Fiscal sponsorship lets a project operate under another organization’s tax-exempt status. FFC’s scoring reflects how well each arrangement fits our mission of building independent charity capacity:
- Independent charities — best fit.
- Sponsored by an FFC charity recipient — neutral; a small bonus if you’re also pursuing your own 501(c)(3).
- Franchise / national affiliate (Legion posts, lodges, chapters) — modest penalty; an independent auxiliary 501(c)(3) is scored on its own merits.
- Corporate fiscal sponsors (Players Philanthropy Fund, Tides, Open Collective, etc.) — largest penalty, since the project isn’t building independent capacity.
How FFC works with fiscally sponsored projects
FFC works with fiscally sponsored projects through the sponsor: the sponsoring 501(c)(3) submits the FFC application and approves the project as officially theirs. That mechanic isn’t optional — the Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace nonprofit email grants attach to the sponsor’s 501(c)(3), so the sponsor must be the applicant of record for the project to receive them.
Given the scoring penalty above, projects under a corporate fiscal sponsor (Tides, Open Collective, Players Philanthropy Fund) should talk with FFC before having their sponsor apply.
If you’re only considering fiscal sponsorship, talk with FFC first — we’ll help you weigh independence against speed. A fuller policy explainer is forthcoming.