We believe in radical transparency about how we fund and spend resources. This page details our proposed budget, actual expenditure, and funding sources.
Last updated: 18 November 2025
Certes Institute is currently being established with founder capital. All establishment costs to date have been self-funded, with no external grants or donations received yet. We are seeking philanthropic funding for our 2026 research programme.
Transparency in funding and expenditure is essential for accountability in the catastrophic risk field. We publish our budget to:
This shows our projected funding. Actual funding received will be updated as grants are confirmed.
| Source | Type | Amount | Status | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founder seed capital | Self-funded | $15,000 | Confirmed | October 2025 |
| Donated non-deductible capital | Donation | $10,000 | Confirmed | November 2025 |
| AISTOF Grant | Grant | $50,000 | Projected | December 2025 |
| Open Philanthropy | Grant | $850,000 | Projected | March & June 2026 |
| Private donors (recurring) | Donations | $69,500 | Projected | Monthly |
| Total Projected Income | $994,500 | |||
Annual totals by category. Monthly breakdowns available on request.
| Category | Description | Annual Budget |
|---|---|---|
| Personnel | ||
| Salaries & wages (research, management, admin) | $336,000 | |
| Superannuation | $36,520 | |
| Insurance (OH&S, workers comp, Medicare) | $10,230 | |
| Recruitment & onboarding | $7,250 | |
| Personnel subtotal | $390,000 | |
| Operations | ||
| ICT (software, compute, AI subscriptions, hardware) | $7,500 | |
| Office equipment & printing | $16,650 | |
| Travel (local transport, flights, accommodation) | $4,550 | |
| Operations subtotal | $28,700 | |
| Professional Services | ||
| Legal | $10,900 | |
| Accounting | $22,500 | |
| Bookkeeping | $6,550 | |
| Professional services subtotal | $39,950 | |
| Fringe Benefits / Staff Support | ||
| Accommodation (initial establishment period) | $24,200 | |
| Utilities, internet, incidentals | $28,800 | |
| Staff support subtotal | $53,000 | |
| Events & Research Activities | ||
| Research retreat (venue, AV, catering) | $31,500 | |
| Participant travel & accommodation | $72,000 | |
| Events subtotal | $103,500 | |
| Total Annual Expenditure | $615,150 | |
Note: This budget represents a "medium" scenario. We maintain conservative, medium, and optimistic budget variants based on funding outcomes. Staffing costs are shown as category totals to protect individual privacy while maintaining transparency on overall allocation.
Our staffing plan scales with confirmed funding. Personnel costs represent approximately 63% of our total budget, which is typical for research organisations.
| Role Category | FTE (End of Year) |
|---|---|
| Executive/Management | 1.0 |
| Research staff | 2.0 |
| Administration | 0.5 |
| Total FTE | 3.5 |
Staffing ramps up throughout the year as funding is confirmed. Initial months operate with reduced staff while grants are secured.
Based on our proposed budget, we project ending FY2025-26 with approximately $367,540 in reserves, representing roughly 7 months of operating expenses. This provides a reasonable runway for the following financial year.
Actual expenditure will be reported here as the year progresses. We will update this section monthly with:
First update expected: January 2026
If you have questions about our budget or financial governance, please contact us. We welcome scrutiny and are happy to provide additional detail where it doesn't compromise individual privacy.