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Applying for Grants

Use this guide when a funder may support your Collective through OSE. Your Collective leads the application and project. OSE reviews its own role and commitments.

The grant journey

  1. Before you submit, check the funder's requirements and contact OSE. If the application names OSE as recipient or signatory, OSE must review and accept that role before submission.
  2. If you get the grant, share the grant agreement and arrange the necessary agreements and payment instructions with OSE.
  3. When the funds arrive, use the Collective budget in line with the funding conditions. A promised grant is not an available balance.
  4. During the project, prepare activity reports and project monitoring. OSE provides the accounting information it holds and validates anything that binds OSE.

The details of the agreement, communication and reporting requirements are below. See also hosting fees and spending the grant budget.

Overview

Open Source Europe (OSE) enables hosted Collectives to receive grants from institutional and philanthropic funders, both in Europe and internationally. Our team helps you prepare the arrangements for receiving and managing the grant.

If a grant application names OSE as recipient or signatory, contact OSE before submission, so the team can review and accept its role and commitments.

Initial Steps

  1. Contact OSE early

    Email home@opensourceeurope.org to let us know about the grant opportunity. We'll help assess whether it's compatible with fiscal hosting through OSE.

  2. Check funder requirements

    Some funders do not allow grants to fiscally sponsored initiatives. Ask the funder whether they accept a hosted structure.

  3. For U.S. funders

    Contact the OSE team to arrange the documentation required by your funder. See Equivalency Determination Certificate.

Grant Agreements & Receiving Funds

  1. Grant Agreement

    The funder will provide a grant agreement. This must be signed by the confirmed recipient entity.
    Please share the agreement with us via home@opensourceeurope.org, or have the funder reach out to us directly.

  2. Mandate Agreement

    Your initiative will also need to sign a Mandate Agreement with OSE.
    It makes the arrangement formal. One signatory from your initiative is enough.

  3. Bank Transfer

    The OSE team will provide the right bank transfer instructions for the agreed grant arrangement.

  4. Allocation on the Platform

    Once the grant is received, the funds will appear on your Collective’s Open Collective page as available balance.

Funder Communication

  • Acknowledgments

    You can publicly recognize funders on your Collective page. Their name will appear in your list of contributors unless they choose to remain anonymous.

  • Updates

    Keep your funders informed by posting regular updates through the Open Collective platform.

  • Ongoing Communication

    If funders send requests or messages to OSE, OSE will forward them to your initiative for follow-up.

Grant Reporting

The Collective prepares activity reports and project monitoring. OSE provides the accounting information it holds and validates statements or commitments that bind OSE. Follow the reporting requirements and deadlines of the grant agreement.

Need Help?

The Collective leads its own fundraising. OSE may occasionally share opportunities or make introductions when it has capacity. It does not promise a structured fundraising service or funding success. For questions about receiving and administering a grant, contact home@opensourceeurope.org.

Hosting fees

See the current OSE fee reference.