Part of Rose Foundation’s guiding philosophy is that the most effective and innovative projects are often initiated at the grassroots community level. Many of these projects are too small or too new to have yet secured IRS recognition of their charitable status. Through our fiscal sponsorship program, Rose Foundation helps these projects raise charitable donations.
Temporary projects may also be ideal candidates for fiscal sponsorship, because this allows the project to focus on achieving its program objectives rather than the administrative issues and costs inherent in establishing a new corporation and seeking IRS recognition of charitable status. The Foundation helps projects with management, fundraising, and strategic planning assistance to help build the organizational capacity of start-up or temporary projects.
About Fiscal Sponsorship & Our Services
The goal of the fiscal sponsorship program is to facilitate charitable support for the project and to provide the project with support and resources so they will become a stable and effective entity. Click here to learn more about our program and the number of different services and back office support we provide to fiscally sponsored projects or click here to read our Fiscal Sponsorship FAQ.
Apply for Fiscal Sponsorship
Rose Foundation extends fiscal sponsorship to new or established projects whose goals and objectives closely match the Foundation’s own.
1) Check Eligibility: To be eligible for fiscal sponsorship from Rose Foundation, projects must be able to successfully answer the following Fiscal Sponsorship Project Acceptance Criteria questions:
- Will fiscal sponsorship of the applicant group further the charitable mission of Rose Foundation? (Rose Foundation’s mission is to support grassroots initiatives to inspire community action to protect the environment, consumers, and public health.)
- Does the applicant group outline a realistic plan for the activities it wants to conduct with charitable donations? What are the public benefits of the activities to be conducted by the applicant group? What are the civic, social, environmental, and/or community benefits?
- Does the applicant group plan to conduct any activities that could reasonably be construed as providing a private benefit? Do they have any excess benefit transactions?
- Does the leadership of the applicant group have the capability, potential, experience, and integrity to conduct the applicant’s proposed activities and to assure a constructive, mutually respectful working relationship with the fiscal sponsor?
- Does the applicant group have the ability, skills, and time necessary to successfully conduct the program activities, fundraising, reporting, and legal compliance?
- Is Rose Foundation able to offer the services and support that are needed by the applicant group?
- Does the applicant have a realistic fundraising plan to raise $50,000 minimum?
- Does the applicant have the knowledge and ability to conduct basic accounting necessary to manage operations, to avoid fraud, report to funders/donors and to Rose Foundation, and to file necessary tax filings?
- Does the project plan to conduct any risky activities? If so, do they have insurance?
- If the applicant group works with children, seniors, or the disabled, do they conduct background checks on all employees or volunteers who work with children, seniors, or the disabled?
- Does the applicant group understand what activities constitute lobbying and have the ability to accurately track and report on their lobbying activities and expenses?
- Does the applicant group participate in any electioneering activities that 501c3 organizations are prohibited from conducting?
2) Complete the Fiscal Sponsorship Application
- Please check all eligibility requirements before starting the online application.
- Click here to access our online application system. If you have previously applied for a grant from Rose Foundation using our online application system, please Logon using your email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, please contact us (grants -at- rosefdn.org) so we can reset your password for you. If you are registering your organization for the first time, you will need to create an account using the organization’s name, website address (if available), telephone numbers, email address, mailing address, contact person’s name, and position. Your email address will be your logon ID and you will set up a password before accessing the Fiscal Sponsorship Application.
- If you are not sure if your organization meets Rose Foundation’s Fiscal Sponsorship Acceptance Criteria, please peruse our online application and schedule a time to talk to Rose Foundation staff.
- Applications are accepted anytime. We receive applications from all types of groups: large and small, established groups and start-up organizations. Therefore some of the questions may not apply to every group. Please do your best when responding to the questions.
What Happens Next?
After we receive your application, staff will review it and contact you to set up an interview. We prefer to do interviews in person if you live nearby. If staff recommends that we extend sponsorship to the your project, then it will take up to three months, since the board makes fiscal sponsorship decisions on a quarterly basis.
Current Fiscally Sponsored Projects
Donate to a Fiscally Sponsored Project
