FellowshipDesk is an editorially independent publication. We believe readers are entitled to know exactly how we are funded and exactly what relationships, if any, exist between our funding sources and the programs we cover. This page exists so that anyone can audit those relationships in 30 seconds.
How we are funded. The site is funded by three small streams: programmatic display advertising (clearly marked AdSense slots in the header, sidebar, in-content area, and footer of every page); a strict cap of three sponsored placements per quarter (clearly marked "Sponsored" and never inserted into the prose of an editorial program page); and modest contributions from a handful of mission-aligned philanthropic backers whose identities are listed in the FellowshipDesk Weekly each January.
What we do not accept. Payment from any sponsoring organisation in exchange for inclusion in the directory. Payment from any sponsoring organisation in exchange for favourable wording in a program page. Payment for ranking, "best of" lists, or "featured" placement that influences the order in which programs appear. Affiliate commissions on graduate-degree application fees, application-coaching services, or visa-arrangement services.
Conflicts of interest. Members of the FellowshipDesk editorial team are themselves alumni of several of the programs in the directory. Where a writer is an alum of a program they are writing about, the page carries no special endorsement and the writer's draft is reviewed by a second editor with no personal connection. We do not currently believe these alumni relationships introduce material bias, but we welcome reader feedback if a specific page reads otherwise.
Corrections policy. When a program in the directory disputes a fact in our description, we re-check the underlying source, correct the page where the dispute is justified, and add a dated note at the bottom of the page describing what changed. We do not silently update editorial content. Corrections requested by named program alumni are prioritised in the queue.
Source documentation. Each program page is built from the program's own public materials: official program website, foundation annual reports, IRS Form 990s where applicable, government press releases, and peer-reviewed coverage in education and policy press. We do not synthesise figures; if a stipend or deadline appears on a program page, it appeared in source material we can produce on request.