Field Scan 2023 Report
This is the first national fiscal sponsorship field scan in seventeen years, undertaken as a collaboration between Social Impact Commons and the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors (NNFS). This is the second such effort in the history of the field. The first, “Fiscal Sponsorship Field Scan: Understanding Current Needs and Practices” (Tides Center, 2006), was commissioned by Tides Center and surveyed 111 fiscal sponsors. The 2023 field scan gathered data from 100 fiscal sponsors nationwide with the aim to establish a baseline of understanding of the fiscal sponsorship landscape today and a basis for continued research and advocacy to:
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Empower fiscal sponsors and their allies to be stronger advocates for the resources that sponsors need to be more impactful and sustainable.
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Build the case for the funding community to encourage direct investment in fiscal sponsors and create more supportive funder policies, practices, and partnerships.
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Study the operating practices and needs of fiscal sponsors in order to guide the continued development of fiscal sponsorship practice as well as investment in the field.
This research was undertaken primarily for the benefit of fiscal sponsors of all models, both aspiring and established, and philanthropy, addressing the following questions:
What are the basic dimensions of the fiscal sponsor ecosystem?
What are the communities supported by fiscal sponsors?
What is the capacity of the field, its practices, and what are current capacity challenges?