Financials agreement

EAR operates with financial transparency and accountability, with processes in place to manage funds, support collaborative programs, and ensure the economic sustainability of our mission.

The EAR project committee manages funds through the Ecosystem Action Research Open Collective.

Types of funds

Money held by EAR falls into two categories. Core fund, collaborative funds.

Core fund

The core fund is controlled by the project committee. These funds are used for operational expenses and providing economic runway for EAR.

Collaborative funds

Collaborative funds may be allocated to specific people for time and materials in order to finance approved programs, based on a transparent program development, scoping, budgeting, and approval process.

Income

EAR may receive income from companies, individuals, grant makers or other entities.

General-purpose gifts

General purpose gifts to EAR are allocated at the discretion of the project committee to either core operating costs or program-specific endeavors

Program-specific gifts

Gifts may be earmarked for a specific program. If that’s the case, we’ll prioritize spending earmarked funds for their specified purpose—if a program ends before all funds earmarked for that program have been exhausted, remaining funds will be moved into the core fund.

Membership is free

There are no membership fees required to participate in EAR.

Spending

Money spent by EAR may include fixed costs, discretionary costs, and emergency costs.

Collaborative funding process

A collaborative funding process must have a facilitator who is responsible for the process. Ensure rules for the process are clearly documented, reviewed, and approved by the project committee. Budgeting for the process is done in a transparent manner. Driving the process Reporting outcomes to the EAR group Entities that receive the funds are held accountable Funds may only be allocated to a collaborative funding program if the process has been clearly documented and approved by the project committee. If no such rules have previously been defined, a proposal must be developed and socialized for review and approval with the project committee.

Financial accountability and transparency

Financial matters are the responsibility of the project committee. The committee ensures that all transactions are documented in the EAR Open Collective with corresponding proposal, budget, and forecast documentation.