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Community Resources and Partnerships/India Resource Projects

India Resource Projects

Partnership

Currently, Wikimedians from India are accessing resourcing through Wikimedia Foundation’s Funds. Going forward, we are adopting a streamlined approach to facilitate more intentional access to funding.

The new approach allows us to align ourselves to the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act in India. This process involves collaborating with long-time movement partners. In India, the Centre for Internet and Society has stepped forward to spearhead this pilot approach and we will continue to source for more partners who can step into the role as well to increase access to new geographies.

This pilot is a step towards advancing two of our four main goals for the 2024 and 2025 annual plan namely, advancing knowledge as a service (infrastructure) and supporting knowledge equity.

I-RP

India Rapid Project

Project page
I-GSP

India General Support Project

Project page
I-CP

(Coming soon) India Conference Project

Project page

More about the pilot

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As part of the pilot, CIS will be able to combine the roles they play through supporting community collaborations and project management. We recognise that these roles are adaptive based on needs and for a start, have captured the essence below:

  • Provide - where needed and requested for - project proposal support to Wikimedia community members and groups (contractors) from India to carry out their project in areas of:
  • Outreach and awareness about the Wikimedia movement;
  • Content contribution on Wikiprojects;
  • Technology Partnerships
  • Organising conferences in India or South Asia level
  • Contribute to the project proposal review process by providing input on the feasibility of the project in alignment with local legal requirements and in partnership with the South Asia Regional Committee; support the implementation of projects and account for final reporting of projects underwritten by CIS (and/or its contractors)
  • Provide the support for individual contractors - where needed and requested for - to report on and fulfil their tax obligations related to scope of appointed project work as required by the law of India

How can I find out more?

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You can reach out to your your South Asia regional programme officer, Jacqueline Chen (sa_fundwikimedia.org) or join a scheduled conversation at the following timings:

Frequently Asked Questions

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1. Where can I find more information about CIS?

The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is an Indian non-profit organisation that engages in research and advocacy on topics related to digital rights, internet governance, and open knowledge.

Over the past decade, CIS has focused on building and supporting Indic Wikimedia communities by fostering leadership, partnerships, outreach, content development, and diversity. CIS also invested in nurturing collaboration between open knowledge networks and the Wikimedia movement, while building & advocating for inclusive technology and innovation in content creation and community growth.

For more information on CIS, refer to their website - https://cis-india.org/; contact email: finance cis-india.org

2. Apart from CIS, are there plans to also onboard other partners in a similar way?

Yes, the Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) Partnerships team is actively exploring opportunities to onboard additional partners in a similar capacity.

3. How will CIS be screening applications?

CIS will primarily screen for the regulatory, financial, and operational feasibility of project applications based on local context.

4. What can I expect during the onboarding process with CIS?

As part of onboarding, CIS will issue an Individual Contractor Agreement outlining the terms of your engagement. CIS will provide you with information on the terms of reference of the working arrangement. For further details, refer to the onboarding section.

5. Will there be a conflict of interest given CIS is an existing grant holder while also holding this operational function?

CIS’s A2K team has received and continues to apply for WMF’s grant. CIS, a multidisciplinary research organisation, has various teams working together. To avoid conflicts of interest, CIS has nominated a non-Access to Knowledge employee to screen the applications and lead these operations.

6. Apart from this initiative, are there plans in the pipeline to include new programmes in the future?

Yes the plan is to extend this new funding pathway to include future project resourcing needs when ready.

7. Is there an option to work with another service provider besides CIS?

The Wikimedia Foundation (WMF) Partnerships team is actively exploring opportunities to onboard additional partners in addition to CIS. Please reach out to your South Asia regional programme officer, Jacqueline Chen (sa_fund wikimedia.org) if you have further feedback about CIS as a service provider or the process in general. As this is a pilot, we invite your patience, grace and feedback on this iterative journey.

8. Why is there a need for this resourcing pathway? And why now? Are there alternatives?

This pathway for India projects ensures alignment with more recent amendments under the Foreign Contribution Regulatory Act (FCRA). Through it, we can continue supporting projects in India. This is the only resourcing mechanism that is available now for projects that require access to resources and are implemented in India.

9. Prior to the launch, were there community consultations? Were there announcements?

Yes. We were able to consult with the South Asia Regional Funds Committee and also with the community via the South Asia Open Community Call. Thereafter, we also sent an email announcement to Wikimedians from India who had previously accessed resourcing through the Wikimedia Foundation.

10. Why is this a pilot? What aspects are we seeking to try out?

This pilot seeks to test out the finer workings of the new resourcing pathway. For example user experience, coordination workflow, institutional partner support and service delivery, systems and reporting etc. Through continuous iteration, we hope to offer enhancements to your experience as we grow collectively through this journey.

11. Could CIS share more about the reimbursement policy, process and timeline? What type of reporting is required? Are there income tax implications for recipients? What about Goods and Services Tax (GST) and Tax Deductible at Source (TDS) reporting? How will CIS be supporting that process for projects? What will be the arrangement for the hiring of professional services for the project?

Reimbursement policy is upon the submission of original bills (in most of the cases digital bills will suffice with a declaration from the person who is to be reimbursed). The bills must always be made to the name of Centre for Internet and Society if the spending amount is more than INR 5,000.

We strive to process all bills and reimbursement requests within 10 working days. This is contingent to verification and proper approvals being in place.

For Rapid Projects we require a consolidated Utilisation Certificate along with a detailed financial statement that is in alignment with the proposed/approved budget of the Rapid Project. If there are major variances across line items or volume of spending prior approval must be sought from the Wikimedia Foundation and this approval must be shared with CIS.

GST is applicable at the relevant slab rates only when the consultant/contractor engages firms and business establishments for the conduct of their activities/events. CIS will provide institutional GST number where it is required and this can be reflected in the consolidated financial statement and the final Utilisation Certificate that is submitted upon the completion of the project.

All salaries that are budgeted under the rapid projects will attract TDS and this shall be communicated during the orientation. TDS will also be applicable for payments where it is mandated by the existing law and financial regulations (eg: Accommodation costs exceeding INR 250,000 for one event)

Consultants working with CIS have full autonomy to hire professional service vendors as per their requirements and needs. CIS will be happy to share its contacts and vendors if that is helpful.

12. Could CIS share a sample of the project agreement?

Yes. CIS will offer this information to project applicants as part of the onboarding process. If your decision to apply for project funding is solely dependent on prior access to the agreement, please reach out to CIS. Contact email: finance cis-india.org

Supported projects

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Rapid Projects

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Rapid Projects

General Support Projects

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General Support Projects

Conference Projects

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Conference Projects
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