Fiscal sponsorship arrangements are a proven, cost-effective way to address community needs and an alternative to starting and running your own nonprofit organization. A fiscal sponsorship agreement allows a charitable venture to operate under the legal and tax status of La Crosse Community Foundation. This “umbrella” partnership allows projects to leverage the Foundation’s robust back-office infrastructure and technical assistance to support their efforts. Thus, giving project leaders the ability to simply focus on implementing mission-based programs and services while the Foundation team takes care of the management functions of finance, legal compliance, and risk management.
La Crosse Community Foundation will offer fiscal sponsorship to select projects and groups that align with our mission of enhancing the quality of life in the greater La Crosse area. The primary beneficiaries of fiscal sponsorship services are typically new charities who have not yet received their own IRS determination letter or community groups/organizations operating a project or program that is clearly charitable and is not already attached to an existing charity. Some common examples of appropriate fiscal sponsorship scenarios include coalitions and networks, start-up projects, innovative projects looking to test a concept, projects that have a relatively small scope/purpose and never intend to expand much more, and projects that are completely volunteer driven (have no paid staff).
To be considered for fiscal sponsorship, call the Foundation’s Executive Director at (608) 782-3223 ext. 22.
Click here to download the Foundation’s Fiscal Sponsorship Policies and Guidelines.
