[OSGeo-Conf] OSgeo travel grant program support

[adam steer]

Hi conference team

The committee organising FOSS4G SotM Oceania would like to operate a travel
grant program - aimed at assisting regional participants (for example, from
pacific islands - or from remote Australian communities).

This e-mail is part 1 of the OSgeo TGP procedure (
https://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_Travel_Grant_Programme_2018). I believe
our conference co-chairs (John and Alex, in cc) are invited to the August
OSgeo board meeting - so I thought it timely to raise our intention to
request TGP assistance. We are also just now in a position to start
planning - we feel we have enough sponsorship commitment to start.

We will co-fund a TGP using sponsorship funds we’ve generated; and in
general align the TGP with previous programs run for OSgeo events.

One major issue is apparent - the OSgeo TGP recommendations suggest that we
would not be able to give funding to attendees from Australia. We (the
conference committee) request discretion to fund Australian attendees where
we see fit. Why?

Australia’s wealth is highly concentrated in the south-eastern seaboard
(and one city centre in the west). Being broadly unable to fund Australians
would mean potentially excluding remote (in particular indigenous)
attendees. We hope that sits OK with the OSgeo board/general principles of
operation - and we will most definitely keep an audit trail justifying any
travel grant expenditure.

Looking forward to hearing back from you. Trisha Moriarty (also in cc) will
also be involved in operating the TGP; as the diversity and inclusion lead
for the committee.

Regards

Adam
(FOSS4G SotM Oceania sponsorship lead)
-- 
Dr. Adam Steer
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Adam_Steer
http://au.linkedin.com/in/adamsteer
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0046-7236
+61 427 091 712
skype: adam.d.steer
tweet: @adamdsteer
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