Fiscal Sponsorship Application
Preview of Application Process:
To save your time and money, we want to make sure you’re aware of the following essentials
before you apply:
 Fiscal sponsorship is a contractual relationship with both benefits and responsibilities.
Before you apply, please review the General Description and Frequently Asked
Questions materials provided to you to make sure it is right for your current needs.
 A non-refundable application fee of $95 must accompany your application for it to be
considered. Send the check to Friends of the Arts Commission, 300 Richards Blvd., 2nd
Floor, Sacramento, CA 95811.
 As part of your application, you will need to provide us with a current budget for your
project or organization.
 All applications must be reviewed and approved by Friends Executive Director.
Applications with questionable eligibility issues are subject to review and approval by
Friend’s Board of Directors.
 The average time from application submission to entry into the fiscal program is
approximately 4-6 weeks.
 The Fiscal Sponsorship Program is managed online, with email as the primary form of
communication. Access to a computer and the Internet is needed to participate in the
program.
The Application:
Note: Applicants to our program vary greatly, ranging from individual artists seeking fiscal
sponsorship for a single project to organizations of various structures and goals. It is difficult to
assign a descriptor to such a varied group, so we’ve settled on the very general phrase “project
or organization.” Please keep in mind that we welcome a variety of applicants and every
question relates to the specific project, event, or organization for which you are applying for
fiscal sponsorship. The application is designed to help Friends understand your needs. There
are no trick questions.
About Your Project or Organization
1. Project or Organization Name
2. Organizational Structure
Friends welcomes projects and organizations that are collaborative and/or led by more than one
person. If this is the case for you, please describe your group’s general structure and note up to
three people who serve in a leadership capacity.
3. Name of Primary Contact/Responsible Individual/Artist Leadership
Only ONE person can serve as the primary contact for Friends. For the primary contact, we
recommend selecting the person who will oversee fundraising and/or budgeting, as s/he will be
named in the contract.
4. Primary Contact Mailing Address
5. Primary Contact Email Address
6. Primary Contact Phone Number
7. What is this organization or project’s artistic medium or media (i.e., theater, dance, visual art,
literary art, music, arts events, collaborative art projects, etc.)?
8. Project Mission: Please describe your project’s mission, purpose or overall goal in one or two
sentences.
9. Project Summary: Please describe your project in fewer than 50 words.
Future Goals and Planning
10. What are your general goals for your project or organization?
11. Is there a specific grant (or grants) that require a fiscal sponsor for which you’d like to apply
within the next 6 months? If so, please list the grant program(s) or funding organization(s).
Gauging Experience Level
Friends of the Arts Commission serves as fiscal sponsor for individual artists and arts
organizations with a wide range of experience, from those embarking on their first project to
established organizations. The following will help us gauge what types of services Friends can
provide.
12. Do you or others working directly on this project have a history of producing arts
programming?
yes, 2 years or more
yes, less than 2 years
no, not yet
no, but individuals in our project have professional arts experience
13. Have one or more individuals in this project or organization been in a fiscal sponsorship
before?
yes
no
14. Does this project/organization have assistance – either paid or volunteer – from a financial
professional like an accountant, financial planner, bookkeeper, or experienced board treasurer?
yes
no
If so, please list the people, their professions, and relationship to your organization.
Budget, Business Structure and Supporting Documents
15. Please provide us with an electronic copy or hard copy of the budget for your project and/or
organization. A budget is required to apply for fiscal sponsorship.
16. Does your organization or project have a business checking account that is separate from
personal bank accounts? A business checking account will be required if accepted for fiscal
sponsorship in this program.
yes
no
17. Which, if any, of these have you filed to set up business operations?
Form 1023 (501c3/federal tax exemption application) has been filed
Fictitious Business Name Statement with Sacramento Co. Clerk under the
project’s name
Sacramento Business Operations Tax (BOT) Certificate
Articles of Incorporation – nonprofit – in California
Articles of Incorporation – for profit – in California
Paperwork for a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in California
Federal Tax ID number obtained
California sales tax ID obtained
I don’t know
Other:
None of the above
18. Supporting Documents
If you have filed for any of the above, please provide us with copies.
Optional: Additional Information
19. If you have additional information or details you would like to provide about your project or
organization, goals, experience level, budget or overall application, please do so in the space
provided here.
Email this completed application form along with your budget and any other documents,
to Laura Norman at lnorman@cityofsacramento.org.
Document adapted with permission from Springboard for the Arts Fiscal Sponsorship Program in Minneapolis, MN