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ISC funding and finances

Learn more about the core and external sources of funding for the ISC.

Core funding

The Council’s principal source of core income is dues from Members, supplemented by a grant from the Government of France, the ISC’s host country. Other major sources of income are grants from various organizations and foundations for specific projects or areas of activity. 

Annual membership dues are paid in accordance with Statute 54: “Each Member of the Council shall pay annual dues on a scale determined by the General Assembly following the advice of the Governing Board.” The present scale of dues is based on the decision at the joint meeting of ISC’s predecessor organizations ICSU and the ISSC in 2017 to maintain the existing dues structures of ICSU and the ISSC, in parallel, until such time as a new, unified dues structure could be developed and adopted. A new dues structure, appropriate to the current global context, is under preparation

The current dues scale for the period 2022–2024 (as approved by the General Assembly in 2021) can be downloaded here: Overview ISC membership dues 2022-2024.pdf.


External funding 

Significant financial resources are raised in the form of grants from governments, external organizations and foundations for specific projects or areas of activity, including from:  

Furthermore, several governments, organizations and foundations contribute to the ISC’s activities either with in-kind contributions or with direct financial support to ISC members or partners, including:  


Financial planning and oversight 

The General Assembly approves a multiannual budget for the next planning period upon proposals received from the Governing Board. The Governing Board approves the annual budgets. After consideration by the Committee for Finance, Compliance and Risk and the Governing Board, the audited annual accounts are sent to all Members for approval and subsequently published in the annual report.


The ISC Foundation

The ISC has established a charitable foundation in the UK, called the International Science Council Foundation (UK). The objects of the charity are, for the public benefit, to advance such charitable purposes (under the law of England and Wales), and in particular to advance science, in particular by providing grant funding to, in particular but not exclusively, the International Science Council for research projects (with the useful results of such research being disseminated to the public).

Learn more about the ISC Foundation.


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