What do wildfire response teams, mutual aid networks, and artist collectives have in common? They often rely on fiscal sponsors to receive money, manage their backend, and sustain their work.
Fiscal sponsors are now a major part of the social sector in the United States (and increasingly around the world). The more than 300 known fiscal sponsors collectively manage 12,000 grassroots projects and steward $3 billion in philanthropic funds.
But the field remains a black box for many. This obscurity has created a knowledge gap and a funding gap, and prevents many fiscal sponsors – and the projects they support – from realizing their full potential.
That’s why Proximate is launching Common Ground: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship. Over the course of this series, co-curated with Social Impact Commons, we’ll publish a series of articles and perspective examining fiscal sponsorship from multiple angles. The goal is to deepen understanding of fiscal sponsorship and explore how the field can build out shared infrastructure and enable frontline leaders to solve their own problems with dignity.
Demystifying Fiscal Sponsorship
Historically, fiscal sponsors have been seen as a tool to allow small, unincorporated grassroots projects to receive philanthropic funds quickly. But in reality, fiscal sponsors have become “access increasers” – helping community leaders navigate the world of philanthropy; bringing funders in closer proximity to communities; and building shared strength between peer projects.
In this series, we’ll explore the future of fiscal sponsorship from a number of different angles. We’ll look at the how of fiscal sponsorship, the what, and also interrogate the why. Most of all, we’ll look at what’s next – including a series of predictions by practitioners rolling out later this spring.
This series is co-curated with Social Impact Commons, a nonprofit capacity building, research, and advocacy organization supporting the national fiscal sponsorship ecosystem. They bring a strong vision for a possible future that sees fiscal sponsorship playing a critical role, and we're fortunate to be partnering with them.
Join the Conversation
The timing for this conversation couldn’t be more urgent. Frontline leaders across the country are grappling with increasing threats to their tax-exempt status and financial sustainability. In such a precarious environment, fiscal sponsors can play a crucial stabilizing role, offering not just infrastructure but solidarity and shared support.
Our goal is to foster a richer, more informed dialogue about fiscal sponsorship and inspire action—whether that’s from funders looking to support innovative intermediaries or from organizations seeking better ways to collaborate.
We’ll complement our journalism with a series of conversations, led by Proximate and Social Impact Commons. We hope to drive conversation, help peers in fiscal sponsorship learn from each other, and help leaders in philanthropy understand how to support this work.
Follow along here to receive updates and invitations to future convenings.
