As research on violent extremism (VE) and terrorism continues to grow, the safety and protection of those individuals involved in this research needs to grow simultaneously. At the same time, the various stakeholders commissioning the research also face significant methodological, ethical, legal, and financial challenges in ensuring CVE research is conducted to the highest standards. An analysis of CVE research from the perspective of the donors has gone highly unnoticed. The aim of this chapter is to bring attention to select challenges and lessons research commissioners have come across during the first four years of implementation of Hedayah’s STRIVE Global Program using the Western Balkans as a case study. Learning from the challenges identified through submitted research proposals and final papers, the chapter concludes with a checklist of good practices for use by researchers and research commissioners of violent extremism and terrorism studies moving forward.