Fiscal Sponsorship

 

SPROUT’s works to grow growers and to help all New Orleanians be part of a community food system. As a way of extending our impact and best using the power we have, we use our 501c3 nonprofit status to fiscally sponsor community organizations and farms who are working to strengthen the food system and reach underserved communities. 

In our model of fiscal sponsorship, we house funds on your behalf and assume financial but not legal responsibility for your organization’s activities. 

Fiscal sponsorship offers:

  • better fundraising opportunities

  • eligibility for certain foundation and government funds

  • the ability to offer tax-exempt status for your donors

  • reduced costs from compliance fees and administrative overhead expenses

  • relief from the administrative burden of board structure and filings required of a 501c3

SPROUT is especially interested in centering collectives, coalitions, and Black, Indigenous, LGBTQIA+, and Women-led organizations with our sponsorship services.  

 

Our Fiscal Sponsees

 

Faubourg st. john neighborhood garden

This community garden in Faubourg St. John is collectively tended to by volunteers. Produce from the garden is distributed to volunteers, community members, and local organizations.

 

Utē Petit, imaged by Amir Saadiq

Popsie & Vivian’s

Popsie & Vivian's is an emerging Afro-Indigenous garden and farm in the Lower 9th Ward on land where Utē Petit’s great grandmother's house once stood, as well as those of the Hubbard and Picot families. In honor of the deep Black & Indigenous history in this part of the world and the country, the garden takes the form of a quilt, with rows laid in various block patterns, log cabins, and bars. There are also terraced mounds currently being built that will each stand 9 feet tall, an homage to the mound-building peoples of the gulf south, and the Mississippi river valley whose lands we currently inhabit, and for some, who we descend from. Future aspirations are to integrate arts programming into the garden, with particular interest in work with textiles, music & instrument building, and ceramics.

 

speak easy farm

Speak Easy Farm is a 1/4-acre farm that grows plants collectively for free community food, medicine, and habitat, located at 1214 France St. They also offer sliding scale classes, workshops, learning resources, and gathering space for community groups. Speak Easy strives to operate as a land-based community resource – a place for building relationships with one another, plants, and land.

 

Greater New Orleans grower’s alliance (GNOGA)

GNOGA includes growers and their allies who are harnessing their collective political and physical power to create an urban food and farm system that sustains grower and eater alike. GNOGA accomplishes this mission through mutual aid, logistical support, shared resources, community engagement, and policy (local and national) campaigns.

 

below sea level aid

Below Sea Level Aid aims to support our unhoused neighbors in New Orleans, Louisiana. Under the guise of harm reduction, we supply the community with basic needed services and break down barriers they face in their day to day lives. 

 

Former Sponsees

The following organizations have “graduated” from fiscal sponsorship to become their own nonprofit organizations.

song cdc & Veggi farmers cooperative

Rooted in the Vietnamese American experience of New Orleans East, this organization (formerly known as Mary Queen of Vietnam Community Development Consortium) pursues the full liberation of Black and Indigenous people, and People of Color across all intersectional identities to improve the quality of life of residents in vulnerable communities in Southern Louisiana. Together with community partners, the social justice work encompasses health, climate, food, education, housing, and workforce, as well as culture and arts.

 

Considerations & Expectations

If you are interested in exploring fiscal sponsorship through SPROUT we ask you consider the following: 

  • Mission alignment: do our missions compliment each other? This can ensure proper tax treatment and treatment of donations and grants. 

  • Funding overlap: are we seeking the same kind of funding? If so, this could be a conflict of interest. 

  • Resources & infrastructure: what kind of administrative support are you looking for? SPROUT is still a small nonprofit, and with our limited capacity we cannot support heavy administrative needs of those we sponsor. 

  • Timeline: how long will you likely need fiscal sponsorship? 

Here are our expectations of those we fiscally sponsor: 

  • We ask for a deep commitment to shared values in the food system.

  • We work on a sliding scale when it comes to fiscal sponsorship percentage that takes into account all of the above considerations, as well as equity, access, and diversity. 

  • We work to be highly accountable to those we fiscally sponsor, and we ask for the same in return. Fiscal responsibility is an important matter and trust is very important to us. 

Application Steps

  1. Ensure that you have a clear vision of your programs, goals, and mission.

  2. To discuss your fiscal sponsorship needs and ideas, contact SPROUT’s Administration & Operations Director.

  3. Execute a Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement.