Fiscal Sponsorship
We fiscally sponsor independent sapphic media makers — giving your project a nonprofit home so you can apply for grants, accept tax-deductible donations, and focus on the work.
The RelationshipFiscal sponsorship means we act as your project’s nonprofit umbrella. Your work stays creatively independent — you keep full editorial control — while we hold fundraising, grant eligibility, and financial oversight on your behalf.
BenefitsTax-deductible donations for your supporters, eligibility for our grants and other foundation funding, back-office support (bookkeeping, contracts, insurance), and a nonprofit community built around sapphic media literacy.
Application ProcessSubmit a short application below with your project details and budget outline. Our board meets quarterly, on the last business day of March, June, September, and December, and reviews fiscal sponsorship applications on the same cycle as our grants — applications are due four weeks before each meeting (see Upcoming Deadlines below). Applicants are notified within two weeks of the meeting. If approved, we’ll send a simple fiscal sponsorship agreement to sign, and you’re ready to start fundraising under our nonprofit status.
UPCOMING DEADLINES
September 2, 2026 - for the September 30, 2026 Board meeting
December 3, 2026 - for the December 31, 2026 Board meeting
March 3, 2027 - for the March 31, 2027 Board meeting
June 2, 2027 - for the June 30, 2027 Board meeting
Financial ArrangementYour project raises funds under our 501©(3) status, and we retain a 10% administrative fee to cover grant management, bookkeeping, and compliance. The remaining 90% goes directly to your project. Sponsored projects are also eligible to apply for and receive funding through our Media Creation Grants Program.
Fiscal Sponsorship FAQ-
The fee covers grant management, bookkeeping, financial reporting, compliance, and other back-office support — so you can focus on your project instead of nonprofit admin.
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There’s no fixed end date. Sponsorship continues as long as it’s mutually beneficial — many projects stay with SMLP for years, while others transition to independent 501(c)(3) status once they’re ready.
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Yes. Fiscal sponsorship and grant funding are separate — being sponsored by us doesn’t disqualify you from applying to our Grants Program, and many sponsored projects do both.
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SMLP handles the nonprofit-level filings and financial reporting tied to your funds. You’ll need to send us regular expense documentation and a brief project update each cycle, but you won’t file your own separate tax return for sponsored funds.
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Either party can end the relationship with written notice, typically 30–60 days. Any remaining restricted funds transfer to your project’s next fiscal home, or are used to wind down the project’s activities with us in an orderly way.
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No. You remain an independent creator or company — we do not take an ownership stake in your work.
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Applications are evaluated on the strength and feasibility of the proposal as submitted. A completed script or manuscript isn’t required, but describe the project, budget, and timeline in enough detail for review.
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Applications are reviewed on a quarterly cycle. The deadline for each cycle is the last business day that occurs four (4) weeks before the next scheduled quarterly Board meeting (held on the last business day of each fiscal quarter); if that computed date falls on a weekend, the deadline moves to the preceding business day. Disinterested-director review and approval decisions are made at that quarterly meeting.
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Yes, subject to SMLP’s standard donation and disclosure procedures. Any relationship between a donor and the Sponsee’s principals should be disclosed as part of ordinary gift acceptance practice.
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Significant changes in scope, budget, or purpose require our written approval before sponsored funds may be used for the revised project.
Our Sponsees & their projects
Sapphic Studios, LLC
Sponsored ProjectOur founding sponsored project, Sapphic Studios, LLC produces narrative and documentary film centering sapphic stories. We’ve fiscally sponsored their work since our founding, supporting their fundraising and grant eligibility as they’ve grown their slate.