Fiscal Sponsorship Program

What is the Fiscal Sponsorship Program?

The William James Association is a non-profit community service corporation operating under Section 501(c) (3) of the IRS tax code. Through its Fiscal Sponsorship Program, the Association assists individuals and community organizations consistent with its service mission by providing administrative support, tax-exempt status, and fiscal sponsorship. The purpose of the William James Association Sponsorship Program is twofold:

• Provide managerial support and guidance to individuals and organizations so that they may produce temporary projects or begin to develop as ongoing organizations.
• Ensure funding agencies and contributors that funds are well-managed, spent according to their guidelines, and that proposed services are delivered.

As a fiscal sponsor, the William James Association can provide:

• Sponsorship of grant applications and administration of grant funds through a pre-approved grant relationship.
• Formal acknowledgment to funding sources and monitoring of expenditures to ensure that they are in keeping with the original proposals, contracts, or funding letters.
• Staff consultation on writing of grants and final reports to funders (sponsored party is responsible for actual writing of all materials).

The sponsored project remains a separate legal entity that is liable for its own taxes, insurance and debts.

Both temporary projects and developing organizations can be considered for fiscal sponsorship. Current affiliates include:

• TeamWorks Art Mentoring & Apprenticeship Program
  TeamWorks provides the only consistent, on-going arts engagement for at-risk youth ages 11-18 in Juvenile Justice and in Alternative Education in Marin County.
• Santa Cruz County Art of Guitar Exhibit & Festival
  Celebrating the art and craft of high-end guitar building
• Santa Cruz County Writes
  Enhancing Literary Opportunities for Santa Cruz County Writers
• Transition Santa Cruz
  Catalyzing creative transition to a resilient, locally based, post-fossil fuel economy
• Follow Me Down: Portraits of Lousianna Prison Musicians
  Feature-length documentary film
• Green Union Community Garden
• The Urban Farmers
  Harvesting backyard fruit for the needy in SF East Bay
• John Brown’s Body at San Quentin State Prison
• Lion’s Pride Farm
  Organic community farm in Bay Point and Pittsburg
• Be Natural Music
  Scholarship program for music classes for kids in financial need
• Fund for Local Reporting
  Support for independent journalists who do the work of gathering local newsPast sponsored projects include: Veggielution Urban Farming Project, Pacific Voices Community Chorus, Poetry Santa Cruz.

In order to receive sponsorship, projects must be approved by the
William James Association Board of Directors. Applications are
welcome at any time, with the understanding that they are reviewed
at regularly scheduled board of directors’ meetings.

Download an application and instructions.

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