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FISCAL SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM GUIDELINES
About the Agape Foundation:
Agape Foundation Fund for Nonviolent Social Change is a non-profit
public foundation founded in 1969 out of opposition to the war in
Southeast Asia. Pacifists, World War II conscientious objectors
and anti-Vietnam War activists founded it in order to build a movement
that seriously challenged the Pentagon and the American culture
of violence. The Foundation’s purpose is to fund nonviolent
social change organizations committed to peace and justice issues.
Unlike social services that aid and assist individuals, social change
efforts confront the root causes of social problems by challenging
the systems and institutions responsible.
The Board of Trustees makes it fiscal sponsorship decisions monthly.
The deadline for requests is the last business day of the month
for review at the next month’s Board of Trustees' meeting.
Agape does not accept proposals by fax or email.
Fiscal Sponsorship Program:
The Foundation acts as fiscal sponsor for tax deductible contributions
to the legal and educational work of grassroots organizations. A
fiscal sponsorship program allows a public charity, tax-exempt under
Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, to conduct a program
of support to individuals and to nonexempt organizations that is
legal and proper.
Agape employs the pre-approved grant relationship model for fiscal
sponsorship. Under this arrangement the individuals and nonexempt
organizations do not become a program belonging to Agape. Instead,
Agape chooses to further its exempt purposes indirectly, by giving
financial support to an organization for a specific project that
Agape believes will advance its own charitable goals.
Issue Areas:
Agape will grant fiscal sponsorship to organizations and film and/or
video projects promoting peace and social justice. It will not offer
this program to social or direct service organizations unless they
have a major advocacy component. The following are examples of some
of the issue areas Agape provides fiscal sponsorship to:
• Peace – anti-military and anti-nuclear
• Environmental justice and protection
• Community building – building nonviolent alternatives,
nonviolent conflict resolution, alternatives
to gang violence
• Human Rights – civil rights, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered
rights and women’s rights
• Economic justice
Fiscal sponsorship priorities:
Agape will consider proposals for fiscal sponsorship from organizations
that meet all of the following priorities:
• Organizations that practice and promote nonviolence in organizational
relations, structure,
process and actions.
• Organizations that demonstrate a commitment to grassroots
participation.
• Organizations that integrate both peace and social justice
issues.
• Organizations that are located in, and whose work is focussed
in, California.
• Organizations that are comprised of more than one individual.
• Organizations that are not solely web-based.
Fiscal sponsorship costs:
Agape does not charge for fiscal sponsorship, however, there is
a 7% service fee for funds disbursed as fiscal sponsor grants.
Benefits of fiscal sponsorship:
Agape provides the following services to fiscally sponsored projects:
• Provides potential donors – including individuals, foundations,
and corporations – the opportunity
to make tax-advantaged contributions to support the
work of the project (see ‘Decision-making
Process’ section below)
• Technical assistance (how to's in: fundraising, grant writing,
board development, etc.).
• Letters of Support or Acknowledgment of the project.
Application process:
To apply for fiscal sponsorship, please send a written five–page
(maximum) fiscal sponsorship proposal that covers the following
topics. Please print your proposal double-sided and please do not
submit it in a plastic folder or binder. If any of these pieces
are missing, staff will contact you, and your proposal will not
be reviewed until all missing documents have been received.
• A brief description of your organization and its history
including major accomplishments, its
purpose, decision making process, and number of and
diversity of core group, staff and/or
volunteers. Please provide a list of board members and
occupations.
• A description of the organization’s goals, objectives,
strategies and methodologies.
• A statement describing how your organization promotes nonviolent
social change and how it
reflects Agape's funding priorities. Include a statement
describing your organization’s philosophy of
social change.
• A description of how your organization raise funds from all
sources. If applicable, please include a
list of foundations to which you are applying.
• An annual organization budget, including expenses and income
for the current year. (Please find
enclosed budget categories, which are there for your
convenience.) Agape will not consider your
proposal if budget information is omitted.
• Name, address and telephone number of a contact person within
the organization.
Decision-making process:
The Agape staff reviews all requests for fiscal sponsorship before
submission to the Board of Trustees to determine whether the project
is charitable and carries out Agape’s tax-exempt purposes.
The Board then reviews all proposals that meet Agape’s funding
priorities and are complete.
Upon approval, the staff will send a written grant agreement setting
forth all the terms and conditions that apply to the project’s
use of the grant and relations with funding sources. Thus, before
funds are solicited from donors, foundation or government agencies,
Agape has pre-approved the project as its grantee. Proposals that
do not meet the funding priorities will receive rejection notices.
Please note grants cannot be used for illegal actions, political
campaigns or lobbying on legislative issues. The project solicits
funds for the specific grant to be made by Agape back to the project.
Such solicitations shall be made only on the conditions that Agape
retains complete control and discretion over the use of all contributions
it receives.
As Agape receives donations and grants for the specific project,
the money is taken in as income by Agape and then disbursed as a
grant to the organization conducting the project, subject to the
terms of the grant agreement, and assuming that the project is satisfying
its responsibilities under that agreement.
The project makes quarterly reports to Agape, in accordance with
the grant agreement, showing its actual expenditures of grant funds
and its progress toward accomplishing the purposes of the grant.
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