Version 1.0, dated Oct 20, 2026 Draft for a lawyer's review
Research grant agreement
This is a draft written for a lawyer to review. No grant is signed on this text until that review is done.
This agreement is between Tillyard ("Tillyard") and [Grantee's name] ("you"). It covers the project "[Project name]" and a grant of [Amount] from [Funding round].
What this grant is for
Tillyard gives you [Amount] to carry out the research in your proposal, using the budget and milestones set out below. The grant pays for the research. It is not pay for work done for Tillyard, and it does not make you part of Tillyard's staff.
Where the money comes from, and when you are paid
Tillyard pays grants only from money it has already received and set aside for them, and this grant is covered by that money now. Tillyard sends payments outside this website and then marks each one as sent on your project page. It may pay in parts, may tie some parts to milestones, and may pause a payment while a report is late.
Nothing here promises you another grant later.
Using the money
Spend the money only on the budget lines below and for the reasons you gave. If you need to spend differently, ask first and wait for a written yes.
The money may not pay for tuition or fees, rent or other living costs, anything bought from or paid to a Tillyard trustee, officer, staff member or reviewer or a member of their families, or any political campaign. A stipend, if the budget has one, is for your own time on this research and nothing else.
Receipts and records
Add each purchase to your project page when you make it: the amount, the date and what it was for. Attach a receipt when you have one. Keep the originals for seven years. Tillyard may ask to see them.
Reports
Send a short progress report when you finish a milestone, and a final report no later than 30 days after the last milestone. The final report says how much you spent and whether any money is left. Tillyard staff read the reports, and the ones they accept appear on your public project page.
Publishing your results
Publish your results so anyone can read them for free, no later than 12 months after this agreement takes effect, under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence (CC BY 4.0). Share your data and code too wherever you can do that safely and lawfully. If you can't, say why in your final report. Put the link on your project page.
If a journal asks you to give up these rights, choose another place to publish, or keep a free open copy somewhere else.
Research with people
If your research involves people, do not start that part until the ethics board (IRB) at your college has approved it or has said in writing that it is exempt. Tell Tillyard if the approval changes or ends, and follow any conditions the board sets.
Politics
Do not use the grant, or Tillyard's name, for any political campaign or to support or oppose any candidate. Do not use grant money to lobby.
Conflicts of interest
You confirm that you are not a trustee, officer or staff member of Tillyard, and not a member of the family of one. Tell Tillyard right away if that changes, or if anyone on your team has a conflict you did not list in your proposal.
Returning money
If any grant money is unspent when the work ends, return it. If money was spent in a way this agreement does not allow, return that amount when Tillyard asks in writing. Tillyard may stop further payments while a question about spending is open.
What Tillyard may publish
Tillyard may publish the project's title, your proposal, the amount, the budget and how much was spent, your accepted reports, and links to your results, on its website and in its public reports. It shows your name only if you tick the box for that when you sign.
Taxes
A grant may count as taxable income, and you are responsible for any tax on it. Tillyard may ask you later for tax details, such as a Form W-9, and may report payments to tax authorities as the law requires. Do not send tax numbers through the website. Tillyard will ask for them another way.
Who owns your work
You keep ownership of your research. Publishing under CC BY 4.0 lets anyone reuse it if they credit you. Tillyard gets no ownership of it and no rights beyond this agreement.
Ending early
Either of us may end this agreement by telling the other in writing. Tillyard then pays only what it has already sent, and you return what is unspent. Tillyard may also end it if you break these terms.
Changes
Changing this agreement needs a new signature from both of us. This website gives each version a fingerprint, so a signed copy cannot be changed without showing.
Signing electronically, and the law
You agreed to sign electronically. Signatures made here are meant to count as handwritten ones under the federal ESIGN Act and Ohio's Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 1306). Ohio law governs this agreement.
Fingerprint of this exact text (SHA-256): ead4e4c9ab130a3bd0b3c0b36adcb61ada9b77bacfe299f67b322e85c7266c05