Funding open working
Funders around the world are starting to be more transparent and ask that their fundees be open about their work so that the benefits of the funds are felt more widely across the sector.
Glasspockets is an organisation that brings transparency to the world of philanthropy. This report 'Opening Up: Demystifying Funder Transparency' explores how transparency can strengthen credibility, improve grantee relationships, facilitate greater collaboration, increase public trust, reduce duplication of effort, and build communities of shared learning.
Cassie Robinson, Deputy Director Funding Strategy at National Lottery Community Fund, sums up why working in the open is a good idea:
👉 360 Giving is a charity with a vision for grantmaking in the UK to be more informed, effective and strategic. They help organisations openly publish grants data, and help people use it to improve charitable giving.
Funders of all shapes and sizes share information and out who, what and where they fund using the 360 giving data standard.
It’s used by funders to co-ordinate with other funders, by charities to get to know funders better, by planners researchers to get a better picture of what’s being funded across the UK. It’s free to use their online tools and support is available.
👉 The Institute for Voluntary Action Research (IVAR) is calling for funders to adopt more open and trusting practices that make life easier for those they fund, in light of the ongoing uncertainty caused by Covid-19. Their ambition is to see these commitments extend beyond the crisis to become standard practice in the sector. The IVAR pledge asks funders to adopt simpler, more flexible practices that make life easier for those they fund. Funders agree to eight commitments, which include:
Be open – funders will provide feedback, including reasons for rejections. They will analyse and share relevant data, including publishing success rates.
Image shows a person skateboarding with a jetpack on their back with the words: 'small changes can make a big difference'. CC-BY-ND Bryan Mathers of WAO.
👉 Plan S is an initiative for Open Access publishing that was launched in September 2018. The plan is supported by cOAlition S, an international consortium of research funding and performing organisations. Plan S requires that, from 2021, scientific publications that result from research funded by public grants must be published in compliant Open Access journals or platforms.
👉 The Open Research Funders Group is a partnership of philanthropic organisations committed to the open sharing of research outputs in the US. It showcases a wealth of scholarly research and real-world case studies that demonstrate the myriad ways in which open access and open data benefit researchers and society alike.
How do researchers who have made their work openly available as a condition of their grant funding feel about their experiences? What advice would they give to their peers, and to philanthropic organisations considering the adoption of open policies? Profiles in Open present real world stories of open in action, as told by the researchers themselves.