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This page provides guidelines for managing and sharing research funding at Apart Lab, aiming to support researchers while ensuring fairness and transparency in the funding process.
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At Apart, we are committed to supporting your research in a holistic way. This includes assisting you in finding funding for your projects. Securing funding can significantly enhance your research by providing:
We believe that ambitiously applying for research grants is one of the best steps you can take to advance your work.
We want to support your application process, provide guidance and feedback, and help you maximize your chances for a successful application.
In recognition of the support we provide to you and your research, we ask you to:
Feel free to approach the Apart Lab team with questions you might have for an upcoming application. We are happy to discuss your ideas and give feedback on your draft and budget.
To maintain transparency and alignment with Apart Lab's goals, we ask you to:
This way we can help to ensure that your application and requested amount are both ambitious and realistic while reflecting the actual costs of the project.
If you are writing your application within less than 3 days of the submission deadline, we ask you to talk to our core team directly via Discord.
Awaiting feedback on your application is exciting. Once the results are in, we ask you to:
Management of Grant Receipt and Disbursement through Ashgro Inc. (Default)
When applying for funding for your Apart Lab project, we offer you the option to have the funding managed within our fiscal sponsorship agreement with Ashgro Inc. This eases legal, tax, accounting, and team payout for you. To use the service, a fee of 5% must be included in your budget application.
Alternative Legal Structures
You may choose not to use Ashgro Inc. to handle the grant disbursement. However, it is then your responsibility to demonstrate to Apart that your alternative arrangement (LLC, personal company, etc.) complies with all applicable regulations and that there is no significant risk of fund mismanagement or violation of the corresponding grant agreement.
Be aware that you will need to handle tax in your home country, handle all legal paperwork, and will likely have to speak with a lawyer and/or tax attorney during this process. If you opt for an alternative setup when applying for funding and plan to personally accept liability for compliance with the grant agreement, we ask you to inform us explicitly about this choice within no less than 7 days before the submission deadline.
Remember that the 5% will be covered by the grant-maker and will not take a cut of the funds dedicated to your research project.
Conditioning of Grant Disbursement on Project Milestones
Since Ashgro Inc. assumes legal responsibility to ensure the grant is utilized according to its purpose, we generally disburse funds based on specified conditions, primarily on a project milestone basis. For grant managers like person A in a team (A, B, and C), it's highly recommended, though not required (unless stated in the grant agreement), to adopt milestone payments for paying out team members. This ensures that all stakeholders stay on track with the project timeline and we have a better overview of the runway and financial scope of the project. If your grant agreement already states pre-defined project milestones, these will serve as the basis of payments made to the stakeholders involved. If there is no milestone plan specified in the grant agreement, the grant recipient accepts responsibility for proposing a milestone plan that needs to be aligned with, and later on approved by Apart. We are happy to discuss the best possible plan on a case-by-case basis together with you. To provide a generic example, the milestones could follow the structure of the Apart Lab fellowship itself:
When going with the default setup, Ashgro Inc. will ensure adherence to the above and manage timely payouts. If an alternative arrangement is chosen, you will be personally responsible for adhering to the specified structure (paying your project team accordingly in a timely manner).
In the event of funds mismanagement, we reserve the right to withdraw your affiliation with Apart.
Handling Deviations in Grant Amounts
Should the final amount granted differ from the amount initially requested in the application, the received funds will be allocated on a pro-rata basis. This means distribution will be in proportion to the original amount requested unless the grant-maker specifies a different allocation method.
By participating in Apart Lab and applying for funding for your research projects, you agree to adhere to the guidelines and principles outlined on this page. Your collaboration and adherence to these principles are crucial in maintaining a fair, supportive, and impactful research environment.