Fix funding request instructions

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Author: jdswinbank

finance/process/request-funding.md

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+# Guidelines for Requesting Funding
+
+While the Astropy project wants to make life easy for all the volunteers and people working towards our shared goal we need to make sure we spend grant money in a fiscally responsible way.
+This policy thus aims to strike a balance between as little bureaucracy as possible and ensuring that Astropy has all the documentation required by funders supporting Astropy.
+
+*This is a living document, which will continue to evolve based on inputs from the Finance Committee and the community as a whole.*
+
+The following provides a description for how to obtain funding for different types of activities. All funding requests should be made to the Astropy Finance Committee.
+If you have questions on how to apply this process please email [email protected] or open an issue.
+
+## Travel
+
+Travel requests should be made as early as possible and at least one month before travel.
+Requests made less than one month before the travel is to occur will still be considered but should include a justification for the timing.
+
+### Prior to Travel
+
+Send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "Request for Travel Funding" and include the following information:
+
+* Name
+* Description
+* Total Request
+* Itemized Budget
+* Advance needed
+
+If you are calculating your request using per diem, the please use the current [US Government per diem rates](https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates).
+These rates should be considered maximum values and requests less than that amount can be submitted for reimbursement.
+
+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 optimized for efficiency.
+If additional costs are required, a justification should be submitted for approval.
+Medical reasons are an acceptable justification for higher costs.
+
+In general, you should attempt to minimize the environmental impact of your travel.
+
+The Finance Committee will aim to provide approval within 1 week of the request.
+
+### After Travel
+
+Within two weeks of completing your trip you should submit your reimbursement request via the [NumFOCUS Rocket form](https://numfocus.typeform.com/to/oTBLP2).
+You will need to include itemized receipts for all travel costs. You will also need to provide information for your preferred payment method, e.g. bank account and routing number, Paypal account, etc.
+
+You should notify the Finance Committee that you have submitted a request via email so that the payment can be approved.
+A member of the Finance Committee will review the request and provide approval to NumFOCUS for the payment.
+
+Payment will be made to you directly by NumFOCUS, typically within 30 days after approval.
+
+## Contract Work
+
+*Our intent 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 time to develop a process for balancing different priorities for limited funding.
+In 2020, funding a fixed amount of funding, not based on numbers of hours worked, was offered to current Astropy maintainers and no more funding is available for the 2019-2020 budget year.
+In later years, the funding will be distributed in other ways, and the Interim Finance Committee is working out a fair and open process.
+The committee welcomes input on project goals and processes that should be funded.*
+
+The text below describes how the current contracts were handled and
+how current contractors should report expenses and invoices.
+
+### Contracts
+
+To request a contract send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "Request for Contract" and include the following information:
+
+* Name and email of contractor
+* Statement of Work (SOW)
+* Proposed hourly rate and number of work hours
+
+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.
+The Finance Committee will negotiate the terms of the contract. The contract must be 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 remaining members.
+
+Once the contract terms are approved the Finance Committee will work with NumFOCUS and the contractor to draw up and execute the contract.
+
+### Payment for Contractors
+
+Contractors should bill for hours worked by submitting itemized invoices through the [NumFOCUS Rocket form](https://numfocus.typeform.com/to/hdLb0e).
+Contractors will need to include a W-9 as applicable and should indicate if the work is related to a specific grant. Invoices should be submitted following the timeline indicated in the contract.
+
+A member of the Finance Committee will review the invoice and provide approval to NumFOCUS for the payment.
+
+Payment will be made to the contractor directly from NumFOCUS, typically within 30 days after approval.
+
+Contracts should be reviewed at least yearly. If necessary, renewals or extensions can be requested via email to [email protected].
+
+## Supplies, hardware, laptops
+
+In general, Astropy does not provide supplies for Project members.
+However, if there is a project-motivated need for a purchase of supplies (for example, a laptop for a defined Astropy purpose), the Finance Committee will evaluate those requests on a case-by-case basis.
+
+## 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 Finance Committee and feedback will be provided including the next steps if appropriate.
+
+## General Policies
+
+The Finance Committee will make every effort to ensure that this policy remains accurate and up-to-date. From time to time the Finance Committee may need to revise this policy. Any major changes to this policy will be communicated to the community through the usual communication channels in an expedited manner.
+
+If you have suggestions to improve these policies, please open an issue or pull request in https://github.com/astropy/astropy-project.