Citation Guide

Citing the FFI Standard

The Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International. It may be freely cited in any document, provided attribution is given in the format specified below.


Standard Citation Format

The citation format for the FFI Standard follows the pattern below. Replace the bracketed fields with the specific version, Book number, and section number being cited.

Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, [Version], Book [Number], Section [Number]. ffistandard.org. [Year].

Where a citation refers to the complete Standard rather than a specific section, the Book and Section fields are omitted.


Worked Examples

Citing the complete Standard

Use this format when referencing the Standard as a whole, without directing the reader to a specific section.

Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, Beta v0.5. ffistandard.org. 2026.

Citing a specific Book

Use this format when the citation refers to the content of one complete Book.

Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, Beta v0.5, Book 3. ffistandard.org. 2026.

Citing a specific section

Use this format when the citation refers to a defined principle, compliance criterion, definition, or requirement within a specific section of a Book. This is the most precise citation form and is recommended for term sheets, investment agreements, academic papers, and legal documents.

Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, Beta v0.5, Book 3, Section 3.2. ffistandard.org. 2026.

Citing a glossary definition

Individual glossary term pages carry citable URLs. When citing a specific definition from the glossary, use the following format.

Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, Beta v0.5, Glossary: Net Burn Rate. https://ffistandard.org/glossary/burn-rate-net/. 2026.

Citable URLs by Book

Each Book of the Standard has a permanent, citable URL. These URLs are stable across minor version updates. When a major version is published, prior version URLs remain accessible through the Version History page.

Book Citable URL
Complete Standard https://ffistandard.org/standard/
Book 0: Foundations and Definitions https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-0-foundations/
Book 1: Financial Architecture https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-1-financial-architecture/
Book 2: Performance Modeling and Forecasting https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-2-performance-modeling/
Book 3: Capital Structure and Equity https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-3-capital-structure/
Book 4: Valuation https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-4-valuation/
Book 5: Investor Readiness https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-5-investor-readiness/
Book 6: Strategic Financial Planning https://ffistandard.org/standard/book-6-strategic-financial-planning/

License

The Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard is published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, any person or institution may:

  • Share: copy and redistribute the Standard in any medium or format.
  • Adapt: build upon, transform, and create derivative works from the Standard, for any purpose, including commercial.

The single condition is attribution. Attribution must identify the original work as the Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, state the version cited, and include the URL ffistandard.org. The attribution must not imply that the citing party is endorsed by or affiliated with The Oakworth Group or the FFI Standard unless such a relationship exists.

For questions about citation, adaptation, or use of the Standard beyond the CC BY 4.0 terms, contact standard@ffistandard.org.


Use in Professional and Legal Documents

The FFI Standard may be referenced in term sheets, investment agreements, accelerator program requirements, portfolio company onboarding documents, and academic publications. When referenced in legal or contractual documents, the citation should specify the exact version of the Standard and the specific compliance level or section being incorporated by reference. This ensures that any future update to the Standard does not inadvertently alter the contractual obligation.

Example of a contractual reference:

The company shall maintain financial infrastructure meeting Level 2 compliance as defined in the Founder Financial Infrastructure Standard, Beta v0.5, Book 1, Section 1.1 (ffistandard.org), or any successor version agreed in writing by the parties.