Funding terms
Open Research funding policy
This policy explains how project funding is received, assigned, reported and handled when scope or delivery changes.
Payment recipient
Funding is received by Addis AI, a for-profit business. Addis AI is the contracting payment recipient shown at checkout or named in an institutional agreement.
Project-specific use
A contribution is assigned to the project selected at checkout. Institutional grants and sponsorships are assigned according to the signed agreement. Project funds pay for the work, people, services and release costs described in that project's current public scope.
If the minimum is not reached
Reaching the minimum is not a condition of payment. If funding remains below the minimum useful scope, Addis AI may wait for more funding, reduce the work to a publishable subset, or cancel the funded phase. If a project remains below its minimum funding threshold for six months, Addis AI will publish a project-specific decision rather than holding the project indefinitely. The decision may proceed with a clearly published reduced scope if it remains scientifically useful, continue fundraising with a new explicit decision date, or cancel the project. On cancellation, Addis AI will publish the remaining project balance and its proposed use, apply the terms of any institutional agreement, and review individual refund requests under the Refunds and cancellations section below. A material decision will be recorded in the project updates before funds are reassigned or a reduced study begins.
Material scope changes
A material change to the research question, domain, main evaluation method or open deliverables will be published in the project updates. Restricted institutional funds will be handled according to their agreement. Other project funds will remain with the revised project unless cancellation or refund terms apply.
Funding above the target
Each project states how funding above its full target will be used. The first use is deeper evaluation, independent review, re-evaluation or release work within the same project. A new language or project requires a separate published scope and accounting record.
Unused funds
If funds remain after the published scope is complete, Addis AI will report the remaining amount and proposed use. Restricted funds follow the relevant agreement. Unrestricted individual contributions may support additional work in the same project unless a refund, cancellation or other legal requirement applies.
Refunds and cancellations
Individual contributions are generally final after payment processing completes. Refund requests, duplicate payments, suspected fraud, legal requirements and a project cancellation are reviewed case by case. Institutional cancellation and refund terms are set by the signed agreement. This policy does not remove rights that apply under law or card-network rules.
Processing fees
Payment-service fees may be deducted before funds reach Addis AI. The project ledger records gross payments, refunds and available net funding where the payment data allows. Public progress totals are based on cleared contributions and confirmed project-specific grants or sponsorships.
Ledger reconciliation
Payment events are recorded through signed payment notifications. Institutional funding is added after a grant or sponsorship is confirmed. Refunds and reversals reduce the recorded total. Addis AI reconciles the project ledger with payment and agreement records before publishing material funding updates.
No investment or charitable status
A contribution does not provide equity, tokens, profit sharing, repayment or an investment return. Addis AI does not represent contributions as tax-deductible charitable donations unless a separate eligible arrangement expressly says so in writing.
Questions
For contributor, grant or sponsorship terms, contact contact@addisai.ch before payment or signing.
Policy published 31 August 2026. Last updated 1 September 2026.