Fiscal Sponsors
Overview
We love fiscal sponsors and also strongly recommend consulting tax and legal professionals before working with one. We also encourage any project owner to make sure that it is a sound financial decision to run a crowdfunding campaign through a fiscal sponsor. Keep in mind that your Fiscal Sponsor will take a small percentage of funds raised, and be sure to work this into your budget.
For most campaigns the average pledge amount is $100 and the most common pledge is $25. Typically people contributing at these levels are not interested in the tax write off so in some cases it won't be a particularly strong incentive to have pledge be tax deductible. It’s a good idea to check in with your network and audience first to assess if working with a Fiscal Sponsor will make an impact on your ability to raise your goal.
Requirements
If you don't see your preferred partner listed on this page, have them download and complete our services agreement and send it back to your crowdfunding specialists.
Before launching your campaign you'll also need to grant them admin access to your project so they can enter their bank details for receiving the payout after the campaign.
FAQs
Below are the most frequently asked questions and the most crucial information when working with a Fiscal Sponsor. These are also listed in our Agency Agreement:
- All Campaign Funds Must Go Directly to Fiscal Sponsor
Funds cannot be transferred to the project owner directly if you want them to be tax deductible. The Fiscal Sponsor is then responsible for issuing the funds to the project owner.
- Issuing Receipts
The Fiscal Sponsor is responsible for issuing all tax related receipts. Seed&Spark will issue a receipt for all pledges but these cannot be used for anything tax related.
- Contributor Information
On the Campaign Dashboard, which is accessible by all project admins, there is a downloadable Audience List ( a spreadsheet with all contributors information: date, name, email, pledge amount, selected incentive, etc. ).
- Fees
Credit Card processing fees are $0.30 + 2.9% of each pledge, which cannot be waived. Seed&Spark itself takes zero platform fees.
- Minimum Threshold
Fiscal Sponsors may set a minimum threshold for pledges that will receive tax deductible receipts. However, ALL funds, less credit card fees, will still be issued to the Fiscal Sponsor.
- Remember Partial-Deductibility
This is extremely important for campaigns that are run as nonprofits ( which would be true for all campaigns run through fiscal sponsorship program ). Whenever your offer rewards to a donor in exchange for their pledge, their donation is partially deductible above and beyond the fair market value of the rewards that they are receiving. So for example, if for a donation of $100 you give a donor a ticket to your show that normally costs $10, the tax-deductible value of that donation is $90 ( the amount above the value of the reward that they received ). The Fiscal Sponsor will need to issue tax receipts stating non-deductible values, so it is your responsibility to provide info about the fair market values of your rewards.
- Receiving Funds
Funds will be issued to the Fiscal Sponsor 5-7 business days after a successful campaign. Since we do not charge your contributrors until the campaign ends successfully, there will be a percentage of pledges that will be declined and the corrected pledges will trickle in over a couple of weeks as they fix their payments.
- We Do Not Allow Fiscal Sponsors to Store Bank Account Information for Multiple Projects
Even if your fiscal sponsor has worked with us before, they will need to input their financial information into each crowdfunding project. We apologize for the inconvenience but this is a measure to protect the most sensitive data.
Funds cannot be transferred to the project owner directly if you want them to be tax deductible. The Fiscal Sponsor is then responsible for issuing the funds to the project owner.
The Fiscal Sponsor is responsible for issuing all tax related receipts. Seed&Spark will issue a receipt for all pledges but these cannot be used for anything tax related.
On the Campaign Dashboard, which is accessible by all project admins, there is a downloadable Audience List ( a spreadsheet with all contributors information: date, name, email, pledge amount, selected incentive, etc. ).
Credit Card processing fees are $0.30 + 2.9% of each pledge, which cannot be waived. Seed&Spark itself takes zero platform fees.
Fiscal Sponsors may set a minimum threshold for pledges that will receive tax deductible receipts. However, ALL funds, less credit card fees, will still be issued to the Fiscal Sponsor.
This is extremely important for campaigns that are run as nonprofits ( which would be true for all campaigns run through fiscal sponsorship program ). Whenever your offer rewards to a donor in exchange for their pledge, their donation is partially deductible above and beyond the fair market value of the rewards that they are receiving. So for example, if for a donation of $100 you give a donor a ticket to your show that normally costs $10, the tax-deductible value of that donation is $90 ( the amount above the value of the reward that they received ). The Fiscal Sponsor will need to issue tax receipts stating non-deductible values, so it is your responsibility to provide info about the fair market values of your rewards.
Funds will be issued to the Fiscal Sponsor 5-7 business days after a successful campaign. Since we do not charge your contributrors until the campaign ends successfully, there will be a percentage of pledges that will be declined and the corrected pledges will trickle in over a couple of weeks as they fix their payments.
Even if your fiscal sponsor has worked with us before, they will need to input their financial information into each crowdfunding project. We apologize for the inconvenience but this is a measure to protect the most sensitive data.
Thank you! This list is pretty exhaustive and will probably bring up a few questions so again we urge you to speak with tax and legal professionals before running a campaign.
Our Current Partners
FILM INDEPENDENT
Film Independent’s mission is to champion creative independence in visual storytelling and support a community of artists who embody diversity, innovation and uniqueness of vision. Home of the LA Film Festival and Film Independent Spirit Awards, it’s through our many labs, grants and educational opportunities that we’ve helped filmmakers make their movies, build an audience for their projects and diversify the film industry. Our Fiscal Sponsorship program opens the door to funding that carries independent media creators of all kinds through every stage of their project’s lifecycle – from development to distribution and beyond.
International Documentary Association
At IDA we believe in the power of documentaries and the filmmakers who make them. For more than 30 years we’ve provided independent filmmakers with the tools that help get projects funded, finished and seen. With a full time staff, strong relationships with institutional funders, and access to IDA’s suite of educational opportunities, we are committed to supporting documentary makers of all kinds. IDA offers our sponsored projects the opportunity to utilize the power of a dynamic crowdfunding platform while offering a valuable tax deduction to donors.
THE FILM COLLABORATIVE
The Film Collaborative is the first non-profit committed to distribution education and facilitation of independent film. Launched in early 2010, TFC offers independent filmmakers a full range of services, including fiscal sponsorship, education about distribution, and distribution and marketing service. To be considered for Fiscal Sponsorship projects must be film or film related, consistent with the TFC’s charitable purposes, be creative, artistic and/or educational, and represent an imaginative contribution to the film or video art form. For more information please explore our fiscal sponsorship page and read the FAQs!
SOUTHERN DOCUMENTARY FUND
Southern Documentary Fund is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization that cultivates documentaries made in or about the American South. Inspired by their core belief that documentaries have the power to change lives, SDF serves as a leading advocate for powerful Southern storytelling, providing filmmakers with professional support, fiscal sponsorship, and creative community. Seed&Spark is working with SDF in their fiscal sponsor capacity after seeing the care and dedication they invest in their films and filmmakers. The stories they choose to support are critically acclaimed and award winning. This year alone they added an Emmy and a prestigious Peabody Award to their cap. SDF will have their own curated crowdfunding page on Seed&Spark so we can help highlight their exceptional films.
CINEFEMME
Cinefemme is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization which helps women filmmakers realize their independent film, video, and new media projects. We serve as the Fiscal Agent and can confer our tax-exempt status to qualified projects, making donations tax-deductible and qualifying them for certain grants. Submissions accepted into the Fiscal Sponsorship Program are non-commercial projects with a woman director at the helm. We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the innovative and successful company Seed & Spark. Cinefemme projects crowdfunded through Seed&Spark will be discounted at 7% ( Cinefemme's usual fee is 10% ). For more information or to apply for fiscal sponsorship, visit our website ( click header link ). Please direct inquiries to Executive Director MichelleKantor at [email protected].
Northwest Film Forum
Northwest Film Forum is Seattle's premier film arts organization, screening over 200 independently made and classic films annually, offering a year-round schedule of filmmaking classes for all ages, and supporting filmmakers at all stages of their careers.
Stowe Story Labs
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Stowe Story Labs is offering alumni and select invitees an opportunity to fund development of craft and work through charitable donations, as long as the end product is aligned with our nonprofit mission. As fiscal agent, Stowe Story Labs would take on the responsibility of receiving and administering charitable contributions on behalf of the project (minimum raise is $5,000 / minimum fee therefore is $350). Stowe Story Labs will charge 7% of funds raised for projects under $100,000, and 5% on projects of $100,000 or more. Each project submitted for fiscal agency will be subject to Stowe Story Labs Board review and we will then require a sponsorship agreement.
From The Heart Productions
From The Heart Productions, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit with a mission to help the artists who create independent films get their documentaries, features, short films, and web series funded and completed. Through our fiscal sponsorship program, we offer low fees, personal support, and guidance on fundraising. Our Roy W. Dean Grant is offered three times each year. Our Intentional Filmmaking Classes help filmmakers create an action plan for funding while clearing for them all mental blocks keeping them from getting money for their films. For more info on fiscal sponsorship program, click on link in header.
SIMA Studios
SIMA Studios is a globally recognized leader in social impact arts and entertainment at service to an international cohort of creators who utilize their creativity to build a better world. SIMA exists to advance global awareness, social justice, human rights, and education by supporting content creators, activists, educators, and changemakers—amplifying the impact of their works to inspire activism, compassion and social transformation. SIMA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program (learn more here) enables you to seek grants and solicit tax-deductible donations for your creative social impact project, documentary or campaign, unhampered by administrative burdens and bureaucratic red tape. Please contact [email protected] to learn more and apply.