Open Science Grants

Program Status: The Navigation Fund's Open Science grant program has concluded. The funder is no longer accepting new proposals under this program.

Background: The Navigation Fund previously funded research and initiatives advancing open science practices. The funder remains grateful to researchers, tool builders, and communities whose work they were able to support.

Future Direction: Open science efforts will continue through a program housed at Astera. Visit astera.org for updates on their work advancing open science practices.

For Current Grantees: Existing grantees should contact grants@navigation.org with questions about ongoing grants or reporting requirements.

Funder Philosophy on Open Science:
The Navigation Fund believes that knowledge funded through philanthropy belongs to the public. Research aimed at improving the world should not be inaccessible, delayed, or paywalled. Research should be openly shared, promptly distributed, and structured to maximize understanding, application, debate, and innovation.

Current Research Funding Standards:
All TNF-funded research is now expected to:

• Focus on immediate open sharing rather than traditional journal publications
• Publish findings and outputs as they become ready
• Maximize accessibility and real-world impact
• Use appropriate open licenses (CC-BY, MIT, CC0)
• Deposit outputs in FAIR-compliant venues with DOI