"Collaboration with outside partners is becoming standard practice for more and more news organizations. Questions about how to fund collaborative projects — especially those requiring an ongoing labor-intensive investment by partners — are increasing, too. This guide aims to explore the different ways in which news organizations around the U.S. have approached budgeting and finance for collaborative work. It discusses how collaborative models influence funding decisions, different funding sources, how to seek funding and how to structure and allocate budgets. While many collaborative projects are largely funded through in-kind support from the project’s partners, it’s becoming more common for collaboratives to seek outside funding. We hope this guide gives you a basic understanding of what you’ll want to consider as you think about how to finance and build the budget for your collaborative work. Among the major funding considerations this guide will cover are: how to choose the best funder for your project and ensure your goals are aligned; ways to build a manageable budget, covering everything from tech to
travel; the importance of financing sufficient staff for project management and editorial work; the challenges of allocating money within a partnership and maintaining fairness and equity; why it’s important to financially plan with both flexibility and sustainability in mind." (Introduction, page 3)