WHAT WE DO

Panorama is uniquely qualified as a fiscal sponsor due to the defining features of our approach to change—a systems-thinking mindset, a deep belief in partnership and collaborations, and a solutions-oriented optimism that anything is possible if we work together.

Everything we do offers a scalable solution, and we go above and beyond to co-develop solutions with our partners that ensure each project has a tailored, effective, and accelerated path to impact. Each of our fiscally sponsored projects has a dedicated relationship manager – a single point of contact who is committed to responding to projects’ needs, serving as a social impact thought partner, and helping tap into Panorama’s extensive network of partners, tools, and resources.

Panorama strives to co-develop solutions to maximize social impact, and this goal is reflected in our fee structure. Our fiscal sponsorship fees are tailored to the types and level of administrative support required by an individual project. Although our fees are tailored to each project’s unique requirements, we find that an average fee for Model C Pre-approved Grant relationships is approximately 5% of revenue, while the fee for a conventional Model A Comprehensive fiscal sponsorship ranges around 10%.

While we do not have a start-up or termination fee, we typically charge a one-time transfer fee for incoming projects transferring from another fiscal sponsor. As with our overall fee, the transfer fee is tailored to the level of administrative effort required for a specific transfer.

Absolutely! Panorama has extensive experience supporting projects that work internationally. This includes employment, contracting, and grantmaking!  

Panorama has experience in hiring staff based outside of the US on behalf of our fiscally sponsored projects through local payroll providers or Professional Employer Organization (PEO) /Employers of Record (EOR) agencies.  

We work with independent contractors, vendors, and consultants in many countries, both on a short- and long-term basis.

Our grantmaking principles are rooted in trust-based philanthropy in support of adaptive, long-term, transformative work. We have experience awarding flexible grants, both domestically and internationally, and can adapt standard due diligence review processes and documentation requests to minimize applicant burdens for smaller grant awards. We have successfully issued grants to for-profit entities, international NGOs, and unregistered organizations both in the US and abroad that have a formal fiscal sponsorship arrangement in place.

Panorama has more than 125+ funding partners and receives donations from foundations, corporations, donor advised funds, and high-net worth individuals on behalf of our fiscally sponsored projects. We are also prepared to meet compliance requirements to receive and maintain government funding.

In addition, Panorama offers crowdfunding donation collection and management support as a standard service to all our sponsored projects through the online donation platform Give Lively.

Panorama partners with sponsored projects to review, approve, and submit funding proposals but Panorama does not develop fundraising strategies or materials or independently fundraise on behalf of our fiscally sponsored projects. However, we are happy to provide resources and share referrals for external fundraising support.

We are happy to begin a conversation about fiscal sponsorship before you have committed funding. However, we typically will not finalize a fiscal sponsorship arrangement until you have confirmed funding or have a robust fundraising plan in place. For most institutional donors, it will suffice as you are fundraising to let them know that you are planning to obtain fiscal sponsorship.

Panorama’s main requirement for fiscal sponsorship is alignment with our mission to maximize social impact. Rather than focusing on specific issue areas, we embrace a wide range of social issues, recognizing there are common connections, patterns, intersections, and cross-cutting solutions among them. To help determine if your project is a good match for fiscal sponsorship at Panorama, we conduct a due diligence and compliance review to learn more about your project’s mission, goals, planned activities, and types of fiscal sponsorship services needed.

Unlike many other fiscal sponsors, we do not have a minimum budget or annual fundraising requirements. We have experience supporting projects of any size and welcome the opportunity to provide you with the tools, expertise, and infrastructure to scale your social impact project from budding initiative to scaled-up implementation.

While we do not require that our fiscally sponsored projects have an Advisory Committee, we encourage our sponsored projects to maintain one to offer strategic advice and direction. For Model C projects, we require that you carry general liability insurance; depending on your planned activities, we may also require additional coverage or insurance.

Even if Panorama isn’t the right fit for you, we are committed to helping you find the best fiscal sponsor to help you achieve your mission.

Comprehensive fiscal sponsorship, also known as Model A, is ideally suited for social entrepreneurs launching a new project or initiative; for incubating projects, networks, and coalitions; and for social impact organizations aiming to stay lean and leverage the administrative functions of a fiscal sponsor. In this model, the fiscally sponsored project becomes a program of the fiscal sponsor, which takes on full responsibility for the project’s assets and liabilities and handles the back-office administration on behalf of the project.

In the Pre-approved Grant Relationship model of fiscal sponsorship, also known as Model C, the fiscal sponsor serves as a steward of funds, accepting and regranting charitable funds to the fiscally sponsored project for charitable activities aligned with the sponsor’s mission. Since Model C requires that the project must have an independent legal entity separate from the fiscal sponsor, this approach is best suited for existing organizations without federal nonprofit status that are seeking to legally receive charitable funding, such as registered nonprofit organizations awaiting their 501(c)(3) status from the IRS, corporations, 501(c)(4) organizations, PACs, or other entities looking to fundraise for their charitable activities.

If you schedule an introductory call with Panorama, we can discuss both options and help you determine which model is the right fit for your project.

Fiscal sponsorship is a powerful tool to bring groundbreaking social impact initiatives to life.

• As defined by the IRS, a fiscal sponsor is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that extends its legal and tax-exempt status to a person or group engaged in charitable activities related to the fiscal sponsor’s mission.
• Fiscally sponsored projects can immediately gain access to charitable funding. Fiscal sponsorship can be used either as an interim solution for projects that are being incubated or waiting for their own 501(c)(3) status or as a long-term arrangement that allows projects to bypass the complex and bureaucratic process of applying for and maintaining their own 501(c)(3) status.
• A fiscal sponsor also powers the operational capacity of sponsored projects by providing the administrative, financial, and HR services and other back-office infrastructure needed for the fiscally sponsored project to succeed. By leveraging the administrative and financial capabilities of a fiscal sponsor, social entrepreneurs and initiatives can focus on more effectively adapting and scaling their projects for widespread impact.

As a fiscal sponsor, Panorama is committed to bringing value through efficiency so that you can achieve your programmatic goals. For more information about the benefits of fiscal sponsorship, read this blog.

We are happy to talk with you about your project’s mission, goals, and planned activities to understand if fiscal sponsorship at Panorama is right for you. Please get in touch through our contact form here.