Funding
Identify OER Funding Opportunities: Sustainability
This module will help academics and library staff explore ways to fund OER projects at their institutions.
Seeking Funding
Areas to seek funding
In the very early days of OER, a handful of foundations such as the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation led the way in funding OER projects across the globe. Today, funding for OER remains limited, although more diversified. Individuals and institutions may explore a range of sources to support their OER work, including those listed below.
- Local Research Funds
Start by asking your institution about existing research grants, and whether the development of OER may be funded as part of those research grants. - Other Local Funds
Check with your institution to see if funds, refreshments, or time off are offered for OER projects and events, such as sprints to create new OER. - International Funds
For example, the Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship Program provides funding for individuals working on OER and open initiatives, globally.
Attribution:
Introductory text a derivative of content within Starting an OER Initiative, by Open Education Consortium, licensed under CC BY 4.0
examples of ways tp collaborate
Below are examples of ways that academics may collaborate with library staff and others to seek OER funding.
- Ask library staff if they are aware of grant/funding opportunities, or if they could research new funding opportunities
- Team up with library staff or other academics to develop grant proposals for OER
- Team up with colleagues to approach your department or local academic development program about supporting sprints or professional learning meetings around OER on your campus
Tapping Multiple Funding Streams
Tapping Multiple Funding Streams
Learn about how one U.S. college successfully wove components of OER into its nationally funded grants, and tapped philanthropic organisations and internal campus budgets to enable OER. You can also download the Building OER Sustainability at Your College with CCCOER excerpt video transcript.
Video from Open Education Consortium, licensed under CC BY 3.0
Additional Options
In addition to financial support, consider ways to leverage existing projects or collaborative opportunities as a means to support your OER work:
- Academic projects may be available (or required) for new academics at your institution, and can serve as an opportunity to develop OER.
- You may be able to request time in your Standard Workload Formula for the development of OER.
- Consider organising a development "sprint", as a way to collaboratively create OER with limited or no funding. See the Collaborating Module in this toolkit for more information on organising sprints. See also the guide in the tools section of this module, below.