Financial Policies
Contracting Guidelines
Digital Scholar observes the following policies and guidelines when working with contractors:
- If possible, contracts should follow the Digital Scholar fiscal year, which begins on January 1.
- Contracts must be signed and countersigned before any work begins.
- Digital Scholar does not pay overhead or indirect charges.
- Contractors should bill monthly for services rendered.
- Invoices should offer a detailed account of the work performed during the billing period.
- Invoices should be submitted to our billing service: digitalscholar@bill.com
Granting Guidelines
Digital Scholar observes the following policies and guidelines when issuing grants:
- Digital Scholar does not accept unsolicited grant proposals.
- Grant funds are for use by grantees to support the use of open-source software and the production of open-access scholarship.
- Grant funds are to be spent according to the conditions specified in the award letter.
- Digital Scholar does not pay overhead or indirect charges.
- Grantees should acknowledge the receipt of funds through a public acknowledgement that names Digital Scholar as a funder and that links to this website. Brand logos and graphics are available upon request.
Sponsorship Guidlines
Digital Scholar has a limited pool of funds to provide sponsorships and infrastructure support to organizations, events, and projects that are aligned with our mission and values. In the past we have supported a range of projects, organizations, and events, including the Programming Historian, the PHP Foundation, and DH2024.
Leadership reviews requests and makes disbursements quarterly.
To be considered, please send an email to contact@digitalscholar.org with the subject line “Sponsorship.” Include a profile of your organization and its activities related to digital scholarship, open-source software, or open-access resources, and a statement of how your work aligns with our mission and values.
Charitable Giving
The Digital Scholar Board of Directors issues a number of discretionary charitable contributions. The amount of those contributions is tied to the organization's revenues, and fluctuates from year to year.
Digital Scholar supports organizations whose work aligns with our mission and values. As such, we primarily give to organizations that work in the free and open-source digital scholarship software sector and those that facilitate the creation and maintenance of open-access scholarship and cultural heritage resources.
Digital Scholar does not accept unsolicited requests for funding during the year, but if your organization would like to be considered for a discretionary contribution please send an email by November 15 to contact@digitalscholar.org with the subject line “Discretionary Giving.” Offer a profile of your organization and a brief description of the ways that your work is aligned with our mission and values.
Adopted October 7, 2019. Updated January 13, 2025.