What do wildfire response teams, grassroots mutual aid networks, and artist collectives have in common? They all rely on fiscal sponsors to move money fast, build capacity, and sustain their work.
Yet, despite collectively stewarding at least $3 billion in philanthropic funds (and likely much more), fiscal sponsorship remains a black box for many leaders in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector — misunderstood and underutilized.
This obscurity has created a knowledge gap, one that stifles innovation and prevents many fiscal sponsors – and the community-led projects they support – from realizing their full potential.
That’s why Proximate is launching Common Ground: The Future of Fiscal Sponsorship, a series of original journalism designed to deepen understanding, spark imagination, and drive forward models of fiscal sponsorship that build shared infrastructure and shift power to proximate communities.
Over the course of this series, co-curated with Social Impact Commons, we’ll publish a series of articles examining fiscal sponsorship from multiple angles – exploring its potential to steward artists and movements, increase access to resources, and enable communities to solve their own problems with dignity.
Demystifying Fiscal Sponsorship
Historically, fiscal sponsors have been seen as a tool to allow unincorporated initiatives, small organizations, and individuals to receive philanthropic funding under the umbrella of a tax-exempt sponsor.
But in reality, fiscal sponsors increasingly do more than just back-office support. They 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. Grassroots organizations 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.
Sign up here to receive updates and invitations to future convenings.
