Our Policies

We prefer that projects adhere to open science principles such as the preparation and registration of a pre-analysis plan; the open sharing of data and code; and the public archiving of research outputs. The need to safeguard the privacy and personally identifiable information of research participants takes precedence over this open science policy, but the loss to replicability should be minimized. Investigators' desire to maintain exclusive access takes precedence over this open science policy only for six months beyond the grant period.

University applicants are invited to request a maximum indirect cost rate up to 9% on any budget that is not re-granted to third parties, and on any sub-award amounting to $50,000 or less. On any sub-award exceeding $50,000, university applicants are invited to request a maximum of 9% of the first USD$50,000 (i.e., a maximum of $4,500). This overhead policy applies to universities only; there are no specific overhead restrictions on other applicants.

The Agency Fund does not contribute to the compensation of tenured or tenure-track faculty.

The Agency Fund combines resources from multiple donors into so-called pooled funds. This policy governs the funding recommendations issued to the fiduciaries who administer these pooled funds.

Funding recommendations are issued by an investment committee comprising the Agency Fund's members, advisors, and occasionally external experts.

Investment committee members must disclose to the rest of the committee whenever they are faced with a conflict of interest. This is the case if they review an application by a project or organization that has the potential to deliver benefits to them. Such benefits may be non-monetary (e.g., reputational), may accrue to organizations they are affiliated with (for example, as an employee, consultant, or board member); or may accrue to a family member or domestic partner.

In typical cases, this disclosure will lead to the recusal of the affected committee member from the evaluation of the proposal in question. In cases of major conflicts (e.g., a current remunerated relationship with a member of the Agency Fund's management team), applications may be disqualified from support entirely.

Members of the Agency Fund's advisory team who are not presently serving as investment committee members are not generally deemed to be conflicted and are explicitly cleared to apply for funding.

We strive to respect applicants' sense of ownership. But not every idea is unique, and not every good idea is fundable. To avoid potential disputes about the origin of ideas, we do not accept submissions that could expose us to intellectual property claims. We therefore require applicants to grant us a non-exclusive license over any intellectual property included in their application materials. Unless you consent to this policy, you are unable to submit an application.

We strive to maintain a culture of openness and accountability in order to prevent unethical or illegal behavior at the Agency fund or any of its grantees, and to address it effectively if it should occur.

A whistleblowing concern could relate (but is not limited) to: criminal activity; a failure to comply with regulations or fiduciary duties; risk or damage to health, safety, and the environment; bribery; fraud; financial mismanagement; the disclosure of confidential information; negligence; other conduct that is suited to damage the Agency Fund's reputation; or the deliberate concealment of any of these matters.

Any employees or advisors to the Agency Fund, any grantee, and any member of the general public is encouraged to report concerns without fear of reprisal. You may contact hawa@agency.fund, an email address that is accessible to multiple members of the Agency Fund. Alternatively, you may contact any individual listed on the Team site.