Fiscal Sponsorship & Support
We empower new and established projects by facilitating charitable support from philanthropic partners and individual donors.
About Fiscal Sponsorship
Our fiscal sponsorship program helps small and emerging projects raise charitable donations without the administrative costs of seeking charitable status from the IRS. We provide vital management, fundraising, and strategic planning assistance to incubate new and existing projects and help them build organizational capacity.
Details
We extend fiscal sponsorship to new or established projects who are closely aligned with the Foundation’s mission.
Think your project would be a good fit? Have questions or want to book a consultation?
Email grants@rosrfdn.oeg
How It Works
Interested projects must answer yes to the following questions:
- Does your work further the charitable mission of Rose Foundation to support grassroots initiatives that build community action to protect the environment, consumers, and public health?
- Do you have a realistic plan for the activities you want to conduct with charitable donations and do those activities benefit the public?
- Do you have the ability, skills, and time necessary to successfully conduct your planned program activities, fundraising, reporting, and legal compliance?
- Do you have a realistic fundraising plan to raise at least $50,000?
- Are you able to conduct basic accounting necessary to manage operations, to avoid fraud, file taxes and report to funders and to Rose Foundation?
- Does the project agree not to participate in any electioneering activities that 501c3 organizations are prohibited from conducting?
We charge a 7% fee on all grants and donations received, a 10% fee on government grants, and 11% on all credit card transactions.
Legally, the project is a separate entity which owns its own work product, intellectual and tangible property; hires and supervises its own staff; raises its own money; and is responsible for its own financial management.
Projects file their own taxes, and hold their own insurance.
The project provides regular reports to document its activities and expenditures.
The Rose Foundation’s primary role is to facilitate charitable support for the project.
Donations and grants for a project operating under Rose’s sponsorship are actually given to the Foundation. This allows donors to receive the full benefits of making a charitable donation, and Rose assumes liability to philanthropic funders that the work will be substantially carried out as described in the grant application. Since the project is not a 501(c)(3), Rose assumes liability to the IRS for the charitable nature of the activities.
Rose places the donations or grants in a special restricted fund dedicated to the project. This money is then disbursed to the project according to the fiscal sponsorship agreement they have with Rose.
- Additionally, Rose can provide coaching and resources to help projects establish their own administrative capacity.
- Rose is ready to play a mentoring role in fundraising. We can help develop a fundraising plan, target foundations and provide constructive criticism on draft proposals, though we won’t generate specific fundraising materials.
- Many projects need help setting up accounting procedures. Rose provides practical fiscal management advice and referrals.
- Rose provides advice and reviews contracts as requested, and can offer contract templates.
- For projects seeking independent 501(c)(3) status, we have experience and offer resources and referrals about how to start a nonprofit corporation and receive tax exempt status from the State of California and the federal government.
How To Apply
Please read these instructions carefully and follow them step by step.
Review Eligibility Criteria
First review our eligibility criteria and the description of our fiscal sponsorship services above, to determine if your project is a good fit.
FAQ
The Rose Foundation Board makes fiscal sponsorship decisions on a quarterly basis, so the overall process from the time we receive your complete application until a final decision is made may take about 3 months.
No, a fiscally sponsored project of the Rose Foundation does not make your project a nonprofit charity, but you will be able to seek charitable contributions using Rose’s nonprofit status. You will still be liable for your own tax reporting on the income you receive.
Your project is an independent entity, acting under the fiscal sponsorship of Rose Foundation. After you notify Rose of the funding source(s) you intend to approach, and at the appropriate time in the application process, Rose will prepare a letter to the funder confirming the sponsorship and provide any other information they require. Generally, this type of information is sent along with a full proposal, and not with initial inquiries.
Donations can be made through Rose Foundation’s website or we can work with you to set up a donation page directly on your website.
Donations by check should be made payable to “Rose Foundation” with the name of your project in the memo line.
The project must send Rose a quarterly narrative and financial report that summarizes program activities and describes income and expenditures. Projects must also send advance copies of any fundraising solicitations, including all grant requests and reports to funders.
Fiscal sponsorship projects may only lobby with the Foundation’s expressed advance permission.
Lobbying means advocating a position on specific legislation. As a general rule, you should confirm with your Rose Foundation contact before you initiate a conversation with any elected officials.
*Any involvement in political campaigns or endorsement and opposition of candidates for public office is strictly forbidden.
Supported Projects
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Save ElephantHill
Save Elephant Hill is an all-volunteer grassroots organization addressing land use and conservation issues in the El Sereno neighborhood of LA. Since 2004 they have mobilized residents to protect and preserve Elephant Hill, 110-acres of undeveloped urban open space in the middle of this dense, working-class Latino community. Save Elephant Hill represents the interests of El Sereno residents who, for generations, have been left out of local land use decisions and suffered the health, social and environmental consequences of disinvestment. They advance an explicit public health perspective, recognizing that land use, parks and open space are social determinants of health.
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Little Growers Inc
Little Growers fights food insecurity through garden production and education. Working in Palm Bay and Melbourne, Florida, they focus on using green infrastructure, including trees, and edible and native plant gardens, in climate mitigation and adaptation. Community programs and youth gardening provide food security and nutrition and teach skills in regenerative agriculture.
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Together Restoring Economic Empowerment (TREE)
TREE educates and engages young people in environmental and social change–33% of targeted youth identify as Black or Latino, yet 75% live near a toxic waste facility and 38% live adjacent to known factors that cause asthma. Through policy research, grassroots activism, and social media, TREE mobilizes millennials to address the social, environmental, and economic disparities that affect their communities.
Take The Next Step
Complete the Fiscal Sponsorship Application
Access our online application system here. Applications are open year-round. After submission, we'll schedule an interview. Sponsorship decisions may take up to three months.
Quick Links
Unsure if your organization meets our criteria? Schedule a talk with Aurora, aheying@rosefdn.org.
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