01 · Definition
What is fiscal sponsorship?
Fiscal sponsorship lets you run a charitable program under an existing 501(c)(3), United Charitable, so your effort operates with nonprofit status without forming its own organization.
You bring the mission and the work. We provide the legal and financial home it operates within. Your program becomes a project of United Charitable, which means it can accept tax-deductible donations and apply for grants right away.
02 · Step by step
How fiscal sponsorship works, step by step.
Apply
Tell us about your charitable idea and what you want to accomplish.
Become a project of United Charitable
Once approved, your program operates under our 501(c)(3).
Get the backing
You gain nonprofit status, financial oversight, and the compliance tools to run cleanly.
Focus on the work
You lead the program. We handle accounting, recordkeeping, and compliance.
03 · What’s included
The backing behind your program.
Becoming a fiscally sponsored project gives you the operational backbone most new efforts lack.
Detailed recordkeeping, accounting, and compliance.
Direct support from our staff on strategy and best practices.
Access to fundraising tools, including WeDidit, Grants.gov, and CauseNetwork.
Help pursuing private, local, state, and federal grants.
A community of other social entrepreneurs doing related work.
04 · Comparison
Fiscal sponsorship vs. starting a nonprofit: which is right for you?
Fiscal sponsorship can help you get moving faster without forming a separate 501(c)(3). You still lead your program day to day, while United Charitable provides the nonprofit structure, administrative support, and compliance oversight behind the scenes.
If your priority is getting to work quickly and keeping overhead low, fiscal sponsorship usually fits. If you need full independence and are prepared to run an organization, forming your own nonprofit may make more sense. A fiscally sponsored project is not its own 501(c)(3): it operates as a project of United Charitable, and that is the trade that buys you speed.
05 · Audience
Who fiscal sponsorship is for.
This works best for people with a clear charitable idea and little patience for administrative overhead. Founders of community projects, social entrepreneurs testing a new model, organizers responding to a need right now. If the paperwork is the only thing standing between you and the work, this is built for you.
06 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
The application fee to begin a fiscally sponsored program is $1,000. You also must have at least $10,000 in funding or pledges confirmed in writing to start a fiscally sponsored program.
United Charitable charges a 10% administration fee on each donation made to your fiscally sponsored program at United Charitable. There is also an annual fee of $2,000, which will be assessed to your program account each year on May 31st.
Our review committee analyzes each application as they are submitted. We review your application for charitable purpose, possible risks, clarity, and feasibility among other items. If the application is complete and legible (please only submit typed applications), and the charitable purpose is accepted by United Charitable, you should receive approval within 3-4 weeks. A United Charitable staff member will personally call each applicant to discuss the proposed plans before the application is submitted to the United Charitable review committee.
Yes, as long as the donor is receiving nothing of value in return. If a donor is paying for services, like a conference or a dinner, then the Fair Market Value of that item is not deductible. All donations must be sent to United Charitable for deposit. We will place these funds (minus our applicable fees) into an internally segregated account to be used to further your charitable purpose. DO NOT open your own local bank account. THIS IS PROHIBITED. You will be able to securely log in to our system to view your program account transactions online using an ID and password that United Charitable will provide to you. If you lose your login information, please call us. Once your program has been accepted at United Charitable, we will send you the applicable forms to use when recommending disbursement of funds from the United Charitable account. You can always find the updated forms on our website.