Many grant-making bodies expect the peer-reviewed outputs of research they fund to be made freely available, usually within a given time frame. This is their way of ensuring the widest possible dissemination of the research they fund.

To comply with funder policies, researchers can either deposit publications in an open access repository, or publish their research findings in open access journals.

Probably the best-known public access policy is that of the National Institutes of Health in the US, since it has had its fair share of detractors and challenges. The Wellcome Trust is another key advocate of openness, and one that might start using the stick of withholding further funding from researchers who fail to make their work accessible.

SHERPA Juliet provides a list of funder policies. Policies are listed, and can be sorted, by organisation and by country. Information can also be organised by policy type.