This demonstration study sets out the way in which a model for open access can work in which funders pay the portion of publishing costs associated with the articles that acknowledge research funder. Using the field of anthropology, this analysis presents the participation incentives and advantages behind of an open access model in which a journal article’s publication costs are paid by either (a) the research funder(s) acknowledged by the article or, if without a funder, (b) the libraries whose patrons read and utilize the research. Using both hypothetical and actual examples, the paper describes how the existing metadata systems such as Crossref’s Open Funder Registry can be utilized to automate the implementation of the model. It also addresses the model’s economic impact, from an initial pilot study to large-scale implementation, for the principal stakeholders in scholarly communication.