Art+Feminism User Group/2022 2023GrantApplication(Draft)

Thank you for your input! The period for community review is now closed. If you have any questions or concerns, please email us at kira@artandfeminism.org.

Community Review Invitation

As you may know, WMF has completely redone their grants program. We are applying for two-year funding for a Wikimedia Community Grant, covering January 1, 2022 - December 31, 2023. We invite you, as an important stakeholder of the organization, to review and give feedback by October 28, 2021. Please use whichever version you’re most comfortable with (please note, WMF has moved to Fluxx for grants and no longer will be using Wiki-Meta for grant applications; this version on Wiki-Meta is for the purpose of community review).

• Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YwhCK2z8R6C1ckLkSy0erj1PaZ1x2BdAnzI7uHI08uA/edit
• Wiki-Meta (you are here!)

It is linked in both versions, but here is a direct link to the proposed budget: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UCyyDKqv2TvQgBTx9QwCCue7VVlk4Acery3cHwXNEQI/edit#gid=186697886

Please note, in the next board meeting, it will be an action item to approve this budget. We encourage the community to use the talk page here or on the Google Doc using the comments function to highlight questions, concerns, and also share affirmations. You can also email kira@artandfeminism.org.

Eligibility Section (required section)

Important reminder! This form does not auto-save so please remember to save often. If you have limited connectivity we recommend you work on the answers offline and then use the form to fill them out.

A. Are you applying as a(n)

Wikimedia User Group

B. Full name of the organization presenting the proposal

Main address: Art+Feminism, PO Box 625, Baltimore, MD 21203

Primary Contact + Signatory: Kira Wisniewski, Executive Director

Secondary Contact + Secondary Signatory: Sheetal Parajati, Board Chair

C. Contact email for this proposal

kira@artandfeminism.org Please CC info@artandfeminism.org

D. Please provide the contact details of a secondary contact (name and email address).

Sheetal Parajati, Board Chair, sheetal@loharprojects.com

E. Do you have an account on a Wikimedia project?

Yes

E1. Please provide the main Wikimedia Username (required) and Usernames of people related to this proposal.

Kiraface, 13ab37, Masssly, Nyeboah, Yhhue91

F. What country are you (individual) or organization based in? Please select just one option.

United States of America

G. Have you received a grant from the Wikimedia Foundation before?

Applied previously and did receive a grant. Simple APG Grants

H. Have you received grants from any non-wiki organization before?

Yes

H.1 If you answered yes, Which organization(s) did you receive grants from?

Ford Foundation

Additional information

1. Do you have a fiscal sponsor?

No

2. If you would like, please share any websites or social media accounts that your group or organization has.

(optional) 500 character limit

https://artandfeminism.org/

https://www.facebook.com/artandfeminism/

https://twitter.com/artandfeminism

https://www.youtube.com/ArtFeminismVideos

https://www.instagram.com/artandfem/

3. Are you legally registered?  

Yes

4. What is your organization or group's mission?

500 characters limit

Art+Feminism builds a community of activists that is committed to closing information gaps related to gender, feminism, and the arts, beginning with Wikipedia.

Grant Proposal

5. Please state the title of your proposal.

Art+Feminism, 2022-2023

6. Please state the proposed start date

01/01/22

7. Please state the proposed end date

12/31/23

8. Where will this proposal be implemented? Please select the country (single option).

United States of America

9. Indicate if it is an international or regional proposal and if it involves several countries? This question is optional

International, involving several countries

9.1 If you have answered regional or international, please write the country names, any specific subregions, and any other information that is useful for understanding your proposal and why these geographies are important. 500 character limit.

Art+Feminism works with an international community of information activists. Our Regional Ambassadors’ Program, created in 2017, is composed of 19 members based  in 13 countries.  In 2021, edit-a-thons were held in 33 countries, 5 continents, and in 25 languages. Art+Feminism is probably one of the most large-scale Wikimedia campaigns today. Reaching such varied regions of the world with our message is a core aspect of ensuring that the global interest in bridging the gaps in Wikimedia projects and information platforms on the internet remains strong.

10. What are the main challenges you are trying to solve and your proposed solution?

1500 characters max

Art+Feminism is an international community of information activists committed since 2013 to closing information gaps related to gender, feminism, and the arts, beginning with Wikipedia. We are dismantling supremacist systems and creating pathways for oppressed communities to participate in writing (and righting) history.

According to the strategic plan we developed beginning in early 2020, one of the biggest challenges we face is to make Art+Feminism a fully global organization in an equitable and accessible way.

Our action plan to address these challenges consists of: a) recruiting board members from regions other than North America, b) building the infrastructure to sustain and nurture our community in an increasingly equitable and ethical way, c) renewing our mechanisms to create new leadership, d) optimizing our regional ambassador program, e) improving our communications strategies, and f) increasing our administrative capacity.

11. What is the main objective of your proposal?

500 characters max

Between 2013 and 2019, we celebrated exponential growth in traditional metrics. Our priority since 2020 has been to develop deeper relationships with our team and the event organizers who have led these efforts with us year after year. Our objective is to continue community sustaining and building with ongoing updating and translation of our existing materials and the creation and translation of new open-source resources. We will still use WikiEdu’s Dashboard, but intentionally push back against concepts like SMART.

12. Describe your main strategies to achieve this objective and the activities you will be developed as part of these strategies.

2500 character limit

Participation

• We will continue to grow our reach in communities that we currently have a presence within.
• To welcome new editors and organizers into the Wikipedia community and empower them to collaborate with one another,
• Continue Inspiring the founding of other projects, like AfroCROWD which stands as one of our community partners.

Commitment to internal institution building

• In August and September 2021, the Art+Feminism leadership team, composed of co-lead organizers and staff, took a organizational pause on all programmatic activities as we prioritize the work to improve and create anti-oppression policies and mechanisms internally. This deeply reflective work is ongoing as we continually strive to live up to our values and will ultimately better situate us to serve our community and carry out the mission and vision of Art+Feminism.
• We strive to create and nurture a community that is intentional about equity, both internally and externally. Some ways this can be seen in our work is through compensating people for their labor, making funds available to organizers with a lens for equity, creating space for pauses and rest, committing to the ongoing process of (un)learning, and through encouraging transparent and open communication within our organization.
• Training & Workshops for leadership team, network organizers, regional ambassadors and Board
• Hiring
• fundraising/grant writing

Annual Campaign

• Generating diverse content
• Engaging new communities of diverse editors
• Dispersing funds equitably to event organizers with a lens of accessibility

Wikimedia Advocacy

• Continue developing and taking part in initiatives aimed at promoting a healthier and safer Wikimedia community, such as  the  Universal Code of Conduct and 2030 Strategy.

13. Please state if you will be carrying out any of these activities that are common within Wikimedia communities?

Strongly believing that local organizers know their communities best, we don’t limit organizers to what they can do with an Art+Feminism event and could possibly include any or all of the examples listed here (and more!). That being said, the majority of our existing guides and training are primarily focused on edit-a-thons, both in person and virtual.

14. Are you running any in-person events or activities?

In our strategic plan, as well as our ongoing work towards equity, we continually are attempting to decenter the US. We have many organizers that are still in communities of lockdown due to the ongoing pandemic. With that in mind, we will continue to point to our community care statement first drafted in November 2020 that asks questions like “what is safest for the most vulnerable in your community?”

15. Please state if your proposal aims to work on any of the identified content knowledge gaps?

• Content Gender gap: Our mission and guides focus on writing about women and non-binary artists, activists, and notable figures, not limited to biographies.
• Geography: The content that our community of editors works on is global in scope.
• Language: The content that our community of editors works on is global in scope and we encourage editors to write in their own language. We are increasingly being intentional about translating our own materials and making interpretation services available in our programming. Further, all our materials are open-source and we encourage the individuals to translate those materials to meet the needs of their communities.
• Socioeconomic Status: We provide tools and resources to our community to participate in an equitable way, examples include data allowance, childcare, food, etc. Financial status should not be a barrier to participating in Art+Feminism events.
• Sexual Orientation: Our mission and guides are not solely focused on gender, but expand to sexual orientation and race. Our project is focused on feminism and we don’t view feminism as being exclusive to cis-women.

16. Please state if your proposal includes any of these areas or thematic focus.

From list

• Advocacy
• Culture, heritage, and GLAM
• Diversity.

17. Will your work focus on involving participants from any underrepresented communities? Select all categories that apply.     

From list provided:

• Gender
• Sexual Orientation
• Geographic
• Ethnic/racial/religious or cultural background
• Disability
• Linguistic / Language
• Digital access

18. Please tell us more about your target participants.

Please include any specific requirements to participate and describe your strategies to retain participants after your proposal is implemented. 2500 character limit

The Art+Feminism campaign is an international call to individuals, communities, institutions, and grassroots organizations. Art+Feminism's audience is broad and diverse. We have established solid ties with GLAM institutions, universities, academics, artists, feminist and information activists, cultural leaders, and others. We articulate collaboration between these actors and Wikimedian communities in editing and awareness-raising activities around the existing gaps in Wikimedia projects.

Our strategies for retaining new contributors include:

• Emphasis on partnerships with GLAM institutions, which have great potential to integrate the use of Wikimedia projects into their regular programming.
• Providing regular training opportunities and support resources to our international network of supporters. We have identified that some Art+Feminism event organizers (individual Wikimedians, activists, artists, as well as institutions) act as catalysts within their communities and encourage others to continue editing. We allocate a considerable proportion of our resources to support them.
• Continue with the "Network organizers" program, composed of experienced and active A+F event organizers, who continue organizing Art+Feminism-related activities within geographic and non-geographic communities.  They have community building and organizing skills and are interested in feminism and information activism.
• Work in collaboration with other Wikimedia projects and organizations, especially those with an equity focus. We currently collaborate at different levels with the projects Women in Red, Whose Knowledge?, AfroCrowd, Black Lunch Table, Wikimedia Norge, among others.
• Improve our communication strategy to have even more impact on social media and press.

There are no restrictions to participate in our campaign, nor is previous experience editing on Wikimedia projects required. The only requirement to participate is to adhere to our Safe and Brave Space Policy and to work to ensure an event free of any form of harassment or discrimination.

19. Do you have plans to work with other Wikimedia communities, groups, or affiliates in your country, or in other countries, to implement this proposal?

Yes

20. Please tell us about these connections online and offline and how you have let Wikimedia communities know about this proposal.

1000 character limit.

Our work is highly collaborative. We hope to continue to work with other Wiki organizations, affiliates, and User Groups like Black Lunch Table, WikiNorge, AfroCROWD, Wiki LGBT. Our global organizers continue to partner with local libraries, universities, and museums around the world. We remain open to collaborating with folx who share and align with our vision and values. However, due to our own boundaries and bandwidth are not always available.

The internal timeline we created around this proposal includes at least a two week period for our grant officer, board and community members at large to review on meta (here) and on Google Docs. This will be linked on our user group page, circulated on internal mailing list and sent specifically to key stakeholders.

21. Will you be working with other external non-Wikimedian partners to implement this proposal?

Yes

21a. If yes, please describe these partnerships.

Indicate sharing of resources from these partners (in-kind support, grants, donations, payments). 1000 character limit

On our constant journey and value that centers (un)learning we often seek third party facilitators and experts to conduct and lead training and workshops. Further, we are excited to be part of the current Ford Foundation New Media CoHort which comes with funding and regular meetings with fellow cohort members doing exciting things with technology and art in the United States.

22. How do you hope to sustain or expand the work carried out in this proposal after the grant?

Describe your proposal for scaling the impact and continuing the work if applicable. (optional) 1500 character limit

The pandemic allowed us the space to rethink our main event and the opportunity to assess if it was still as impactful as it was when it began. In both 2020 and 2021, we did not hold a main event due to COVID-19. During this time, we also did deep and important work around our mission, vision and values and found ourselves asking questions around the purpose of the main event. After conversations with both the board and the Art+Feminism, we are going to continue the trajectory of moving away from the organization hosting a huge edit-a-thon and more to providing resources (in the form of microgranting, tools, guides, and community) to our global organizers. By continuing on this path, it enables for more impactful and long term sustainability globally.

23. Do you have the team needed to support this proposal?

Please list the team and their roles. Provide their Wikimedia username if they have one. Select 3 maximum. 2500 character limit

Name	Role	Username
Kira Wisniewski	Executive Director	kiraface
Nina Yeboah	Program Manager	Nyeboah
TBD	Administrative Associate	TBD

Responsibilities: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Art%2BFeminism_User_Group/Planning/Staffing2022-2023

24. In what ways do you think your proposal most contributes to the Movement Strategy 2030 recommendations.  

From list

• Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement
• Improve User Experience
• Provide for Safety and Inclusion:
• Ensure Equity in Decision-making

25. Please state if your organization or group has a Strategic Plan that can help us further understand your proposal.

Yes, we do have a Strategic Plan. (Will upload on form; linked here for community review)

Learning, sharing, and evaluation

26. What do you hope to learn from your work in this proposal?

1500 character limit

• How can we support a global community, across cultural and language barriers in an equitable manner?
• What strategies help our communities feel safe on Wikipedia and at Art+Feminism?
• What can do to continuosly create safer and braver spaces that are caring, equitable, pro-Black, queer and trans-affirming, intentional about accessibility and all-around anti-oppressive. What does this mean in a community context and what does this mean in an employment context
• What can we do to embrace our own learning and unlearning of knowledge so that we may dream of new ways of being and doing, individually and collectively.

27. If any of these core metrics are relevant to your work, please select them by describing what you hope to achieve and setting a target, preferably in numbers.

Annually, by using metrics compiled from our event organizers and the Dashboard, we update this statement: “Since 2014, over 18,000 people at more than 1,260 events around the world have participated in our edit-a-thons, resulting in the creation and improvement of more than 84,000 articles on Wikipedia and its sister projects.” We will continue to track these core metrics that coincides with our public facing messaging and materials.

We do not wish to add more concrete metrics at this time, as we continue on the trajectory of community care and support and not merely metrics of what traditionally demonstrate “growth”. We’re also very conscious that we’re still in a global pandemic and do not wish to add additional pressure to our organizers to have a certain number of events, attendees, articles, etc. We’re celebrating the fact that they’re organizing and find any contribution worth celebration and praise.

28. In addition to those core metrics, please choose metrics from the list below that are most relevant to the work you intend to do.

This question is optional and we have opted to skip it.

29. What other information will you be collecting to learn about the impacts of your activities?

This question is optional and we have opted to skip it.

30. What tools would you use to measure each metric selected?

Our primary tool used for collecting basic information about our annual campaigns is the Programs & Events Dashboard. Using this tool, we’re able to know the count of registered events and determine the number of participants at each event and the namespace they made their contributions in.

In 2019, we introduced a map as part of our final reporting. Using Template:Location map+ we are able to generate a composite image consisting of a map and a location mark, and optionally add labels and captions to each point. The map gave readers a quick visual representation of all event locations and number of participants at each of them.

In 2020, we went a step further to add our metrics data to Wikidata. This will allow us to properly organise our campaigns' metrics into some structured format so that we can query the data and ask lateral cross-cutting questions of the numbers over time and location.

31. How do you hope to share these results so that others can learn from them?

From list

• Share results on social media      
• Share results with our communities        
• Develop learning material for other users      
• Share it on Meta-Wiki. For more information click on the link.    
• I would like to receive support from the Foundation to discover how I can share my learning

Financial proposal

32. What is the amount you are requesting from WMF?

$335,275 USD

33. Select Currency (local)

USD

34. Do you want to apply for multi-year funding?

Yes

34a. If you have calculated it, please provide an estimate of the year 2 or year 3 request.

We’ve used the general formula of 3% COLA to calculate overall budget line projections, but the biggest change in year 2 from year 1, is that in year 1 (2022) we’ve already secured funding for a new staff position. Whereas, we’ll continue to look for other support for the work of the organization. We're including that position’s salary in our proposed year 2 budget; still keeping the overall request under 15% increase from year 1.

35. Please provide a budget for the amount of funding requested.

Please see our draft budget here.

36. Please upload the budget for the amount of funding requested.

(linked in #35)

37. What do you do to make sure there is a good management of funds?

We are building general accounting policies and procedures in partnership with our bookkeeper Viva Yeboah (who also consults with Black Lunch Table). Once complete, these operational documents will be reviewed by our leadership team and board.

38. How will you contribute towards creating a supportive environment for participants using the UCOC and Friendly Space Policy?

1000 characters max

We’ve been advocates of the development of the UCoC by holding our own town halls for our community and drafting feedback for the development committees [also available here]. Further, we have our own Safe Brave Space policy that we encourage all Art+Feminism organizers to share at their events. In 2021, we’ve migrated this agreement to Meta so that it can easily be translated into other languages to increase the accessibility of our work and values. We champion initiatives aimed at promoting a healthier and safer Wikimedia community.

39. I verify I have reviewed or added my banking information.

Yes

40. I have read the WMF Friendly Space Policy and Universal Code of Conduct

Yes