Grants talk:TPS/WikiMujeres/AWID 2016 Forum

Hi @Seeeko: Thank you for your TPS request. We deeply appreciate the highly developed plan you’ve described in your proposal. The participation you propose is uniquely well-fitted to our selection criteria and we are approving this request in full for $8,100.
Because this request is high by typical TPS standards, we are documenting the reasons for our decision:

• Strong fit with our strategic mission: This proposal demonstrates potential to increase participation, and also potentially reach, at a truly international scale among communities presently not well represented on our projects, and thereby, to improve quality through diversification of the types of knowledge documented onwiki.
• Level of participation: Your proposed activities suggest a strategic, well-planned and multi-layered level of engagement at the event, including in-depth discussion, presentations, trainings, and hands-on labs, along with follow-up engagement already planned in the wake of the event.
• Potential outcomes and impact: Your proposal indicates your participation will raise awareness for hundreds of women, improve project content, and launch a living map of knowledge gaps that will be leveraged in future work. We are happy to support the significant impact potential of your participation in this event.
• Investment: Though the costs are high by TPS standards, in light of the well-developed plan and the perceived impact and outcomes of its execution, the committee believes that the potential return on investment is unusually high for this grant. . We appreciate your documentation that other avenues of funding are also being pursued.
• Contribution record: The combined contribution record of the listed team members is outstanding in terms of both online and offline contributions. The committee is happy to be able to support the work of some of the most dedicated volunteers in the Wikimedia movement. We believe your participation in the event will certainly enable significant future contributions.
  

Typically, the committee is cautious about funding international travel. In this case, the range of travel seems reasonable in light of the international aims of the project. It also seems likely that your team will be able to accomplish things that local volunteers couldn't easily replicate because of the very unique skills and expertise you bring together.
The committee was initially concerned about the large size of the team. However, your participation plan is one of the most complex and well-developed we’ve encountered in a TPS proposal. Given the complexity and the long-range of the plan, the size of the team seems reasonable to us.
We note that the TPS eligibility criteria normally caps applicant teams at 4 individuals, and that we are making an exception in approving your request for five registration fees. Since the additional cost is small and will allow you to get the special rate for 5+ people, and since the size of the team is reasonable for the proposed plan, we’re happy to cover this expense.
Please review the next steps for your grant as described in "How the program works". We ask you to provide a link to the outcomes from your participation to make sure as many people as possible can profit from your participation.
Please note that an outcome does not include the materials you prepare to present at the event (though we’d like you to share those, too!), but something that is created during or after the event because of your participation, such as a link to something new that was co-created by you and your fellow participants at the event, a blog post you wrote to share your experience with others after the event, or a learning pattern to teach others something you've learned at the event. Specifically, we would recommend that you actively share the map of existing gaps in relevant places where gender gap work is being performed in the Movement.
Our Grants Administrator will be in touch with you about your grant. Thank you for work and good luck with your participation at the AWID 2016 Forum.
Warm regards,
The Travel & Participation Support Committee

Hi @Muriel Staub (WMCH): and all who reviewed. Thanks very much for considering this (somewhat unusual) request, and for the thoughtful information you've offered here. We're excited to represent Wikimedia at this event and look forward to sharing back strong outcomes! Standing by for further instructions from Janice to book tickets etc. Thanks, Seeeko (talk) 18:41, 11 July 2016 (UTC)

+1. We very much appreciate the process, and the outcome! Wiki <3 to everyone who helped make this happen. As Seeeko said, we're looking forward to representing Wikimedia and creating strong awareness and solid actions. Anasuyas (talk) 20:35, 11 July 2016 (UTC)