Frequently Asked Questions

Tides provides grantmaking and other support to social change leaders to help build a world of shared prosperity and social justice.

One way we do that is by utilizing a Collective Action Fund or CAF. A CAF is a fund established to receive charitable contributions and make grants in support of Tides Foundation’s charitable purpose.

 

How does a Tides-sponsored CAF work?

• First, an independent advisory committee — also known as an IAC — is established, made up of people who have interest and expertise in the issue areas of that particular CAF.
• The committee reviews grant requests, then makes recommendations to Tides that align with the CAF’s charitable purpose and goals.
• Tides reviews the recommendations for legal compliance and support of Tides’ mission and values and then makes a final decision on the grant request. 

CAFs can accept charitable contributions from a variety of sources, including individuals, donor advised funds, private foundations and corporations.

 

Do grants from the CAF support political candidates or campaigns?

No. Tides Foundation is tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and CAFs are prohibited from funding partisan political activity. 

 

Can Tides overrule the recommendation of the Independent Advisory Committee?

CAFs benefit from the input of the independent advisory committee. The intent is to follow its recommendations. However, Tides may reject recommendations that are deemed unlawful, inconsistent with the CAF’s purpose, or that don’t support Tides’ charitable mission.

Tides does not provide funding or assist with fundraising for social ventures that have opened a fund at Tides. Fundraising funds are intended to provide the infrastructure for supporting the charitable activity of social ventures and are a valuable resource for accessing philanthropic capital.

Related FAQs

• What is the process to open a fund at Tides?
• Can I open a fund to start fundraising?
• How long does it take to set up a fund?
• What are the eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides?

Fiscal sponsorship is a practice that has evolved as an effective and efficient means of starting new charitable initiatives, delivering public services, and seeding social movements. In a typical fiscal sponsorship relationship, a nonprofit organization confers its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to groups that are engaged in activities that serve the host’s mission, typically for a fee. Donations to the projects are directed to the fiscal sponsor and are restricted by the fiscal sponsor to support activities of the project, and fiscal sponsor organizations are responsible for assuring the activities of project fulfill their charitable purpose.

Fiscal sponsor organizations like Tides provide a legal framework for their fiscally sponsored projects, enable the movement of resources from funders and donors to projects, activities, ideas, and organizations that share the fiscal sponsor’s mission, and enable organizations to grow and scale while focusing on their mission.

Fiscal sponsorship can offer a valuable alternative to starting a nonprofit. Organizations fiscally sponsored by Tides Center are able to access our resources and efficiency, our decades of experience, our network of funders and changemakers, and comprehensive services, including human resources, grants management, finance and accounting, legal and compliance, and more. Tides is the leading fiscal sponsor for social change initiatives in the United States. We have a long history of providing high quality services and support to the nonprofit community and have sponsored over 1,400 projects throughout our history. Tides Center is committed to the missions of its fiscally sponsored projects, and all Tides Center projects share a vision of shared prosperity and social justice.

Tides is comprised of five separate legal entities – Tides Network, Tides Center, Tides Foundation, Tides Two Rivers Fund and Tides Inc. Tides Network is the parent organization employing the majority of Tides staff and providing service to our various partners. Tides Two Rivers Fund and Tides Inc. operate our two Tides Converge centers in San Francisco and New York.

Tides Foundation serves as a grantmaking organization primarily through the management of close to 400 donor advised funds. Unlike other foundations, Tides Foundation does not have an endowment, and all grants are made on the recommendation of donor clients. The Foundation does not take unsolicited grant requests. Tides Center primarily offers fiscal sponsorship and nonprofit acceleration services. No preference is given to Tides Center projects by the Tides Foundation.

Related FAQs

• What is fiscal sponsorship?
• What is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization?
• What are the different Tides entities and affiliates?

Tides Network

The mission of Tides Network is to accelerate the pace of social change, working with innovative partners to solve today’s toughest problems. It sits at the nexus of funders, changemakers, and policy, with an unparalleled view across the social change ecosystem that allows it to take smart risks and drive impact at scale, promoting a world of shared prosperity and social justice.

Operationally, the Network oversees Tides Foundation; The Tides Center; Tides, Inc.; and Tides Two Rivers Fund. Tides Network supports those organizations through executive leadership, staffing resources, financial management, legal and risk compliance, communications, and administrative services.

In 2017, Tides Network’s revenue totaled $471 million. The Network has over $390 million in assets under management and a commitment to a 100% Impact Investment Portfolio.

By crossing boundaries to bring together unlikely partners, the Network ensures that the outcomes of our work is greater than the sum of its parts, operating with a belief that together, we fuel real and lasting change.

Tides Foundation

Tides Foundation works to solve society’s toughest problems in areas such as equality and human rights, sustainable environment, and health and education, pushing boundaries with every dollar and idea to fuel real and lasting change.

Tides Foundation’s main activity is grantmaking. The Foundation also invests funds in social impact opportunities to support charitable activities in line with Tides’ mission. Tides Foundation’s charitable funding is received through grants and donations from a wide variety of sources, including individuals, foundations, and corporations.

In 2017, the Foundation received over 2,000 contributions from 800+ donors, and made $366 million in grants to social change organizations around the world. These contributions were managed across more than 370 Donor Advised and other philanthropic funds with over $300 million in client funds under management for grantmaking and impact investments.

The Tides Center

The Tides Center supports social change leaders and ventures, connecting diverse people, organizations, and communities to create unlikely collaborations and find answers in unexpected places.

This support includes comprehensive fiscal sponsorship and essential infrastructure, management and consulting services including financial, legal, insurance, governance, and human resources for social ventures that promote a world of shared prosperity and social justice. The ventures then have the freedom to focus on their mission, and hit the ground running, driving change faster than they can on their own.

Over the past several decades, the Center has provided these services to more than 1,400 projects. In 2017, Tides Center managed essential support services for 170 social ventures, employing 760 staff, and collectively managing program budgets totaling almost $153 million.

Tides Converge: Tides Inc. and Tides Two Rivers Fund

Tides Converge is a community workspace that fosters a community of social ventures that connect diverse people and organizations, linking sectors and crossing boundaries to promote a world of shared prosperity and social justice. Tides, Inc. and Tides Two Rivers Fund hold and manage Tides Converge collaborative work and event spaces in San Francisco and New York City, respectively.

In 2017, Tides Real Estate housed 450 people across 75 organizations in San Francisco and 10 in New York City, generating $5.5 million in revenue from 200,000ft2 of office space.

Tides Advocacy

Tides Advocacy is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization that is an affiliate of Tides. Tides Advocacy is a team of political, financial, operational, and legal experts deeply committed to advancing social justice. Tides Advocacy supports its grantmaking funds and social ventures navigate the complexities of advocacy, solve financial issues, and answer compliance questions; the team makes connections, bridges gaps, and finds unconventional solutions to build political power and change systems and policies so they work for everyone. Tides Advocacy currently provides infrastructure to 80 grantmaking funds and social ventures, generating $30 million in revenue in 2017.

Related FAQs

• What is the relationship between Tides, Tides Center, and Tides Foundation?

Opening a fund at Tides generally takes 2-3 weeks.

Related FAQs

• What is the process to open a fund at Tides?
• Can I open a fund to start fundraising?
• Does Tides provide funding or assist with fundraising?
• What are the eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides?

Tides offers a wide range of fund options to meet philanthropic objectives across the globe. Fees can range from 1% on standard donor advised funds to 5% for funds supporting a single international organization. Tides staff can review your proposed fund activity and give a clear assessment of potential fees.

Related FAQs

• Can I open a fund to start fundraising?
• How long does it take to set up a fund?
• What is the process to open a fund at Tides?
• What are the eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides?

No. Funds at Tides must be opened with a minimum of $100,000 of committed funding for US-based activity or $50,000 for funds supporting a single international organization.

Related FAQs

• Does Tides provide funding or assist with fundraising?
• What are the fees for funds at Tides?
• How long does it take to set up a fund?
• What is the process to open a fund at Tides?
• What are the eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides?

The first step in opening a fund at Tides is determining mission alignment. If The Tides Approach aligns with your vision, reach out to us via the Partner With Us form, and Tides staff will contact you for an initial assessment.

Once ready to open a fund, you’ll receive a short online application to collect necessary information for opening a fund and for final assessment of fit with Tides.

Related FAQs

• How long does it take to set up a fund?
• What are the eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides?

There are two major eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides: mission alignment and confirmed funding.

Mission alignment

All funds and their grantmaking purposes must be aligned with Tides Vision, Mission and Approach.

Confirmed funding

You must have a minimum of $100,000 of committed funding for US-based activity or $50,000 for funds supporting a single international organization.

Related FAQs

• What are the fees for funds at Tides?
• What are the eligibility requirements for fiscal sponsorship at Tides?
• How long does it take to set up a fund?

By accepting payment of the grant, you agreed that any portion of the grant not used for the stated purpose be repaid to Tides by your organization. You may request a reallocation of funds for a different purpose. Any change of purpose must be requested and approved in advance, in writing (email is acceptable).  Reallocations or changes to a grant’s purpose may be considered but are not guaranteed to be approved.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?
• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• We received an unrestricted, general operating support grant from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report, and we are based in the United States. What should be reported?
• We received a grant restricted to a specific project from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report. What are the reporting requirements?

To submit all reports, please visit www.tidesgrantreports.org and follow the instructions on the website. If you do not have internet access, please mail one copy of your report, Attn: Grants Administration, to Tides Foundation’s National office in San Francisco at P.O. Box 29903, San Francisco, CA 94129, USA. Please refer to your award letter for any additional reporting instructions, and please do not send additional materials unless requested.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant for a specific purpose. We are not able to use all of the funds for this purpose. Do we need to return the funds or can we request that the grant be reallocated?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• We received a payment but not an award letter.
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?

Briefly describe the use of the funds and activities undertaken as a result of the grant by addressing the impact and assessment, challenges encountered, evaluation and lessons learned and a general organizational budget.

Most annual reports are sufficient if submitted with a cover letter.

Related FAQs

• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• We received a grant restricted to a specific project from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report. What are the reporting requirements?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?

Organizations outside the U.S.: If your organization received a grant award letter from Tides but, did not receive a Mandatory Report Form, email [email protected] to request a reporting template. If your organization is not registered with the United States IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity, your organization likely has received an Expenditure Responsibility grant. If that is the case, your organization must use Tides Foundation’s Mandatory Report Form to detail funds received or spent during a fiscal year period. This is your organization’s accounting period which often follows the calendar year. The form asks for confirmation of basic grant information, a statement of compliance with the grant award letter, and fiscal information. If you do not spend all of the funds granted during the first fiscal year, your organization is required to complete an additional mandatory report form for every fiscal year until all of the funds are spent. Your organization has three months after your fiscal year end date to complete the form and return it to Tides Foundation. If your organization has spent all the funds, you must provide a financial statement detailing your use of the Expenditure Responsibility grant monies only. A narrative report must also accompany the final expense report. Please note: Tides will not issue any new grants or disbursements to organizations with outstanding overdue mandatory reports until the report is received. You may additionally be required to submit narrative progress or final reports which may be 2 – 3 pages detailing the activities undertaken as a result of your grant.

U.S.-based organizations: If your organization is a 501(c)(3), reporting requirements are outlined in your award letter. Unless otherwise noted, for both progress and final reports, the narrative portion should be up to two pages and describe the use of the funds and activities undertaken as a result of the grant by addressing the following: – Impact and Assessment – Challenges – Evaluation and Lessons Learned – Funding and Finances. We also require financial information for the purpose of the grant. Please do not send additional materials unless requested.

Related FAQs

• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?

As consistent with regulations guiding donor advised funds, our donors have agreed not to receive goods or services in exchange for donations that they recommend for funding. They are not eligible to receive memberships, event tickets or tables, special notification for discounts on event tickets or tables, or any gifts that are more than an incidental benefit.

If you received an Expenditure Responsibility grant, there is a time period in which the funds must be spent. The grant period is listed on your grant award letter and will either be 12 or 24 months, unless otherwise specified.  For all other grant types, the grant period is one year (12 months), unless otherwise specified.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant for a specific purpose. We are not able to use all of the funds for this purpose. Do we need to return the funds or can we request that the grant be reallocated?
• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• We received a grant restricted to a specific project from Tides that requires a progress and/or final report. What are the reporting requirements?
• We received a grant award letter but have not received our check or wire. How do we receive payment?

If you have received a grant award letter, the payment method will be indicated in the first paragraph. Wires can take up to five to seven business days to post to your account.  Checks are mailed separately from the award letters.  If your organization uses a fiscal sponsor, the payment will be sent to your fiscal sponsor and you have received a hard copy of the award letter. We recommend that you first check with your finance department and/or your local bank (if the funds were wired) to locate the payment. Please contact our national office in San Francisco and request to be connected to someone in the Grants Department if there appears to be an error.

Related FAQs

• To whom should we submit grant reports?
• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• We received a payment but not an award letter.
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?

Tides sends wire payments and grant award letters on the same date. Because Tides sends most grant award letters via regular mail, there may be a delay depending upon where your organization is located. If you received payment by check or wire, the award letter will arrive separately by mail or email. We are happy to troubleshoot any issues but ask that you first check with your finance department to ensure the check was not separated from the accompanying correspondence.

If you have not received an award letter within a week of receiving a grant payment, please contact our national office in San Francisco and request to be connected to someone in the Grants Department.

Related FAQs

• Our grant award letter does not mention a grant period. How long is it?
• We received a grant award letter but have not received our check or wire. How do we receive payment?
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?

The second page of the award letter specifies the credit that should be used publicly. If you would like to send a thank you note or otherwise recognize this grant, please forward materials to Tides’ national office in San Francisco, either to the attention of the fund listed or referencing your grant award ID. These materials are forwarded to the donor at their request.

Related FAQs

• We issue benefits to our donors that may be based on their level of giving. Who should receive these benefits?
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?

If the grant award letter does not specify a fund or individual’s name, then that grantmaking partner has asked us to use an anonymous credit. Donors sometimes come to Tides because they wish to remain anonymous and we honor that request.

Related FAQs

• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?

While we would love to meet you and hear about your work, we are simply unable to honor such requests due to staff time and resource constraints.

Related FAQs

• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?

It is at the discretion of our fund advisors whether or not to contact grantee organizations. We do not share contact information with grantees unless requested to do so by the fund advisor.

Related FAQs

• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• We received a grant from Tides in the past. Can we renew our funding?

Because Tides primarily holds donor advised funds, renewed funding is based on the recommendation of our fund advisors. Unless specifically requested, please do not send renewal solicitations, newsletters, or other correspondence that you might typically share with an individual donor. The only follow-up information that we need is a grant report, if the report was a required part of your grant.

Related FAQs

• Can we find out the name of the individual donor to credit them in our materials or send them a thank you letter and other mailings?
• What does it mean if our grant award letter states that our grant was on the recommendation of an anonymous donor advised fund?
• Can we meet with Tides staff to talk about our work?
• We received a grant from a fund at Tides in the past and would like to cultivate a relationship with the fund advisor. Can we do this?

For donor-advised funds, the donor or donor advisor must play a role in recommending grants. Single entity funds and global support funds are for a single pre-selected grantee. For a collective action fund, the donor or donor advisor may play a role in recommending grants as part of an advisory board. 

Donor(s) and/or advisor(s) may recommend grants for any donor advised fund. Donor(s) and/or manager(s) may recommend grants for single entity funds, global support funds, or collective action funds.

For all donor-advised funds, annual reporting is required for expenditure responsibility (ER) grants only. For single entity funds and global support funds, annual financial and narrative reports are required and due on March 31st. Collective action funds do not require reporting.

Donor advised funds must give to more than one group or entity. Single entity and global support funds must only give to one group or entity. Collective action funds may give to one or more groups or entities.

All funds may be named for an individual except for a collective action fund, which cannot highlight one donor or entity.

No fund may grant to individuals.

For donor advised funds, the donor/advisor/manager cannot receive compensation or reimbursement. For single-entity funds and global support funds, the donor/advisor/manager can receive compensation or reimbursement through granted funds, with some exceptions. Collective Action Funds, donor/advisor/manager can receive compensation or reimbursement.

A well-run nonprofit can expect to spend between 20-30% of annual revenue on administrative and overhead expenses. For the comprehensive suite of back-office services, legal framework, and capacity-building support that Tides Center provides, typical fiscally sponsored projects pay only 9% of their annual revenue. Being fiscally sponsored is extremely cost effective and saving money is critical for organizations that are just emerging, testing new approaches to difficult social problems, run entirely by volunteers, or working in issue areas where funding is scarce. Fiscal sponsorship is an efficient, economic way to reduce the cost of running an organization and still maintain the integrity of the organization’s purpose.

The term 501(c) refers to a subsection of the United States Internal Revenue Code that lists the types of nonprofit organizations exempt from certain federal taxes. Section 501(c)(3) is one of the tax law provisions granting exemption from the federal income tax to nonprofit organizations that exist for religious, charitable, scientific, literary, or educational purposes, among others. See the IRS’s website for more information on the designation of charitable organizations. Tides Center, the organization providing fiscal sponsorship in the Tides family of organizations, has been a designated 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization since our incorporation in 1996.

There are three major eligibility requirements to become a fiscally sponsored project at Tides: mission alignment, confirmed funding and budget, and legal fit.

Mission alignment

All projects fiscally sponsored by Tides must be aligned with Tides Vision, Mission and Approach.

Confirmed funding and budget

To start your project at Tides, you must have an expected annual budget of at least $250,000 with confirmed support and formal grant commitments for 100% of your budget for the first year at Tides. You also need at least one full time employee who will be employed through Tides. Your organization will typically be charged a 9% fee on all revenues to support the services that help you scale your impact. Other fees might apply depending on the source of the grant support or other non-standard services.

Your project should plan to be with Tides for at least two years.

Legal fit

Tides Center’s Board of Directors has full governing authority, and full legal and fiduciary responsibility, for all fiscally sponsored projects, employees, and activities of Tides Center. To uphold Tides Center’s legal nonprofit status, to ensure all fiscally sponsored projects follow the IRS regulations, and to maintain compliance with the law, Tides Center’s staff monitors and maintains the project’s finances, human resources, payroll, leases, contracts, and insurance.

Tides fiscally sponsored projects must have a U.S. base of operations.

Related FAQs

• What are the eligibility requirements to open a fund at Tides?
• What is the process to become fiscally sponsored by Tides?
• How long does it take to get set up as a fiscally sponsored project?

Tides partners with individuals, groups, and funders to implement programs that accelerate positive social change. We define positive social change in terms of programs and activities that create and promote a world of shared prosperity and social justice, founded on equality and human rights, quality education, a sustainable environment, and healthy individuals and communities. While there are many avenues to affect positive social change, Tides fiscally sponsored projects work mainly in civic engagement, community development, economic opportunity, education and training, environmental sustainability, health services/healthcare reform, housing and homelessness, human rights, human and social services, international development, social justice, sustainable food and agriculture, violence prevention, and youth development and organizing. Learn more about our vision, mission, and approach.

While Tides is committed to partnering with projects of all sizes and has a history of supporting small organizations in the start-up phase, to balance capacity and opportunity Tides annually revises a target mix of potential projects based on annual budget. There are several other fiscal sponsors with lower minimums. Learn more at the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors.

STEP 1: Determine if project meets eligibility criteria, including mission alignment, confirmed funding and legal framework.

STEP 2: Begin the process by completing the Partner With Us form on our website.

STEP 3: Have an initial call with Tides staff to discuss your mission, program activities, needs, and timeline.

STEP 4: Tides staff invite those eligible candidates who fit our current criteria to submit an application and select which cycle to be part of. Application is by invitation only and projects are onboarded in four periods annually.

STEP 5: If application is approved by Tides staff, project is onboarded and is active once initial funding is received by Tides.

Learn more about our fiscal sponsorship process

It generally takes at least 9-10 weeks to get set up as a fiscally sponsored project at Tides, but could potentially take longer depending on complexity.

While these activities can be done simultaneously, before submitting the Partner With Us form to Tides, you must have funding confirmed as well as a clear fundraising plan to sustain your charitable efforts. If you are invited to submit a full application, Tides can work with you to communicate to donors that you are in the process of obtaining fiscal sponsorship. In most cases, this is sufficient for you to continue raising funds.

Tides does not provide funding to fiscally sponsored projects. Organizations accepted as Tides fiscally sponsored projects are responsible for developing and executing their own fundraising plans. Tides manages confirmed grants and grant reporting. In addition, as part of Tides’ capacity-building program, staff can attend workshops and online trainings on fundraising topics; and, through Tides’ partnership with the Foundation Center, all staff have access to and training on the Foundation Center’s Online Directory to research grantmakers and their grants.

While many people are in the beginning stages of developing their organization, the application should paint as complete a picture as possible. Even if you haven’t figured out all the answers, we are interested in knowing your best thinking to date. We’re interested in learning how your proposed activity connects to Tides’ mission, mission and approach what your fundraising strategy is, how much confirmed funding you have, how far along your project is and who is behind it.

Tides manages all incoming and outgoing funds for each of its fiscally sponsored project and processes all financial transactions on their behalf. Tides provides a financial orientation that covers budgeting, coding expenses, monitoring expenses, the Tides chart of accounts, and reading and utilizing the monthly financial statements prepared by Tides. Invoices are paid via check or ACH on a weekly basis and expedited payments are available for an extra charge. Fiscally sponsored projects are able to access their funds via purchase cards, direct invoicing, and petty cash accounts. Fiscally sponsored projects are responsible for coding transactions, submitting original receipts, honoring our timelines, and monitoring their own cash flow.

A Tides fiscally sponsored project’s director is responsible for overall programmatic operations, all fundraising and the financial sustainability of the project, and the supervision of their employees and volunteers. Directors must:

• Maintain an effective working relationship with Tides
• Ensure all staff are trained to follow all Tides processes and procedures
• Manage finances in accordance with Tides cash management policies
• Authorize all financial transactions in accordance with funding guidelines and Tides policies
• Direct allocations of financial and human resources to successfully carry out the project’s mission and activities within Tides and funding guidelines
• Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws, rules and regulations
• Communicate the goals, policies, and procedures of the project and Tides to staff, volunteers, and participants 
• Provide employees clear direction, set appropriate work standards, and ensure a fair and healthy work environment
• Follow all Tides procedures associated with the obligation and expenditure of funds. Develop, submit to Tides, and manage the annual budget and regularly review the fiscally sponsored project’s fiscal status with Tides staff
• Assure timely and accurate delivery of all requisite information for employee benefit elections and Supplemental Personnel Policies, the hiring and terminating of employees, and any other employee status changes
• Resolve any excess expenditure, unallowable cost, personnel, or other risk management issues of the fiscally sponsored project in a timely manner
• Review staff job performance and address any employee performance issues in consultation with Tides
• Prepare grant proposals consistent with Tides policies and ensure compliance with all grant agreements
• Inform Tides of any new program activities in order to assure timely budgeting and assessment of potential risks
• Develop internal systems to effectively collaborate with Tides and track activities as required
• Maintain clear communication with the project’s advisory board, consult with the advisory board when appropriate, and keep Tides informed of all current advisory board members’ names, contact information, and term-ending dates
• Annually complete and sign Tides’ Conflict of Interest Disclosure form and arrange for each fiscally sponsored project advisory board member to sign Conflict of Interest Disclosure forms as well

The majority of fiscally sponsored project activities are covered by our mandatory insurance package which includes general liability insurance, property coverage, and commercial auto liability. Projects should reserve a minimum of $3,600 of gross annual revenue to cover general liability insurance for the first year of operating as the baseline of insurance cost for running your program. Each project is evaluated annually for increased liability exposure and fees may be adjusted accordingly. Insurance costs are not included in the standard fee charged for Tides’ fiscal sponsorship services.

Tides encourages its fiscally sponsored projects to engage in forms of lobbying and political activities permissible under our 501(c)(3) designation. We are obliged to track all such activities, as the IRS places a cap on total lobbying expenditures. Tides fiscally sponsored projects may always engage in non-partisan research and get-out-the-vote efforts. IRS regulations for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations such as Tides preclude fiscally sponsored projects from engaging in direct or implied support or opposition of any candidate or party.

Tides fiscally sponsored projects are required to offer all full-time staff Tides’ comprehensive health and dental benefits package; part-time staff may also be eligible. There is a selection of HMO and individual provider plans to choose from. Coverage for spouses, children, and domestic partners is also available at the discretion of each individual project.

Tides provides a comprehensive suite of back-office services to all social ventures and at this time we are not able to allow groups to choose from among our offerings. If you require additional services we would be glad to provide a tailored set of solutions to meet your impact goals.

For the comprehensive suite of acceleration services that Tides provides, including financial management, legal framework, and capacity-building support, projects pay only 9% of their annual revenue.

A well-run independent nonprofit can expect to spend between 20-30% of annual revenue on administrative and overhead expenses. Tides Center fees are in line with other fiscal sponsors practicing similar models of fiscal sponsorship.

After the first year of activity, projects that exceed $1 million in operational activity can qualify for a reduced fee for revenue that exceeds $1 million.

The fee for all funding from government sources is 15%. The fee is higher for this type of funding because government grants entail significantly more auditing and reporting services.

Finally, projects need to be involved in the Tides Risk and Insurance program and reserve a minimum of $3,600 of gross annual revenue per year for operating liability. Projects are evaluated annually for increased exposure and fees may be adjusted.