Friday, July 15, 2011

Report: Funding for Sustainability: How Funders’ Practices Influence the Future of Digital Resources

You may have already seen this report, which was published in June by Strategic Content Alliance/Ithaka S+R. "Funding for Sustainability: How Funders’ Practices Influence the Future of Digital Resources" provides information on current funding practices, including areas that can be improved in regards to defining and planning for post-grant sustainability.

Quoting the press release:
According to the report, which is based on interviews with representatives from more than 25 funding bodies in Europe and North America, funders engage in a rich range of planning activities to address different aspects of sustainability, including technical, content-based, access and discovery, and audience impact requirements. But, many funders only engage with their grantees at the beginning of the grant period and, all too often, funders and project leaders alike rely heavily on a university or other host institution as a back-up plan for long-term sustainability.
While the report is 60 pages in length, anyone who flips through it will see information that will draw him in, including questions to ask potential projects.  Those preparing to apply for a grant may find this useful in order to surface important questions/ideas in advance.

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