Fiscally sponsored projects (FSPs) number in the tens of thousands and are supported by billions of dollars in philanthropic and government funding.i Yet they are often unseen—or misunderstood—within the nonprofit sector. While Candid makes it easy to find information on the more than 1.8 million nonprofits in the United States, there is no such repository of data for FSPs. We’re ready to change that.
As of February, and working in close partnership with Social Impact Commons, which has deep expertise on fiscal sponsorship, Candid has been making data on FSPs available in our products, including Candid search. Just like nonprofits, FSPs whose sponsors partner with us will be able to claim and maintain a Candid profile. FSPs participate in this initiative on an opt-in basis, meaning Candid only creates a profile for projects that want that level of visibility.
Including this data in Candid’s APIs and data collections (currently leveraged by more than 200 partner platforms) will also make it easier for others—such as our partner, Every.org—to feature fiscally sponsored projects. This would further increase FSPs’ visibility, their likelihood of finding funding, and help alleviate a source of friction for donors—difficulty finding the groups they’d like to support. Platforms serving these donors would also benefit by having a single, comprehensive source of data on groups eligible for charitable donations.
Like their nonprofit peers, FSPs range in size from very small to very large, focus on all cause areas from arts to economic development, and employ a variety of tactics to achieve their goals, whether directly serving local communities or engaging in advocacy to change government policies. Beyond these broad strokes, relatively little is known about FSPs as a whole. Social Impact Commons’ Field Scan provides some more insights, but overall, not enough data exists to understand the field’s true impact and scope.
Building a reliable, comprehensive source of data on this segment of the sector will require participation by FSPs and their sponsors. Given that, we’ve been heartened by the sector’s positive response to our efforts to date. Yet fully realizing the benefits of having this additional information will require actions by many more, including funders and giving platforms. At Candid, we know building a more efficient, effective, and equitable sector takes more than just data. Data is just the first step.
i Social Impact Commons. Fiscal Sponsor Field Scan 2023. Retrieved from https://www.socialimpactcommons.org/fiscal-sponsor-field-scan-2023.
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