Fiscal sponsorship goes beyond administrative support, helping nonprofits navigate advocacy and lobbying. Understanding the difference between them is key, as nonprofits must follow specific rules to protect their tax-exempt status. By partnering with a nonprofit fiscal sponsor, your organization can focus on advancing its mission with a solid foundation for legal and financial compliance.

PG Changemakers sought a fiscal sponsor who could take on administrative tasks, aligned with their values, and offer guidance. Here’s why we were the right choice for them. Learn more about how Mission Edge partners with changemakers to navigate the complexities of growth and impact. Together, we can turn visions of a more equitable world into reality.

In today’s corporate environment, businesses are becoming increasingly interested in finding new and creative ways to contribute positively to society – and we’re here for it. One strategy businesses can take to increase their impact through corporate social responsibility is to find a fiscal sponsor to operate their charitable project as if it were a nonprofit organization.

Traditionally, grantmaking is straightforward: the wealthy donate to the less fortunate to address societal issues. But here at Mission Edge, we want funders to bring an awareness of power and equity. Trust-Based Philanthropy seeks to rebalance the power dynamics in philanthropy. At its foundation, it acknowledges the reality that philanthropy has contributed to systemic inequities.

Qualcomm’s racial justice initiative sought to allocate $500,000 across 10 different organizations, each actively working to dismantle racial injustices in unique ways. Mission Edge facilitated this process, making sure the initiative was not just about financial support, but that it also brought employees together to engage in meaningful dialogues on racial justice.

San Diego Gas and Electric came to Mission Edge at the beginning of the summer wanting help with getting their interns connected to the San Diego community in a meaningful way. We partnered with SDGE to facilitate a virtual social impact project for more than 40 of their summer interns who were eager to make a difference in the community through their roles supporting nonprofit partners.

When Illumina came to Mission Edge three years ago, they wanted to facilitate a volunteer project that engaged an important cohort: interns. Their goal was to help early-stage professionals understand that community engagement is an integral part of working at Illumina. Now, for the third year in a row working with the biotechnology company, we’re creating a virtual volunteer project for Illumina’s summer interns.

Mission Edge came alongside Qualcomm to advocate for nonprofits and provide Qualcomm’s employees with the information they needed to make selection decisions. Because Mission Edge understands both corporate and nonprofit cultures, we were able to create a CSR program that truly meets the needs of local nonprofits, and helped Qualcomm select partners that fit within the giving goals of the program.

Through our fiscal sponsorship program, we provided the Bro-Am with full-service accounting and human resources services, as well as a proven nonprofit structure to operate within. The partnership allowed the band to focus on focus on planning their art, community impact, signature events and fundraising, leaving nonprofit management and logistics to the experts (us).

If you’re a CEO or business leader on a mission to do more than increase your profit margin or enhance your bottom line, you might be wondering if it makes sense to have a fiscal sponsor. But how should you know if fiscal sponsorship is the right move for you? Let's define fiscal sponsorship, explore the different types, and debunk common fiscal sponsorship myths.

Over our nine-year partnership, we’ve been able to empower Mid-City CAN through fiscal sponsorship to focus on its mission and development efforts, including securing federal funding. All of these efforts paid off when they were able to launch their own independent 501(c)(3) organization. Mission Edge helped them hire more people, increase their impact, and support their community.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than ten years since Mission Edge started in 2011. We’ve grown a lot since then— we now have over 30 employees and serve over 100 organizations. Learn about how we’ve grown our fiscal sponsorship for nonprofits and small business in 2022 to better serve our clients looking to make an impact!