requirements for non-financial assistance from Wikimedia Foundation. Nevertheless we hope that the excellent and operative assistance of the grants administration team will endure.


Resources

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This section is optional. It may be used to highlight the potential grantee's potential for successfully executing this project.

Project team
Wikimedia Eesti board


Wikimedia Eesti staff


Impact

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In the sections below, please describe how the project is related to the Wikimedia mission and Wikimedia's strategic priorities.

Fit to strategy

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How will this project support the key organizational objectives of
increasing reach (more people will access or contribute to Wikipedia or our other projects)
Outreach is a secondary target of the project and will be supported by inaugurating physical presence of Wikimedia Eesti in the cityscape of Tartu. Also planned public reception is helpful for reaching out.
participation (more people actually contributing)
This project is related to the participation target only through previously described outreach.
quality (more content, more useful content, or higher-quality content)
This project does not directly affect quality of Wikimedia content, but increase of quality may be supported by public consultations on relevant topics.
credibility (more trust in our projects)
An outbreak from the virtual existence to physical presence may have a positive impact to the credibility of the organization.
organizational maturity and effectiveness (how it will move you or the Wikimedia community forward)
Organizational maturity and effectiveness is the main target of the project and will be achieved through the enhanced environment for board and other meetings as well as from the possibility to organize accounting and other administrative documents, making them also more easily accessible.
financial sustainability (how it will help you achieve more in the long run)
By providing support to the administrative activities and reporting, this project also helps to maintain financial sustainability of Wikimedia Eesti.
(This statement should address at least one of the strategic priorities listed here specifically. See WMF Grants Program criteria for decisionmaking.)

Benefits

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If the project will benefit a specific online community, please tell us.
Members of Wikimedia Eesti.
Please provide a brief statement about how the project is related to other work in the Wikimedia movement. For example, does the project fit into a work area such as GLAM, education, organizational development, editor retention, or outreach?
This project is thoroughly related to other work in the Wikimedia movement through predicted increase of efficacy of administration and project coordination.
If successful, will the project have the potential to be replicated successfully by other individuals, groups, or organizations? Please explain how in 1–2 sentences.
Yes, this project can be replicated by other entities in need of an office.
Please list other benefits to the movement here.
A stronger part (chapter) contributes to a stronger whole (Wikimedia movement)


Note from WMF

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This grant request covers 7 months of rent for WM Estonia (€1,769.40). The first 2 months of rent (€486.48) were approved by Asaf Bartov (WMF Grants) in an email dated April 9, 2014. WM Estonia will be disbursed a total of €2,255.88 to cover 9 months of office rent.

For grantees

If you are the grantee or representative that wrote this grant submission, you may request changes by using these links:

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