Briefly
Program description
Organised by Open Book Collective (OBC). The goal is to support publishers and infrastructure providers in increasing the quantity and quality of OA books.
Priority is given to non-commercial models and initiatives promoting bibliodiversity. The fund is supported by OBC library members.
Main Information
Eligibility
Who may apply
- The call is open to applicants worldwide, except for individuals and countries subject to applicable sanctions or banking restrictions.
- Both new and established initiatives are eligible to apply.
- Applicants must be at least 18 years old.
- Individuals and organisations may apply; where a team is involved, a main contact person must be designated.
- Non-profit organisations are eligible.
- Members of the administering organisation and its current contractors are not eligible to apply.
- Only one application per applicant is permitted per call.
- Applications must be submitted in one of the specified languages (English, French, Portuguese, or Spanish).
Financial and procedural requirements
- If the project involves additional sources of funding, these must be declared in the application.
- Applicants must take into account potential restrictions related to international sanctions and banking regulations; in certain cases, funding decisions may be subject to additional due diligence.
Project content requirements
Proposed projects should meet at least some of the following criteria:
- Contribute to open source outputs or initiatives.
- Enable broad re-use of project results.
- Demonstrate a strong community-led component.
- Support non-commercial work or initiatives.
The programme particularly encourages applications from small and medium-sized publishers, infrastructure providers, and organisations working to strengthen the open book publishing ecosystem, especially beyond the Global North and in support of underrepresented or non-Anglophone publishing communities.
Financing
Within this funding round, several grants of different sizes are planned to be awarded. It is expected that:
- 1–3 projects will receive grants of up to GBP 7,500;
- 1–2 projects will receive grants of up to GBP 15,000.
At least 30% of the total available funding is intended to be allocated to applicants from Low and Middle Income Countries (as defined by the World Bank) or to projects benefiting such countries. The final distribution of funds will be determined by the judging committee. Requests for smaller amounts will not be disadvantaged in the evaluation process.
Applicants are required to submit a fully costed project budget. Eligible costs may include:
- software and technology expenses (e.g. subscriptions, computer equipment, hosting services);
- equipment and supplies, including mobile data and power costs;
- staff and consultant fees (with hourly rates and estimated hours specified);
- travel costs (indicating the number of team members travelling and destinations);
- honoraria for speakers or interviewees;
- accessibility services (e.g. translation, captioning);
- indirect or overhead costs;
- event-related expenses;
- other justified costs, subject to the committee’s discretion.
The programme does not fund:
- costs directly related to publication fees, including Book Processing Charges (BPCs);
- textbooks for undergraduate, graduate, or school-level education;
- projects focused exclusively on Open Access journals.
Open Access refers to texts published under open licences and made immediately available to the public without barriers or embargoes.
Supported Activities
The programme supports initiatives in the field of Open Access (OA) scholarly books. Funding is available for projects implemented within the following priority areas:
| Area | Examples of Supported Activities |
|---|---|
| Infrastructure Development | Creation or improvement of systems and workflows for the distribution, cataloguing, and/or preservation of Open Access scholarly books |
| Network Building and Advocacy | Establishment and strengthening of partnerships, collaborative networks, and advocacy initiatives supporting the OA book ecosystem and related infrastructure |
| Capacity Building | Projects aimed at strengthening institutional and professional capacity for publishing scholarly books in Open Access |
Roadmap
| Stage | Indicative Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Call opens | 7 January 2026 | Applications open. From this date, applicants may optionally submit brief materials for feedback on whether the proposed project appears within scope. |
| Deadline for optional scope check | 7 February 2026 | Final date to submit materials for the optional pre-assessment of project scope. |
| Call closes | 7 March 2026 | Deadline for submitting full applications. |
| Pre-screening | 10 March 2026 | Administrative and eligibility check; prioritisation of applications for external review. |
| Submission to reviewers | By 20 March 2026 | Eligible and high-priority proposals are sent for expert scoring. Applicants not advancing are notified within 10 days. |
| Committee decision | By end of June 2026 | Comparison of reviews, preparation of a joint assessment summary, selection of projects for funding, and establishment of a reserve list. |
| Due diligence | July–August 2026 | Verification of selected applicants and collection of additional information where required. |
| Grant agreements issued | By end of September 2026 | Completion of due diligence and formalisation of grant agreements. |
| Project start | From October 2026 | Implementation of selected projects begins. |
How to Apply
Applications should be submitted at this link as a single document, no later than 21:00 UTC (22:00 BST / 23:00 CEST) on March 7.
Please note that ONLY full applications made using the application form provided will be considered.
Evaluation Criteria
Grant applications under the programme are evaluated through a multi-stage process involving independent expert reviewers and an Assessment Committee. The procedure includes individual scoring, consolidated ranking, and a final decision by a collegial body.
Evaluation Criteria
Experts assess proposals based on the following key dimensions:
| Criterion | Scope of Assessment |
|---|---|
| Need | Relevance and importance of the project to the OA book publishing ecosystem and the communities it serves |
| Alignment with mission | Consistency with the organisation’s mission, principles, and values |
| Feasibility | Soundness of the work plan, timeline, budget, and capacity of the team |
| Equity, Diversity and Inclusion | Contribution to equity, diversity, multilingualism, gender inclusion, and broader bibliodiversity |
| Overall funding priority | Strategic importance of the project for funding |
Scoring System
The first four criteria are scored using a four-point scale:
| Score | Rating |
|---|---|
| 4 | Outstanding |
| 3 | Good |
| 2 | Fair |
| 1 | Unclassified |
The fifth criterion (overall funding priority) reflects the reviewers’ overall assessment:
| Rating | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 4 | High priority for funding |
| 3 | Medium priority |
| 2 | Low priority |
| 1 | Not fundable |
Review Procedure
- Each proposal is reviewed by two independent expert reviewers.
- Reviewers must declare any conflict of interest.
- Evaluations are conducted independently.
- The Assessment Committee, composed of governance representatives and external advisors, reviews the expert reports.
- Committee members must recuse themselves in case of a conflict of interest.
- Final decisions are made by consensus or, where necessary, by vote.
Grant awards may be subject to due diligence and risk assessment procedures.
Required Documents
To participate in the grant programme, applicants must prepare and submit the following documents:
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
| CDF Application Form Eng 2026 | Main application form containing the project description and key applicant information |
| Data Management 2026 | Description of the data management approach to be applied during project implementation |
| Budget Template 2026 | Detailed project budget completed using the required template |
Updates / Announcements
Within the scope of the program competition announcement, it is possible to submit brief project descriptions (project summaries).
Applicants are required to send their project summary to developmentfund@openbookcollective.org. The subject line of the email must include “Project summary”, followed by the project title.
The deadline for submitting project summaries is 7 February 2026 at 21:00 (UK time) / 22:00 (CET) / 23:00 (EET).
Reporting and Compliance
After receiving funding, successful applicants are required to comply with established reporting and implementation obligations under the grant programme.
Key reporting requirements
- regular communication with the programme organiser, including at least one scheduled online call of no less than 60 minutes every three months;
- contribution to programme visibility and knowledge sharing: grantees awarded up to £7,500 are required to submit at least two blog posts for the organiser’s platform;
- for grants above £7,500, submission of a final report and/or participation in a final showcase event is required, with the format agreed with the organiser.
Implementation and compliance obligations
- the project team bears full responsibility for completing the project in line with the agreed objectives, deliverables, and expected outcomes;
- implementation must follow the approved scope of work and meet the defined results and impact expectations.
Overall, compliance after funding focuses on accountability, structured reporting, transparent communication, and the successful delivery of agreed project results.