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Fiscal Sponsorship
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We are a nonprofit incubator and social change accelerator. We believe in the power of grassroots community organizations and work with new projects and initiatives to determine their best path forward. Side Project provides fiscal sponsorship and management for new and innovative projects focused on progressive social change. We help social change agents and groups implement new programs, bring together groups to collaborate on an issue, and test new approaches to social change. Fiscal sponsorship is a common mechanism used in the nonprofit sector that enables individuals and organizations to start new programs without establishing a new, separate nonprofit organization. The infographic below provides an overview of how fiscal sponsorships work.
Side Project’s projects are not separate and isolated entities; rather, they are an integral part of Side Project Inc. We receive and manage charitable donations and grants on behalf of our projects, maintain the necessary corporate and financial infrastructure for all project activities, and allow project leaders to focus on creating a healthy, just, and vibrant world.
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Side Project Inc. has supported nonprofit leaders since 2012 and is one of the leading fiscal sponsorship organizations in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Oregon. We are known for providing high-quality legal and professional advice to the nonprofit community. Side Project is committed to the vision of each of its projects, and all of Side Project’s projects share in our core values of service, social justice, integrity, competence, the importance of human relationships, and fun.
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We work with organizations to identify assets and to chart their Social Change Strategic Plan. Our work follows an Asset Based Community Development strategy (see http://www.abcdinstitute.org/). Using this strategy, we seek to build on and support community assets and work to mobilize individuals, associations, and institutions to come together to build on to their existing assets. This approach focuses on the potential of a community. Many communities address social and economic problems with only a small number of the community’s total capacity. This is the challenge and opportunity of community engagement. Our strategy starts with the assumption that EVERYONE IN A COMMUNITY HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER.
Resources
Fiscal Sponsorship FAQ
For more information on our Nonprofit Incubator & Social Change Accelerator download our Fiscal Sponsorship FAQ
Starting a 501(c)(3)
Starting a nonprofit is not the only route to making a difference in the community. If you are thinking about starting a nonprofit be sure to review So you Think You Wanna be a 501(c)(3)
The Nonprofit Legal Hotline
Whether your project is looking for a fiscal sponsor or your organization is thinking about acting as a fiscal sponsor, we can help with any legal and operational challenges. Apply for a free call.
Video Tutorials
Fiscal Sponsorship:
What it Is & How it Works
Fiscal sponsorship is an alternative to forming a traditional nonprofit corporation. In essence, it provides an opportunity for a small charitable project to piggy-back on the fiscal sponsor’s IRS status and pass certain overhead costs to the sponsor. This 30 minute webinar covers:
1. What fiscal sponsorship is
2. When fiscal sponsorship is appropriate
3. The Most Common Types of Fiscal Sponsorship
4. Best Practices in Fiscal Sponsorship Arrangements.