Fiscal Sponsorship

When the Arts Council fiscally sponsors a project/organization, we lend them our 501(c)(3) status. This allows them to receive the following benefits: apply for grants that require 501(c)(3) status, have donations be tax exempt, and, receive financial administrative support among other benefits.

Fiscal sponsorship is a contractual relationship between you and the Arts Council. On any funds raised, the Arts Council will receive a 7% administrative cost.

To qualify for this sponsorship, an organization or project must be within the Council’s mission, not be overly burdensome, be feasible in the sole judgment of the Arts Council, and pose no inappropriate risks. The decision to grant fiscal sponsorship may be made based on the project’s fit with our exempt purpose and allocation of our resources. Some projects will not qualify at all.

We have outlined below our exempt purpose. Satisfying the criteria does not guarantee sponsorship of a project. Granting fiscal sponsorship is within the sole discretion of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven – its Executive Director, Executive Committee, and the Board of Directors. In addition, the Board may choose from time to time to limit the number of sponsored projects to conserve the resources of the Arts Council.

Exempt Purpose: The purpose of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven is to work within the Greater New Haven area to create cultural opportunities for public participation in and awareness of the arts, to provide artistic nourishment for the population, artists, and the arts in the Greater New Haven area and to develop community support for the arts.

List of towns within the Arts Council’s service region:

Application Scope

1. Narrative questions

2. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation are required for a complete application and should highlight the credibility of the applicant/their organization or collective, the relevancy of the project/organization, how you would benefit from fiscal sponsorship and speak to the impact of your work to the community. Strong letters of recommendation are from organizations/leaders/community members within our service region. These letters should be addressed to Hope Chávez, Executive Director of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven.

3. A Project/Organization Budget Sheet: You will need to submit a budget that, to the best of your ability, explains the financial breakdown of your project/organization.

For temporary projects, please provide estimates based on the timeframe of the project.
For ongoing, or multi-year projects, please provide annual estimates.
Helpful hint: A budget is simply a plan for acquiring and spending funds to achieve specific goals by a certain time. Think of your budget as a tool you can use to identify the financial transactions needed to accomplish your project or organization's goals. Do your best to have the information accurate.

Fiscal sponsorship lasts for one year and can be renewed on a case-by-case basis. Decisions are typically made within one month.

If you have any questions, you can reach out to Winter Marshall (she/her) at winter@newhavenarts.org.

We use Submittable to accept and review our submissions.

Apply