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description: The heart of the protocol
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# Funding Pools

### Global Pool

The _Olas Global Matching_ Pool is the protocol's central funding repository. Without funding for this pool, Olas will be unable to sustain itself as a huge amount of the system relies on funds. Since the donors to this pool have no say over what happens to the money they donate, they are known as [passive donors](../../participants/donor#donor-classification).&#x20;

It is envisaged and expected that such donors will be high-net-worth philanthropists, governments, and other interested parties such as people that currently donate money to Wikipedia to sustain its operations. All of these entities currently give huge amounts of money annually to support information provision. Since Olas is an open system with credibly neutral quality control mechanisms, it will enable these donors to make a much greater impact with their money than they do now.&#x20;

### Sector Pools

Below the _Olas Global Pool,_ there are _Sector Pools_. There are four sector pools that represent the funding available to the three types of Quality Control Markets on the protocol.

Four sector pools are:

1. News/facts reporting&#x20;
2. Opinion/Analysis&#x20;
3. Investigative journalism&#x20;
4. Scientific Research

The Olas Foundation will decide each quarter how much the share of global pool funds each of these pools get each quarter based on its analysis of how each pool is serving demand. This is the only centralised governance decision that is ever taken on the protocol meaning the foundation has zero say over which contributors or projects receive the funding. It's merely a general allocation decision that'll have marginal bearing on specific funding outcomes.&#x20;

### Topic Pools

Below the Sector Pools is a further layer of Topic Pools. These topic pools represent topics/issues/areas of research. Funding allocated to these from the four sector pools is done via decentralised methods. The mechanisms by which this happens for news/facts and opinions is outline [here](../markets/funding-markets/news-and-opinion-funding-mechanisms).  The mechanisms by which this happens for investigative journalism and scientific research happens [here](../markets/funding-markets/investigative-journalism-and-scientific-research-funding-mechanisms).&#x20;



<figure><img src="https://2978163793-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F2V9usLYApDEvvzwEDQnY%2Fuploads%2FeiI2J22Z9jjAVIe5XFuL%2FFunding%20Pools%20Diagram%20Olas.png?alt=media&#x26;token=81c0109b-8244-461f-9f45-76a867703d33" alt=""><figcaption><p>Figure : Funding Pools</p></figcaption></figure>

