As I collaborate and reflect with regional leadership and judges at events, the same questions keep getting posed to me: Khailyn, does my Grant need to be MTG focused? Can they pay me for the work that I do?
– No, your Grant does not need to be MTG focused. The Grants Committee is actually in the process of discussing funding for a Riftbound Judge App on Apple iOS. As long as your Grant follows the rules below, your Grant can help fund projects in other TCGs.
– Short answer, yes, the Grants Committee can pay you for the amazing work that you do. Rule #1 below has a list of actions/projects/positions that would exclude a Grant from funding.
Community Project Grants Committee Rules
1. The proposed project must not simply pay people to volunteer- What counts as volunteer work that is central and normal Judge Foundry volunteer actions? That’s a great question, and it makes this statement/rule difficult to dissect and analyze. Luckily, the Board and the Grants Committee generated and reviewed a list of actions that would be considered core volunteer work for JF, and in turn, would exclude a grant from receiving funding: Creation/Providing of exam content, serving on committees, working on official projects, serving in leadership positions (Board, Regional Advocates, Committee/Project Leads, etc.), proctoring exams, writing reviews outside of a contest, and/or serving on advancement panels. If your Project Grant does not compensate in any of these core volunteer domains, your Grant will be considered for funding.
2. The proposed project must benefit the judging community.
– As a judge certification organization which serves all of its members, we want to provide funding to grants that serve the judging community, as a whole. If you do not know how to turn a grant that is designed for a specific population of individuals, the Grants Committee can help you scale it back.
3. The proposed project must be focused on the United States and Canada.
– Judge Foundry is the judge certification organization for the United States and Canada, so the project should focus its efforts on the judges in those geographical locations.
4. The lead of the proposed project and a majority of the project’s members must be Judge Foundry members in good standing.
– This is a floating measure. Meaning, a project won’t be instantly de-funded if a contributor quits and moves it from 52% JF members to 48%. But if people want access to the organization’s resources, they need to be members of the organization. This also means that a majority, including the Project Lead, need to be American and Canadian judges.
5. The proposed project must comply with any other guidelines established by the Board of Directors.
– Nothing super complicated here; no funding of illegal shenanigans or projects that go against Judge Foundry’ mission.
Thank you to Jenn and their team for their focused efforts and detailed work here, already. If you have a project or idea that you would potentially like some monetary support for, please apply to have your Grant reviewed using this Google form. If you do not know where to start or need some guidance about a project, the Project Grants Committee will review, analyze, and collaborate with you regarding your Grant. I look forward to continue working and collaboring with this committee, as well!
