Open access book funds

At Taylor & Francis, our open access book funds program helps libraries, universities and research organizations support their authors’ open access book publishing. Through flexible funding options, institutions can reduce book publishing charges (BPCs), streamline administrative processes, and broaden global access to their research.

Speak to our open access books team

An open access book fund is designed to support open access book and chapter publishing within an institution. By managing BPCs centrally, libraries and research offices can create a clearer, more consistent route for their authors to publish open access. 

There are two main options: 

Prepayment funds

Institutions deposit money into an account used to cover future BPCs. The more you deposit, the greater the available discount.

Post-payment or managed funds

Institutions pay as projects arise while still benefiting from reporting and administrative support.

Both options give institutions control over budgets, improve planning, and reduce administrative steps. Throughout your agreement, you’ll work with dedicated account liaisons who help make sure that communication is quick and consistent.

Institutions can choose the level of support that works best for their authors and budgets, with funding routes designed to help researchers publish open access wherever possible.

Libraries can use funding to cover:

  • Full or co-funding book publishing charges (BPCs)

  • Chapter-level open access fees

  • Titles required to meet funder open access policies

The Lisbon School of Architecture partnered with Taylor & Francis to develop an open access book series showcasing architectural and design research from its CIAUD Research Center. Six open access volumes were published in under two years through a clear, collaborative funding pathway.

Impact highlights:

  • Readership across four continents

  • Individual titles achieving 12,000 views and downloads

  • Stronger integration of CIAUD’s work into global research networks

Read the full case study

Our program is designed to make funding open access books straightforward for institutions and authors alike.

Libraries and research offices can:

  • Support book-level or chapter-level open access publishing

  • Receive discounts on BPC prices through prepayment or partnership

  • Cover full or partial BPCs, including co-funded projects where costs are shared across multiple institutions.

  • Access usage and impact data through their administrative account

  • Raise the profile of their institution’s research by increasing global readership

Eligibility for support is determined by each institution and can include authors, editors, and contributors across a range of disciplines.

Open access book funds help institutions manage publishing at scale by providing visibility, financial flexibility, and confidence that authors’ work meets policy requirements.

Open access publishing increases the visibility, reach, and impact of institutional research.

Our research shows that:

  • Open access books receive 14× more views and downloads than non-OA titles

  • They are accessed from 4× more institutions

  • They are read in 3× more countries on average

By supporting open access book publishing, libraries can demonstrate leadership in open research and deliver greater value for their communities by helping authors reach readers worldwide.

Find out more about the impact of open access books

In addition to open access book funds, Taylor & Francis offers several flexible models that help institutions support open access book publishing in different ways. These options work alongside your existing budgets and collections strategies.

Pledge to Open

Pledge to Open is our flagship collective funding model, demonstrating the power of libraries working together to make new open access books freely available.

Since its launch, 40 institutions and one consortium have pledged support across the 2024 and 2025 programs, unlocking 58 frontlist titles to receive OA funding.

Together, participating libraries have created a significant global impact:

  • 5,000 titles now accessible in perpetuity to 41 pledgers

For the 58 new open access books unlocked through Pledge to Open:

  • 112 authors and editors supported from 28 countries

  • 320,000 plus downloads year to date

  • Research accessed in over 75 countries worldwide

By joining Pledge to Open, institutions can share costs transparently, support diverse global voices, and gain ongoing access to unlocked titles.

Learn more about Pledge to Open

EBA & Open

EBA & Open combines evidence-based acquisition with support for open access book publishing. Institutions gain temporary access to a wide range of Taylor & Francis eBooks and use their deposit to select titles to keep at the end of the access period.

As part of the model, participating institutions receive reduced BPCs to help their researchers publish open access at a lower cost. This approach gives libraries more flexibility, expands access to content, and supports more authors to publish open access books.

Learn more about EBA & Open

Knowledge Unlatched

Knowledge Unlatched enables libraries to work together to fund the publication of open access books through a collective funding model. This approach supports the release of selected scholarly titles as open access, helping research reach a wider global audience.

Taylor & Francis has partnered with Knowledge Unlatched since 2016, supporting the KU Select programme alongside subject-focused collections in the humanities and social sciences, including Gender Studies and African Studies.

Through this collaboration, hundreds of scholarly books have been made freely available worldwide, increasing the visibility and long-term impact of research while giving participating libraries access to digital versions of the titles they support.

Learn more about Knowledge Unlatched

Talk to our team

Our open access books team can help you set up a fund, discuss eligibility, and explore which funding model is right for your institution.

Speak to our open access books team

Did you know?

We also offer open access journals funds - find out about the support available for open access publishing for journals. ​

Visit the OA journal funds page