Costs and Financing in Open Schooling/Funding Open and Distance Learning/Sources of Funding

Sources of Funding
Rumble (2006, pages 87-91) outlines a variety of mechanisms for funding open and distance learning (ODL) programmes, including: In addition, soft loans (with rates of interest below commercial rates) may be available from international development banks, though these are normally restricted to capital investment in buildings or equipment. Alternatively, if a particular programme or project is economically viable, it may be possible for an ODL institution to obtain a loan from a commercial bank.
 * government grants and subsidies,
 * student fees or other user charges,
 * community contributions (often in kind),
 * sales of materials and other services,
 * donations from private-sector bodies,
 * grants from non-governmental organisations,
 * grants from international funding agencies.

Many ODL institutions obtain their funding from a variety of sources and the balance between them varies widely from institution to institution. Table 10a below illustrates the different sources of funding that have been accessed to support ten teacher-training projects: Source: Perraton & Lentell 2004, page 104.