As representatives of the public's interests in public charter schools, authorizers lie at the foundation of a quality charter school sector. The core functions of authorizing--charter school approval, oversight and evaluation--are essential in promoting and upholding charter school quality. To carry out these functions professionally and effectively, authorizers require sufficient resources. Until recently, the charter school sector and state charter school policy have focused almost exclusively on the schools themselves, giving scant attention to charter school authorizing. As a result, authorizers are often under-resourced, lacking the capacity to fulfill their responsibilities effectively. The result has too often been poor authorizing practices that, in turn, contribute to low-quality charter schools. Weak authorizers are more likely to approve weak applications for new schools, more likely to renew low-performing charter schools, and more likely to either over-regulate the schools they monitor or not monitor them at all. Ensuring that authorizing agencies have sufficient funding to execute their duties professionally is essential for quality authorizing and quality charter schools. State charter school policy should provide for adequate authorizer funding as an essential element of the charter school infrastructure. This policy guide discusses key considerations for policymakers in setting authorizer funding provisions and provides recommendations and best practices for state policy on authorizer funding. A list of resources is included, and a chart of authorizing fees by state is appended. (Contains 3 notes.)