The Ford Foundation has just granted $300,000 to the Wikimedia Foundation to support Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia‘s repository for free, sharable multimedia files.
The grant will fund a study of barriers to entry for users and contributors new to Wikimedia Commons. The project team will also identify best practices from similar media-sharing sites. The team will design and implement a simpler workflow for uploading, licensing, and describing media.
“We are thrilled that the Ford Foundation is supporting this project,” said Wikimedia Executive Director Sue Gardner in a statement issued today by the Wikimedia Foundation.
“We want to make uploading files to Commons as easy as possible so that people everywhere can join us in helping Commons grow. The bigger Commons is, the more people it will serve.”
According to the Ford Foundation website, the funds are granted to select organizations that support emerging leaders, research and dialog, and life-changing or life-improving innovations. Typically, fewer than 3 percent of grant applicants are selected for funding, and purely scientific projects are not typically considered for these grants.
Ford Foundation representative Jenny Toomey said in the Wikimedia statement, “The global community that is building Wikimedia Commons is setting the standard for the way that video and images are uploaded and shared through the Web.
“The whole process is simplified, promotes collaboration, and is driven by consensus among the community. Ultimately, this approach and others like it can help ensure that the Internet remains a rich and open space for learning, expression, and participation.”
The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization which operates Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopedia. Wikipedia contains more than 12 million articles in 265 languages contributed by a community of more than 100,000 volunteers.
