Internal:Form 1023 Schedule H

Note: This was part of our 2022 re-application for 501(c)(3) status. It is a summary of all current or planned grant programs to individuals as of 2022. It excludes past programs that are not planned to be reinstated. See also Internal:Activities of the chapter.

1. Describe the types of educational grants you provide to individuals, such as scholarships, fellowships, loans, etc., including the purpose, number and amount(s) of grants, how the program is publicized, and if you award educational loans, the terms of the loans.

Wiki Society of Washington DC, a.k.a. Wikimedia DC (WMDC), has acted as fiscal sponsor for WikiConference North America in some past years. In 2014, 2016 and 2018, travel grants were available for conference attendees, and it is possible we may resume this role in 2023 or later. The purpose of the travel grant was to allow more people to attend the conference. In 2014, $18,302.08 was awarded to 25 recipients; in 2016, $23,736.57 was granted to 31 recipients; in 2018, $25,536.69 was granted to 51 recipients. These grants were publicized through the conference websites.

In addition, we have given prizes for the biennial Wiki Science Competition in 2017, 2019, and 2021, to encourage the dissemination of science photographs and other media under a free license, and will continue this program in the future. In each of 2017 and 2021, $1000 was awarded to 5 recipients; in 2019, $1750 was awarded to 7 recipients. The competition was publicized through banners appearing on the Wikipedia website.

2. Do you maintain case histories showing recipients of your scholarships, fellowships, educational loans, or other educational grants, including names, addresses, purposes of awards, amount of each grant, manner of selection, and relationship (if any) to officers, trustees, or donors of funds to you? If "No," explain.

Yes

3. Describe the specific criteria you use to determine who is eligible for your program (for example, eligibility selection criteria could consist of graduating high school students from a particular high school who will attend college, writers of scholarly works about American history, etc.)

For WikiConference North America, any active contributor to a Wikimedia project and/or Wikimedia volunteer in any other capacity was considered eligible. In some years, participants in other free knowledge, free software, collaborative and/or educational initiatives were also encouraged to apply. In 2018, eligibility was limited to those who lived in North America.

For Wiki Science Competition, anyone in the U.S. could participate.

4. Describe the specific criteria you use to select recipients (for example, specific selection criteria could consist of prior academic performance, financial need, etc.).

For WikiConference North America, applicants were graded on aspects like contributions to Wikimedia projects; demonstrated collaborative activities (online and offline) and other offline work related to Wikimedia projects; blog posts, reports, social media management, etc., that demonstrate a valuable contribution to the community; conference participation as a presenter; and their role within their most active Wikimedia community. In 2016, there was also a separate academic scholarship program that graded applicants on time, format, language, engagement, audience, coherence, literature referenced, and impact. In some years, priority was given to those who lived in the U.S. or North America.

For Wiki Science Competition, submissions were judged based on factors including technical quality, usefulness in illustrating a scientific subject, visual appeal, uniqueness, difficulty to obtain the image, and quality of the text description.

5. Describe any requirement or condition you impose on recipients to obtain, maintain, or qualify for renewal of a grant (for example, specific requirements or conditions could consist of attendance at a four-year college, maintaining a certain grade point average, teaching in public school after graduation from college, etc.)

For WikiConference North America, recipients were required to attend the conference and submit receipts in a timely manner.

For Wiki Science Competition, submitters were required to be the author of photos uploaded, and to have the rights to upload them.

6. Describe your procedures for supervising the scholarships, fellowships, educational loans, or other educational grants. Explain whether you obtain reports and grade transcripts from recipients, or you pay grants directly to a school under an arrangement whereby the school will apply the grant funds only for enrolled students who are in good standing. Also, describe your procedures for taking action if the terms of the award are violated.

For WikiConference North America, recipients who did not fulfill the requirements did not receive any funds.

For Wiki Science Competition, ineligible submissions were filtered out before and during the judging process, and did not receive prizes.

7. How do you determine who is on the selection committee for the awards made under your program?

For both activities, the respective organizers assembled the selection committee from prominent, very experienced members of the wider Wikimedia community and, for some Wiki Science Competition years, past winners of the competition.

8. Are relatives of members of the selection committee, or of your officers, directors, or substantial contributors eligible for awards made under your program? If "Yes," what measures do you take to ensure unbiased selections?

Yes. For both programs, all conference attendees or submitters to the competition were eligible for awards, and all awardees were selected based on merit according to the stated rubric for that program. In cases where there would be a conflict of interest, including a relative applying or submitting, the affected selection committee member would recuse themselves from grading the affected applicant.