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:
- The Justice Arts Coalition (JAC) is a national network providing information about and resources for people creating art in and around the US carceral system.
- Teamworks Art Mentoring Program promotes creative expression, self-discipline, and community engagement for youth who are at-risk of ongoing criminal behavior. This is achieved by providing arts education, opportunities for mentoring and apprenticeship, and by showcasing the youth’s art in community celebrations and exhibits. TeamWorks serves teens that are involved in the juvenile justice system and attending alternative schools in Marin County.
- Santa Cruz Poetry Project provides weekly poetry and writing workshops to men and women serving time in the Santa Cruz County jails. The workshops foster creativity and self-expression and provide an opportunity for participants to transform personal suffering into a shared experience through poems and stories. The skills learned in the workshops can be life-changing, especially for those trying to successfully reintegrate into their communities after incarceration.
- Be Natural Music
Scholarship program for music classes for kids in financial need
Past sponsored projects include:
- Santa Cruz County Writes
- Economic Justice Alliance
- Veggielution Urban Farming Project
- The Urban Farmers
- Pacific Voices Community Chorus
- Poetry Santa Cruz
- Santa Cruz County Art of Guitar Exhibit & Festival
- Follow Me Down: Portraits of Lousianna Prison Musicians
- John Brown’s Body at San Quentin State Prison
- Fund for Local Reporting
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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