An evaluation of private foundation copyright licensing policies, practices and opportunities

This document examines the extent to which charitable foundations are aware of and have begun to use open licenses such as Creative Commons or the GPL.  It highlights examples where foundations have begun to take advantage of new licensing models for materials and resources produced by their own staff, their consultants and their grantees.

The study finds that most private foundations studied in this project are still at an early point in considering or beginning to adopt the use of open licenses. The experience of foundations that have already begun to use and encourage (or in some cases require) open licensing confirms that open licenses present valuable opportunities that foundations should begin to seriously consider exploiting. Open licenses promise significant value for foundations and for the public good, and often for grantees as well.

However the study is cautious about the pace of change with which foundations should adopt such approaches arguing that they can take an incremental approach, beginning with careful consideration of the possible benefits and drawbacks and consultation with partners and grantees. It is hoped this will lead grantees to be more informed and intentional in the choices they make about licensing, and over time this will allow foundations to begin encouraging grantees in certain areas to use open licenses, and then perhaps to begin requiring their use.

The report makes a number of specific recommendations for the foundation sector, and for individual foundations, stressing the importance of prioritising educational and informational efforts aimed at increasing awareness in the foundation sector of open licensing generally, and of its potential benefits and synergies.