What is a fiscal host?
A fiscal host is an organization that welcomes others to operate through their structure, so projects can use the host’s legal entity and bank account instead of setting up their own. The host provides administrative services, oversight, and support.
*Fiscal hosting is also called fiscal sponsorship, fund-holding, or auspicing in different places around the world.
What are the benefits?
Organizing takes work. Fiscal hosts are here to help.
Tax-exempt or charity status
Some fiscal hosts are registered charities or nonprofits, who are able to provide tax benefits to donors and qualify for philanthropic grants. Signing up with a fiscal host who already has this status in your country gives you immediate access.
Focus on your mission
Fiscal hosts take care of a lot of the tedious and painful administrative tasks involved in running an organization. The host becomes your legal entity, handling taxes, invoicing, and accounting—so you can spend your time engaging supporters, building your community, and achieving your main mission.
Money management
Using your personal bank account can complicate your taxes, and it locks out other team members. A fiscal host holds money on your behalf in its bank account, tracking everything transparently on Open Collective. Everyone can have access to see the budget and to tools for fundraising and requesting payouts.
How can a fiscal host help?
Accept and spend funds immediately
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional fiscal sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a fiscal host is super streamlined.
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional fiscal sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a fiscal host is super streamlined.
Designed for ongoing sustainability
If your project doesn’t have an expiration date, neither should your funding. A standard crowdfunding campaign is over once it’s over. A single grant is spent once it’s spent. But fiscal hosting helps you combine different income streams and form ongoing relationships with funders.
If your project doesn’t have an expiration date, neither should your funding. A standard crowdfunding campaign is over once it’s over. A single grant is spent once it’s spent. But fiscal hosting helps you combine different income streams and form ongoing relationships with funders.
Networking & solidarity
A fiscal host is by definition a community of projects with something in common. They can provide services to their community as a whole, and enable connections between projects. Whether it’s about joining budgets or joining voices, join a host that’s more than the sum of its parts.
A fiscal host is by definition a community of projects with something in common. They can provide services to their community as a whole, and enable connections between projects. Whether it’s about joining budgets or joining voices, join a host that’s more than the sum of its parts.
Automatic reporting & transparency
No need to spend hours creating reports for funders. The Open Collective platform has automated quantitative reporting built in. Just sent the funder a link to your page! There are great tools for qualitative reporting too, like posting blogs and newsletters, which also serve to keep your wider community engaged and up to date.
No need to spend hours creating reports for funders. The Open Collective platform has automated quantitative reporting built in. Just sent the funder a link to your page! There are great tools for qualitative reporting too, like posting blogs and newsletters, which also serve to keep your wider community engaged and up to date.
Organize your finances, all in one place
No more messy spreadsheets! Income from credit card transactions, bank transfers, PayPal, even ticket sales, grants, and sponsorships are all tracked automatically in one transparent budget. With a robust yet user-friendly system for submitting and approving expenses, tracking outgoing funds is a breeze, too.
No more messy spreadsheets! Income from credit card transactions, bank transfers, PayPal, even ticket sales, grants, and sponsorships are all tracked automatically in one transparent budget. With a robust yet user-friendly system for submitting and approving expenses, tracking outgoing funds is a breeze, too.
Accept and spend funds immediately
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional fiscal sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a fiscal host is super streamlined.
You can often get approved very quickly, even instantly, ready to receive and disburse funds and get operational. Compared with traditional fiscal sponsorship or setting up your own entity, activating with a fiscal host is super streamlined.
Who is fiscal hosting for?
There are multiple cases where fiscal hosting can be valuable for a project.
Emergent community responses
To current events, like a pandemic, who need to get operational immediately.
Grant recipients or applicants
Who need a place to receive the funds and hold them as they are spent down.
Time-limited projects
Where it doesn't make sense to set up a whole new organization only to wind it up six months later.
An unincorporated group
Like a meetup, needing to fundraise, collect membership dues, or sign a contract with a venue or sponsor.
A crowdfunding campaign
Seeking a place to hold the money and a way to offer accountability to their backers.
Young activists and change-makers
Who may lack the experience to manage their own legal entity.
A newly-forming charity
Who wants to enable tax-deductible donations and philanthropic grants, without waiting to get charity status themselves.
A distributed collaboration
Like an open source software project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Funder coalitions
Like an open source software project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Companies giving back
Can work with a nonprofit fiscal host to separate funds from the commercial side and coordinate grants and sponsorships.
Companies giving back
Who may be restricted to funding registered charities, seeking to partner with a fiscal host in order reach less formal communities.
Emergent community responses
To current events, like a pandemic, who need to get operational immediately.
Grant recipients or applicants
Who need a place to receive the funds and hold them as they are spent down.
Time-limited projects
Where it doesn't make sense to set up a whole new organization only to wind it up six months later.
An unincorporated group
Like a meetup, needing to fundraise, collect membership dues, or sign a contract with a venue or sponsor.
A crowdfunding campaign
Seeking a place to hold the money and a way to offer accountability to their backers.
Young activists and change-makers
Who may lack the experience to manage their own legal entity.
A newly-forming charity
Who wants to enable tax-deductible donations and philanthropic grants, without waiting to get charity status themselves.
A distributed collaboration
Like an open source software project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Funder coalitions
Like an open source software project, which isn’t owned by anyone and wants resources held in common.
Companies giving back
Can work with a nonprofit fiscal host to separate funds from the commercial side and coordinate grants and sponsorships.
Companies giving back
Who may be restricted to funding registered charities, seeking to partner with a fiscal host in order reach less formal communities.
Apply to one of our Fiscal Hosts
Organizations around the world are using Open Collective to host multiple projects, groups and communities Find out more about them!
🇺🇸 United States
Open Collective Foundation
A US 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity with a broad mission covering most charitable activities in the United States.
🇺🇸 United States
Open Source Collective
A US 501(c)(6) nonprofit entity serving as fiscal host to open source projects and related communities around the world.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Social Change Nest
A UK host for mutual aid groups and social movements, providing tools, strategy, and back office support to scale up and get on with changing the world.
🇪🇺 Europe
All for climate
Dedicated to movements for climate and social justice, host to many local Extinction Rebellion chapters and related communities.
🇪🇺 Europe
Open Collective Europe
A Brussels-based nonprofit hosting groups across Europe, including open source projects and community social action.
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Open Collective NZ
Offering kiwi impact projects fundholding options through a charity or a company structure.
🇺🇸 United States
Open Collective Foundation
A US 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity with a broad mission covering most charitable activities in the United States.
🇺🇸 United States
Open Source Collective
A US 501(c)(6) nonprofit entity serving as fiscal host to open source projects and related communities around the world.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Social Change Nest
A UK host for mutual aid groups and social movements, providing tools, strategy, and back office support to scale up and get on with changing the world.
🇪🇺 Europe
All for climate
Dedicated to movements for climate and social justice, host to many local Extinction Rebellion chapters and related communities.
🇪🇺 Europe
Open Collective Europe
A Brussels-based nonprofit hosting groups across Europe, including open source projects and community social action.
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Open Collective NZ
Offering kiwi impact projects fundholding options through a charity or a company structure.
🇺🇸 United States
Open Collective Foundation
A US 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity with a broad mission covering most charitable activities in the United States.
🇺🇸 United States
Open Source Collective
A US 501(c)(6) nonprofit entity serving as fiscal host to open source projects and related communities around the world.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Social Change Nest
A UK host for mutual aid groups and social movements, providing tools, strategy, and back office support to scale up and get on with changing the world.
🇪🇺 Europe
All for climate
Dedicated to movements for climate and social justice, host to many local Extinction Rebellion chapters and related communities.
🇪🇺 Europe
Open Collective Europe
A Brussels-based nonprofit hosting groups across Europe, including open source projects and community social action.
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Open Collective NZ
Offering kiwi impact projects fundholding options through a charity or a company structure.
Finding the right fiscal host for you
Some key things to consider when looking for the right fit
Mission alignment
Fiscal hosts usually have specific topics or areas they are designed to serve. When it comes to the application process, their acceptance criteria will fit in that scope.
Location
Which country a fiscal host is based in will determine the currency you your money will be accounted in, and where you are located in a legal sense, e.g. if you are applying for an EU grant, you might need a fiscal host based in the EU.
Legal structure
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Services offered
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Fees
Fiscal hosts often charge a fee for the service they provide. Some hosts keep fees low and offer a lightweight service, while others have higher fees and provide more support. Some fiscal hosts don’t charge fees at all.
Operations
There are a few different models of fiscal sponsorship (depending on country as well). Check to see that you are using the one that is best for your project. Also look into the sponsor’s company culture & history of expertise in the field to ensure your fiscal sponsorship relationship aligns with your needs.
Mission alignment
Fiscal hosts usually have specific topics or areas they are designed to serve. When it comes to the application process, their acceptance criteria will fit in that scope.
Location
Which country a fiscal host is based in will determine the currency you your money will be accounted in, and where you are located in a legal sense, e.g. if you are applying for an EU grant, you might need a fiscal host based in the EU.
Legal structure
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Services offered
Do you want your host to be a charity, a company, a cooperative, or something else? E.g. a charity structure can enable tax-deductible donations, but may also have more restrictions on allowed activities.
Fees
Fiscal hosts often charge a fee for the service they provide. Some hosts keep fees low and offer a lightweight service, while others have higher fees and provide more support. Some fiscal hosts don’t charge fees at all.
Operations
There are a few different models of fiscal sponsorship (depending on country as well). Check to see that you are using the one that is best for your project. Also look into the sponsor’s company culture & history of expertise in the field to ensure your fiscal sponsorship relationship aligns with your needs.
Join the movement
Be part of the new generation of communities.