Memorandum of understanding

How to use this template

Use an MOU to write down a partnership before it starts: a library and a writers' group, a school and a nonprofit, two organizations applying for a grant together. Fill in the empty fields and agree on the text with the other party before anyone signs.

Write it for someone who wasn't in the room, such as a board member or a grant reviewer. Give every task in section 4 one lead, even when the work is shared, and name under Not included anything one party might assume is covered.

An MOU records intentions. If money will change hands, or you will make something together to sell or publish, put that in a separate signed agreement (sections 5 and 6 say so).

Delete this box, the example and the checklist at the end before you sign.

This is a template, not legal advice. Laws differ by country and state; for large sums or valuable rights, have a lawyer where you live review it before anyone signs.

This memorandum of understanding (MOU) is made on [date] between the two parties below. Together they are called “the parties.”

Party A

Party B

Full legal name

Type of organization

Based in

Short name

1. Purpose

The parties intend to work together toward the goal below. This MOU records what each party expects to contribute. It is a statement of intent, not a contract, except for the parts named in section 10.

Shared goal:

2. Background

Who each party is, how the collaboration came about, and what need it meets.

See an example

Shared goal: a free two-hour writing workshop for adults on the first Saturday of each month at the Eastside Branch Library, from March to November 2027.

Background: Riverside Writers is a volunteer group that has run peer workshops since 2019. The Eastside Branch has a meeting room that stands empty on Saturday mornings and a waiting list for its adult programs. Library staff heard about the group at a community fair, and this MOU puts the room and the volunteers together.

Not included: publishing participants' work, and workshops for children.

3. Scope

  • Included:

  • Included:

  • Not included:

4. Roles and responsibilities

Task

Lead

Supports

By

5. Resources and costs

Party

Expects to provide, with amounts or hours

Each party pays its own costs, including the cost of preparing this MOU. Any payment between the parties needs a separate written agreement signed by both.

6. Credit, names and materials

  • What each party brings stays its own, such as lesson plans, manuscripts, logos and mailing lists.

  • Credit. The parties intend to credit the project as [credit line].

  • Names and logos. Each party will ask before using the other's name or logo in publicity or grant applications; approval by email is enough.

  • Work made together. Who owns anything created together, such as an anthology or recordings, will be settled in a separate written agreement before it is published or sold.

7. Contacts

Party

Contact person and title

Email

Phone

8. Term, review and ending this MOU

  • Term. This MOU comes into effect on the date of the last signature and continues until [end date or event], unless both parties extend it in writing.

  • Review. The contacts in section 7 will review progress every [month].

  • Ending. Either party may end this MOU at any time by giving [30] days' written notice to the other party's contact.

  • Changes take effect only when both parties approve them in writing.

9. Confidentiality

Each party must keep confidential any information the other shares that is marked confidential or is plainly private, such as participant contact details, unpublished manuscripts and budgets, and must use it only for this collaboration. This continues for [2] years after the MOU ends.

10. Legal effect

This MOU is not a legally binding contract. It does not create a partnership, joint venture or employment relationship, and neither party can commit the other to anything. Only these parts are binding: each party paying its own costs (section 5), confidentiality (section 9) and this section.

These binding parts are governed by the laws of [state or country]. Optional; delete if not needed.

Signatures

Signed by people authorized to sign for each party. Each party keeps a signed copy.

Party A

Party B

Signature

Name

Title

Date

Before you sign

  • Every empty field and bracket is filled in, the grey notes deleted, and the blue colour removed

  • Each task in section 4 has one lead and a date

  • Nothing in the MOU promises a payment or shares ownership; anything like that is in a separate agreement

  • The people signing are allowed to sign for their organization