Welcome to Common Ground, a special series from Proximate in collaboration with Social Impact Commons.
Fiscal sponsors have long operated behind the scenes, quietly supporting everything from disaster response efforts to emerging mutual aid groups, artists’ collectives, and community-led campaigns. At a moment of instability, we're exploring how fiscal sponsors can provide infrastructure, stability and solidarity to the grassroots.
We're gathering predictions, provocations, and practical insights from across the fiscal sponsorship ecosystem – from longtime legal experts to emerging movement leaders. Here’s what we’ve published so far – reach out to hello@proximate.press to pitch us your own prediction.
By Sampriti Ganguli
As collaborative funds proliferate, their legal and financial scaffolding – often hidden within fiscal sponsors – will finally receive the attention and investment it deserves.
By Alejandra García Lezama & Frank Gargione
Fiscal sponsors are no longer just legal homes – they’re fundraising lifelines. Expect more capacity-building, coaching, and development support to be baked into sponsorship relationships.
By Greg Colvin
One of the foremost legal experts in the field lays out why fiscal sponsorship isn’t just growing – it’s evolving into something more dynamic and durable.
Cynthia Gibson & Maria Mottola
A call for shifting intermediary relationships toward reciprocal, trust-based partnerships that respect mutual accountability, rather than a "shopping list" approach.
Proximate is an independent media platform covering movements for participatory problem-solving. We look at the news through the lens of money: how it’s given away, how it’s invested, and how it’s distributed by government.
We are a fiscally sponsored project of Movement Strategy Center.
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