Fiscal Sponsor Program

A Fiscal Sponsor Program (FSP) is an arrangement in which a nonprofit organization (the fiscal sponsor) offers its legal and tax-exempt status to another company or project (the sponsored entity) that does not have its own tax-exempt status. This allows the sponsored entity to receive charitable donations and grants that are typically available only to tax-exempt organizations.

Accessing private foundation grants and donor-advised fund (DAF) donations to aid in project funding is a recommended strategy for Social Impact Entertainment (SIE) producers. However, foundation grants or recoverable grants and DAF donations are not easily accessed without an FSP; but not all FSPs are the same, and fundraising parties may want to identify more robust programs that cater to the specific needs of SIE producers. For example, select FSPs have greater flexibility on the types of funds, assets, and structures that can be received into the FSP as well as the ways in which funds can be allocated out of the FSP, including enabling grantors and donors to have their philanthropic funds invested in the productions of their choice. Some FSPs even offer strategic advice on how best to use philanthropic funding and provide fundraising support to SIE producers.