Wikimedia New York City/travel

In order to promote better collaboration between Wikimedia supporters served by Wikimedia New York City and those served by Wikimedia DC and the New England Wikimedians, Wikimedia NYC offers travel reimbursement is available to offset transportation and overnight stays to Wikimedians in the New York area when they attend events managed by those organizations.

Events for which travel funding may be provided

Travel money available through this program is available to encourage Wikimedia supporters supported by Wikimedia New York City to attend events managed by either of these organizations:

• Wikimedia District of Columbia events, described on their event page
• New England Wikimedians events, described on their page's event section

Qualifications for applying

Applicants for travel reimbursement should meet the following characteristics:

1. Have attended a Wikimedia New York City event recently
2. Have a Wikimedia account, and be a Wikimedia contributor in good standing with the online community
3. Be in good standing with Wikimedia New York City

Expectations of people who receive funding

Funding is intended to cover the costs of a bus, such as these

• BoltBus
• Megabus

and pay for an overnight stay in a hostel, such as these

• Hostel International, Washington DC
• Hostel International, Boston

The cost of the bus could be as much as $30 each way, and the hostel is expected to be about $40. The default funding amount paid to persons in this reimbursement program is $100.

Persons who receive funding should attend the event in the city to which they travel. After the event they should provide copies of the receipt for the travel and hostel to the travel coordinator.

How to apply

To apply, send an email to the travel coordinator. This person may share your identity with the chapter treasurer, but beyond that, it is intended that applicants identities not be discussed among chapter members. This is an attempt to respect privacy for anyone requesting funds, regardless of whether anyone wants or requests this privacy.

In your email, please share the following:

1. your Wikimedia user name
2. the name by which you have identified your self on any sign-in sheet at a previous Wikimedia New York City event
3. the name of the event for which you are requesting money to attend
4. an assertion that you intend to travel to attend the event in either Boston or DC

Beyond this, applicants may wish to watch the Wikimedia NYC mailing list if they wish to coordinate travel or hostel stays with other Wikimedians who might be traveling for the same event, but that is at the applicant's own discretion. Everyone would meet each other at the event.

• The travel coordinator is user:bluerasberry and he may be contacted at Special:EmailUser/bluerasberry. The current Wikimedia NYC treasurer is user:Becksguy, and as an alternative, he also could be contacted and manage requests.

Frequently asked questions

1. Can Wikimedia New York City give me a luxury trip?
   • No, you can have a bus ticket and the hostel like everyone else. For several years this has been the community standard based on alignment with the personal budgets and tastes of most members.
2. Can Wikimedia New York City give me special accommodations for things including limited mobility or other health challenges?
   • Hopefully so. Please contact us.
3. Can Wikimedia New York City buy me plane tickets to places?
   • No, but try the Wikimedia Foundation. They have an individual engagement grants program at Grants:IEG and their own criteria.
4. How long do buses take to go to other cities?
   • The bus between New York and either Boston or DC takes about 4.5 hours, with Boston being north and DC being south.
5. Is it possible that people will exploit this funding program somehow and bring problems to the New York Wikipedians, and all Wikipedians?
   • No, Wikimedia supporters are good people. Please no problems.
6. How will you protect my privacy?
   • The primary strategy is a casual understanding that the chapter would like to not be aware of the identities of people who take advantage of this offer. This is not a complicated or well-planned privacy promise, but just an intention.
7. Do you have unlimited funding to pay for everyone to travel everywhere everytime?
   • No, the initial thought in 2014 when this program was proposed was that about 10 people a year could take advantage of this. After that many people have been served then the chapter will have to re-evaluate a response to community demand for this.
8. Who is expected to apply for this?
   • There are no expectations, but the thought in establishing this was that the cost of bus fare and hostels could be preventing some Wikipedians in New York from meeting their colleagues in Boston and DC, and no one wanted that. Financial need is not a factor in judging applications for reimbursement.