What We Offer
Fiscal sponsorship as a service
You shouldn't have to incorporate a legal entity, start a new bank account, and set up bookkeeping just to collect and spend money for a project—and with Open Collective Foundation you don't have to.
We are a 501(c)(3) organization specializing in technology-driven, Comprehensive (Model A) fiscal hosting (what’s that?) for collaborative initiatives, groups, and communities. We can be your legal entity and provide you with the financial tools you need to make an impact on the world! No bank account required.
Open Collective Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization, meaning our hosted Collectives are charitable projects that can receive tax-deductible donations.
This arrangement is perfect for charitable projects that want to move fast and reduce setup costs, especially since incorporating an entity and getting 501(c)(3) status can take over a year, requires a lot of admin to run, and likely requires hiring an accountant and a lawyer.
Further, hosted Collectives have access to one of the biggest benefits of 501(c)(3) status: being able to apply for special grants from foundations. Most major foundations, along with many companies, will only contribute to 501(c)(3) organizations and their sponsored Collectives. Make sure you take this into account when considering the best fit for your project or community!
Open Collective Foundation will take care of your Collective's tax filings and compliance requirements.
Open Collective Foundation issues 1099s to contracted workers when required, provides donors with receipts for their tax-deductible contributions, and files an annual Form 990 to the IRS on behalf of all of our hosted Collectives.
In addition to being your legal and financial home, OCF offers many useful services to its community, and works to connect our Collectives together in solidarity.
- Monthly Community Forums: ask questions, give feedback, and support and learn from other Collectives like yours. Connect with our growing network of hosted Collectives.
- Solidarity School: An ongoing skill and capacity building experiment within Open Collective Foundation to anticipate the learning and structural needs that will help our collectives do more impactful and sustainable work.
- Grant application support: you choose the grants to apply to and tell your story, we take care of all the compliance paperwork and meet funder requirements for documentation, audited financials, and track record
- Liability insurance: get simple, cost-effective coverage for your group by adding an addendum to our core policies
- Free email boxes: we can add your domain to our Google for Nonprofits account and give you free email boxes
- Grantmaking: make grants to your community - you choose the grantees, we take care of the paperwork
- Cash assistance: give money to people who are unbanked and/or lack internet access, who can't provide the normally required paperwork
- Virtual cards: [currently limited usability] like a debit card linked to your balance on Open Collective that you can use online
To learn more about the application process:
Last modified 5mo ago