Wikimedia Endowment Grantmaking and Community Committee Charter

Purpose

The purpose of the Grantmaking and Community Committee (the "Committee") is to assist the Board of Trustees ("Board") of the Wikimedia Endowment ("Endowment") in its general oversight of the Endowment's grantmaking activities, funding decisions, evaluation and reporting, and community affairs.

Membership and Organization

Committee Members

The Board shall appoint at least three trustees to serve as Committee members. Committee appointments are for a term of one year; however, they shall automatically renew for additional one-year terms unless the appointed trustee is replaced as a Committee member or has their committee membership terminated by the Board. The Board shall appoint one trustee to serve as Committee Chair for a term of two years of office. The term of the Committee Chair shall automatically renew and continue until replaced by the Board or resignation.

Endowment Staff

The Principal Program Manager and the Sr. Program Manager shall provide staff support to the Committee as needed to allow it to function effectively. The Committee Chair may invite Endowment staff to attend the meetings as necessary. No staff members may be voting Committee members.

Responsibilities

Overall, the Committee is responsible for funding activities aligned with the Endowment's mission, and tending to the relationship between the Endowment and the communities of the Wikimedia movement. In addition to the specific responsibilities listed below, the Board may designate further responsibilities to the Committee that are needed to further the Committee's purpose.

  • Review, discuss, and approve the Endowment's overall grantmaking strategy
  • Review, discuss, and approve the disbursement of Endowment funds consistent with its mission and strategy
  • Review and discuss evaluation assessments and reports for the activities funded by the Endowment
  • Maintain open lines of communication with communities of the Wikimedia movement
  • Publish regular updates about the Committee's activities and the responsibilities under its purview

Procedures and Processes

Unless specified otherwise in this Charter, the Committee shall follow the same rules and practices as the full Board follows for its meetings, decision-making, and recordkeeping.

Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least once per quarter, and otherwise as deemed necessary by the Committee Chair. The required attendees are the Committee members and the relevant staff members as determined by the meeting agenda. A quorum is a majority of the voting Committee members, and a majority of voting members present shall decide any question brought before the Committee. A meeting may be in person, by telephone, or videoconference so long as all participants are able to hear one another and participate in simultaneous deliberation.

Reporting

At each regular Board meeting, the Committee Chair shall report to the full Board on the Committee's activities since the last regular Board meeting. Each meeting will have an agenda and minutes, which will be available to the Board and relevant staff.

Self-Evaluation

On an annual basis, the Committee will perform a self-assessment, and will review and reassess this charter. The result will be reported to the full Board and include any recommended changes to the Committee activities or its charter.