Merge pull request #53 from crawfordsm/funding_requests

first draft of funding requests

Author: eteq

finance/funding_requests.md

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+The Astropy project wants to make life easy for all the volunteers and people working towards our shared goal; on the other hand, we also need to make sure we spend grant money in a fiscally responsible way and as allowed by donors or funding agencies. This policy thus aims to strike a balance between as little bureaucracy as possible while also ensuring that money is spend responsibly and that Astropy has all the documentation that are required for any of the grants given to Astropy.
+
+
+
+Funding requests can be made to the Interim Astropy Finance Committee.  The following provides a description for how to obtain funding for different types of activities. 
+If you have questions on how to apply this process, please email [email protected] .
+
+
+## Travel
+
+Travel requests should be made as early as possible and at least 1 month before travel.   Requests made less than 1 month before the travel is to occur will still be considered but should include a justification for the timing.  
+
+1. Send an email to [email protected] with the following information:
+* Name
+* Description
+* Total Request
+* Itemized Budget
+* Advance needed
+
+If using per diem, the requestor can use the [US Government per diem rates | https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates].  These should be considered maximum values for the trips and requests less than that amount can be submitted for reimbursement.
+
+In general, flights should be booked in economy class.   If the flight is over 4 hours
+and the additional cost is less than 20%, a higher class of seating may be
+booked.  We encourage travel plans to be optimize their travel for
+productivity.   If additional costs are required, a justification should be 
+submitted for approval.  Medical reasons are an acceptable justification 
+for higher costs.   
+
+In general, contributors should attempt to minimize the environmental impact
+of their travel. 
+
+2. The interim finance committee will aim to provide approval within 1 week of the request.
+
+
+3.  Travel occurs.
+
+4.  Preferable within two weeks of completing the trip, travel costs are submitted via the [NumFOCUS Rocket form | https://numfocus.org/rocket]
+
+5. NumFOCUS provides the information for approval to the Finance Committee.
+
+6. At least one member of the finance committee provides approval for the payment.
+
+7. Payment is made by NumFocus, typically within 30 days.
+
+
+## Contractor Work
+
+This document is a first iteration - the interim finance committee and the community as a whole are engaging in a discussion how to develop this process further.
+ 
+In its current form, this document describes how the process has been handled in the past, when funding was available only through specific grants for very well defined tasks. So this process will be used initially for existing contributors who require support for priorities already identified by the Astropy coordination committee (as charged by the participants of the 2019 coordination meeting).
+
+The intent in the future is to build this into a process that allows both existing and potential new contributors to propose ideas for funding by the Astropy community.  But this requires balancing different priorities for limited funding.  To give time to develop a process for that, this portion of the document is not currently intended for unsolicited proposals, but that is an eventual goal as this process is developed further.
+
+1.  A request for contract work should be made via email to [email protected].
+
+2.  If the request is not coming from or already solicited by the coordination committee, the finance committee will seek approval for this contract from the Coordination Committee   
+
+3.  The terms of the contract work are negotiated.
+
+4.  The contract is approved by a majority (>50%) of the finance committee.  In cases where a substantial portion of the committee has a conflict of interest on the decision, approval requires unanimous approval of the unconflicted members.
+
+5.  The contract begins.  Hours worked are reported through the [NumFOCUS Rocket form | https://numfocus.org/rocket]. 
+
+6.  NumFOCUS provides the information for approval to the Finance Committee.
+
+7.   At least one member of the finance committee provides approval for the payment.  
+
+8.   Payment is made to the contractor.
+
+9.   Contracts should be reviewed at least yearly.   If necessary, renewals or extensions can be requested via email to [email protected].
+
+
+## Any other requests for funding
+
+Any other requests for funding should be made via an email to [email protected].   Please include your name, an explanation of the funding being requested, and a budget.   Funding requests will be reviewed for approval by the Interim Finance Committee and feedback will be provided including the next steps if appropriate. 
+
+
+## General policies
+
+The interim finance committee may need to revise this policy on an a case-by-case basis as needed and will make every effort to revise this policy as needed.
+
+If you have suggestions to improve these policies, please open an issue or pull request in https://github.com/astropy/project/ .