Applied Econ Collective
We are a collective of applied economics researchers providing financial support for early-career colleagues to cover journal submission fees, conference fees software licenses and similar costs.
About
What is the Applied Econ Collective?
Academia is full of fees: fees for journal submissions, fees for conferences and workshops, fees for datasets, fees for software. We recognize that many colleagues are not covered by scholarships, grants or employers who can cover these costs. We are inspired by the Animal Behaviour Collective (support them, too!).
Where does the money come from?
Our work is funded entirely through donations. Some donate a fee once, some donate a small fee regularly, and others donate the reviewer fees they receive from reviewing papers and grants.
Please keep this in mind when considering your request. But don’t hesitate to ask for what you truly need. The funds are managed collectively by the working group, ensuring horizontal accountability rather than control by any single individual. This structure helps prevent the misuse of resources. Our budget is fully transparent on OpenCollective.org (see the “Budget” section), where anyone can see incoming donations and how funds are distributed.
So what are you supporting?
We provide rembursement for research-related costs from 10 EUR to 200 EUR (or the equivalent in other currencies) to early career colleagues who need it. We provide reimbursements of fees for example for journal submission, workshop attendance, software and datasets.
We do not provide open-ended microgrants.
We do not provide open-ended microgrants.
To be eligible for funding, you need to:
be an early career applied economist with an expense related to a specific research project.
To apply:
- Create an account on this website.
- Go to "Submit Expense" on the top of this page
- Fill out the form.
- Select "Reimbursement".
- Add a copy of the receipt for the specific cost.
- Under "Additional attachments", upload any other document that shows evidence of your cost. For example, for a journal submission, we encourage you to upload the manuscript (we will not share it with anyone). You could also upload proof of your status as a PhD student/postdoc, etc.
- Please provide a short description of your current situation under "Additional notes". For example: "I am a PhD in economics from University X, graduated in year Y. I currently work as a postdoc at Z, with no funding for my own research. I would like to submit a chapter from my PhD to journal W. The journal has a submission fee of 100 USD."
You need to be able to provide details of a bank account in your name in a country that the Open Collective pays to. See https://wise.com/help/articles/2571942/what-countriesregions-can-i-send-to?origin=topic-5bVKT0uQdBrDp6T62keyfz for the full list. Unfortunately, we are unable to use other payment methods, such as PayPal, Orange Money, or World Remit.
FAQ
Q: What eligibility criteria will you use?
A: We evaluate applications based on three criteria. First, the proposed cost must be directly related to applied economics research. This includes, for example, expenses associated with a manuscript using empirical methods, conference participation for an applied project, data acquisition or access, or software licenses. Second, the applicant should demonstrate that alternative funding sources are not readily available to cover the proposed cost. Third, the applicant must not have received funding from us within the last 12 months.
Q: How do you decide who receives the grants?
A: We fund applicants who satisfy all three eligibility criteria and where we assess that the funds would meaningfully advance the applicant's research progress. We prioritize applications where the funding would help overcome a concrete barrier to completing or advancing a research project. For example, an applicant seeking funds solely to cover a submission fee for an unfinished draft would likely not receive funding, as the grant would not address a substantive research need. In contrast, an applicant who needs access to a specific dataset to complete their otherwise finished empirical analysis would be a strong candidate.
Q: Will the grants be limited to people in certain countries or regions?
A: No. The grants are open to applicants regardless of country or region. We welcome applications from researchers worldwide, provided they meet the eligibility criteria outlined above.
Q: Will the funds only cover specific research-related costs, or will they also include direct financial support to individuals?
A: The grants are designed to cover specific research-related costs only. This means we fund expenses that are directly tied to a research activity , such as data purchases, conference travel, software, rather than providing general financial support or stipends to individuals. All funded expenses should be clearly linked to the proposed research project.
Q: Do you provide partial funds?
A: Yes. If you for example have a conference fee of 300EUR, you are welcome to apply for reimbursement of up to the stated limited of 200EUR to cover a part of these costs.
Q: Do you provide partial funds?
A: Yes. If you for example have a conference fee of 300EUR, you are welcome to apply for reimbursement of up to the stated limited of 200EUR to cover a part of these costs.
Our team
Contribute
Become a financial contributor.
Financial Contributions
Budget
Transparent and open finances.
-€214.00 EUR
Approved
conferencefees
-$175.00 USD
~€149.28 EUR
Approved
journalfees
-$240.00 USD
€205.15 EUR
Paid
conferencefees
€
Today’s balance€475.59 EUR
Total raised
€680.74 EUR
Total disbursed
€205.15 EUR
Estimated annual budget
€1,040.00 EUR
Connect
Let’s get the ball rolling!
News from Applied Econ Collective
Updates on our activities and progress.
We are up and running!
We are up and running! Apply by clicking "submit expense" and consider donating!
Published on April 21, 2026 by Hans Henrik Sievertsen
Planned launch in March 2026!
We plan to start activities in March 2026
Published on March 2, 2026 by Hans Henrik Sievertsen