Fiscal sponsorship helps projects continue to serve their missions through challenging global events.
Imagine you had been able to predict the momentous and incredibly humbling events brought by 2020. What would you have done to ensure your community’s stability? How would you have shored up your project or readied your team for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and an atypical election cycle?
We at Community Initiatives could not foresee these particularly difficult challenges. However, I’m proud that our scalable model of fiscal sponsorship has successfully helped our projects and their communities.
For nearly 25 years, Community Initiatives has served as a comprehensive fiscal sponsor who supports organizations in all areas of the nonprofit sector. We currently host more than 100 projects. As many leaders know, developing a nonprofit can take years of work to meet regulatory requirements and ensure that both the donors and community constituents are well supported. Fiscal sponsorship offers a shortcut through administrative red tape and gives organization leaders the necessary tools to focus their efforts on their missions instead of the paperwork.
Since the pandemic began, Community Initiatives has sponsored several projects designed to respond to those impacted by the shut-downs and interruptions to daily life. These projects work to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to healthcare organizations and those on the front lines. They continue to bring food assistance to ensure hungry stomachs are filled, shelter to those in need and job relocation services for those looking for work.
To assist our existing fiscally sponsored projects (FSPs), Community Initiatives’ facilitated streamlined access to the government Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and consulted with those that pivoted their response to meet the current environment. In some instances, FSPs were not aware they qualified for this program. Receiving federal funds brought temporary relief to their organizations so they could maintain their work with the communities they serve. We will continue to monitor governmental programs and be the conduit for additional services when available.
I greatly appreciate the wisdom and the flexibility of our staff and board members who have produced the quick turnaround essential to respond to these urgent events.
Let us help you. If you have formed a project in response to current public need but aren’t sure how to move forward, please reach out to us with your great idea. We will do our best to assist you.
Best,
Ruth Williams
President & CEO