Fiscal Sponsor Recommendations: GLM and CommunitySuite

Some organizations have an EIN but are not registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits. To qualify for grant funding, they partner with a qualified 501(c)(3), a fiscal sponsor, who agrees to receive and administer grant funds on their behalf.

• Fiscal sponsor: The organization that holds legal and financial responsibility for the grant.
• Applying organization (AppOrg): The organization doing the work.

The recommended approach ties all application history and reporting to the applying organization, not the fiscal sponsor. This approach is the standard for the vast majority of workflows.

Benefits of this structure:

• Grant history accurately reflects who is doing the work, making it easy for program officers to track applicant relationships over time.
• If the fiscal sponsor also applies for their own grants, their history remains separate and unaffected.
• If the applying organization eventually gets its own 501(c)(3) status, simply update the EIN in GLM and CommunitySuite. The full grant history carries over intact.
• Reporting in GLM is cleaner and more accurate for all parties.

The steps below outline the full recommended sequence for setting up and processing fiscally sponsored grants under the applying organization approach. Complete these steps in order. The pre-sync setup in CommunitySuite is especially important and should be done before any grants arrive from GLM.

1. Decide on your approach. Align the full team on whether to use the applying organization workflow (this article) or the fiscal sponsor as grantee approach (see Alternative Methods). Make this decision once and stay with it.
2. Configure GLM registration. Contact Support to add language to the registration page directing organizations without an EIN to enter 00-0000000 and contact the organization.
3. Configure the application form. The standard yes/no 501(c)(3) question is acceptable, or replace it with a multiple-choice question and add branching logic for fiscal sponsor follow-up questions. An admin-only review status question can also be added.
4. Link profiles from GLM to CommunitySuite proactively. Before grants begin syncing, navigate to the Profiles page in CommunitySuite and click Create in the left-side menu. Click Search GLM in the left-side menu, select the GLM site, search for unlinked profiles, and either create new CommunitySuite profiles or link existing ones. Alternatively, use a bulk profile import into CommunitySuite to create profiles in advance, then link them to GLM.
5. Run a bulk profile update to disable charity checks. In CommunitySuite, use the bulk profile update to set No Charity Check for all fiscally sponsored organizations. Do this before any grants arrive, not on a grant-by-grant basis.
6. Run a bulk note and alert import on grants. Use the bulk import to add a note and alert to each fiscally sponsored grant record. When creating the note, set the alert type to Grants so it appears at the top of the grant when opened. Include the fiscal sponsor's org Profile ID in the alert text to make it easy to locate the fiscal sponsor record. The alert should note that a fiscal sponsored org must be linked and that the charity check is disabled. See Link and Prepare Profiles Before Syncing for details.
7. Manage award letters and contracts. Award letters and contracts can be sent from GLM before syncing to CommunitySuite, or from CommunitySuite after the grant is synced. If sending from GLM, update the letter to reflect the fiscal sponsor's name and executive director before sending. See Manage Award Letters and Contracts below.
8. Sync grants to CommunitySuite. Map each grant's grantee profile to the applying organization. Add the fiscal sponsor to the Sponsored Org field. Set Pay the Sponsored Org to Yes if the check is issued to the fiscal sponsor.

When a fiscally sponsored organization registers in GLM, they may or may not have their own EIN. Handle each case as follows:

• If the organization has an EIN, they enter it as normal, even if they are not a 501(c)(3).
• If the organization does not have an EIN, instruct them to enter 00-0000000 in the EIN field and contact the organization.

Recommended Registration Page Language

Add language similar to the following to the registration page:

If your organization does not have an EIN, please enter 00-0000000 and contact the Organization. You must have a fiscal sponsor if you are not a registered nonprofit.

The specific wording can be placed in an instruction field at the top of the registration form or alongside the EIN field, wherever it is most visible to applicants.

This section covers collecting information about the fiscal sponsor on the application form.

Yes/No 501(c)(3) Question or Multiple Choice Question

The standard "Is your organization a 501(c)(3)?" yes/no question is acceptable, or it can be replaced with a multiple-choice question that captures more useful data for reporting. Example options for multiple choice questions:

• We are a registered 501(c)(3)
• We are a church or other religious entity
• We are applying with a fiscal sponsor
• Other

Configure Branching Logic

Configure branching on the question so that each selection routes the applicant appropriately:

• Applying with a fiscal sponsor: Display follow-up questions asking for:
  • Fiscal sponsor name and EIN
  • Signed fiscal sponsor agreement (upload question type)
  • Fiscal sponsor budget (upload question type)
• Other: Display a message indicating the applicant is not eligible to apply.

Track Fiscal Sponsor Review Status

Consider adding an administrator-only question to the application (for example, "Has the fiscal sponsor been reviewed and approved?" Yes/No) to track internal review status without exposing it to applicants.

The fiscal sponsor question can also be pulled into the Application Submitted stage view so staff can see at a glance which incoming applications involve fiscal sponsorship. Custom columns can be used to surface the fiscal sponsor field directly on workload pages, giving staff quick visibility into fiscal sponsorship status without opening each individual request.

Complete the following setup steps in CommunitySuite before syncing any fiscally sponsored grants from GLM. Doing this proactively prevents grants from arriving without the required fiscal sponsor information in place.

Link GLM Profiles to CommunitySuite

To proactively link applying organization profiles:

1. Navigate to the Profiles page in CommunitySuite and click Create in the left-side menu.
2. Click Search GLM in the left-side menu.
3. Check the box next to the GLM site.
    
4. Search for unlinked profiles.
5. For each unlinked profile, either create a new CommunitySuite profile or link the GLM profile to an existing CommunitySuite record.

Alternatively, use a bulk profile import into CommunitySuite to create the profiles in advance, then link them to the corresponding GLM profiles.

Bulk-Disable Charity Checks

Use the CommunitySuite bulk profile update to set No Charity Check for all fiscally sponsored organizations before any grants arrive. This avoids addressing charity check failures one by one as grants sync. Put a "1" in the AO column to disable charity checks on the bulk profile update .csv.

Bulk-Import Notes and Alerts on Grants

Use the bulk import to add a note and alert to each fiscally sponsored grant record. When configuring the import:

• Set the alert area to Grants so the alert appears at the top of the grant when a staff member opens it.
• Include the fiscal sponsor's org Profile ID in the alert text so staff can quickly locate the fiscal sponsor record.
• The alert should note that a fiscal sponsored org must be linked to this grant and that the charity check is disabled.

Award letters and contracts can be managed in GLM before the grant is synced to CommunitySuite, or sent directly from CommunitySuite after the sync. Either way, the letter must be adjusted before sending.

Because the applying organization is the grantee of record, the award letter or contract will default to the applying organization's information. Before sending:

• Update the award letter or contract to reflect the fiscal sponsor's name and executive director, not the applying organization's.
• The email notification for the award letter goes to the applying organization.
• The applying organization is responsible for getting the contract signed by the fiscal sponsor and uploading the signed copy to the portal.

Once profiles are linked and pre-sync setup is complete, sync the grant from GLM to CommunitySuite and map the grantee profile to the applying organization, not the fiscal sponsor.

Steps to Sync a Fiscally Sponsored Grant

1. Map the grantee profile to the applying organization as usual.
2. If the charity check has not already been disabled via bulk update, the organization will fail the charity check. See Handle Charity Check Failures below.
3. Once the grant is in the New bucket on the Grants page in CommunitySuite, click on the grant ID, and then click Add next to the Sponsored Org/Payee field.
   • There is no bulk set option; this must be done one by one.
      
4. Search for and select the fiscal sponsor organization from the drop-down menu.
5. If the check is being issued to the fiscal sponsor, click Change next to the Pay the Sponsored Org/Payee field to change the field to "Yes".
    

The charity check in CommunitySuite runs against the grantee's EIN. Because the applying organization may not be a registered 501(c)(3), the check will fail. This is expected and can be overridden manually.

Whenever possible, use the bulk profile update to disable charity checks before grants arrive (see Link and Prepare Profiles Before Syncing above). The steps below are for handling individual records as needed.

Turn Off the Charity Check for an Individual Organization

To turn off the charity check for an individual organization:

1. Navigate to the grantee record in CommunitySuite.
2. Click Edit in the Grantee section.
3. Check the No Charity Status Check box, and then click Save.
    

Three alternative approaches are available for situations where the standard applying organization workflow does not fit the organization's needs.

Apply Under the Fiscal Sponsor's Profile

In this approach, the fiscal sponsor is the grantee of record in both GLM and CommunitySuite. The applying organization is noted in the application but is not the primary profile.

Benefits of this approach:

• Aligns with how CommunitySuite is designed to handle grant payments natively.
• CommunitySuite's built-in 990 reporting works correctly.
• No charity check failures. The fiscal sponsor's 501(c)(3) status is on file.
• The Sponsored Org field in CommunitySuite can be used as intended.

Tradeoffs to consider:

• Grant history accumulates under the fiscal sponsor, not the organization doing the work, making it harder to track the applying organization's history over time.
• If the fiscal sponsor administers multiple applying organizations, their grant history includes grants for all of them, which can obscure the fiscal sponsor's own grantmaking relationship.
• If the applying organization eventually obtains 501(c)(3) status, historical grants remain under the fiscal sponsor's profile and cannot be easily transferred.

The Dash Method

The Dash Method is a variation of the standard applying organization workflow. Instead of entering 00-0000000, the applying organization uses the fiscal sponsor's EIN and formats the organization name as:

Applying Organization Name - Fiscal Sponsor Name

Benefits of this method:

• The sync to CommunitySuite is cleaner.
• The charity check process is easier since the EIN on file belongs to the fiscal sponsor.
• Grant history for the applying organization is still preserved long-term.
• If the organization later obtains its own 501(c)(3), simply update the name and EIN in both GLM and CommunitySuite. Grant history stays intact.

This method also works well for city or university departments that need to be tracked separately while still rolling up to a parent record using the Parent-Child profile relationship.

Parent-Child Profile Relationship

In CommunitySuite, a non-501(c)(3) organization can be set up as a child organization under the fiscal sponsor's profile. This structure gives the organization consolidated visibility into all grants associated with a fiscal sponsor, including both grants awarded directly to the sponsor and grants awarded to the organizations they sponsor.

• The child organization's grant history rolls up to the parent record.
• Both organizations continue to function independently in the system.
• Reporting at the parent level reflects the full scope of related grants.

This approach is useful for organizations with multiple departments or programs that need separate tracking but shared parent-level reporting.

Below is a quick reference for each scenario and the recommended approach for fiscally sponsored organizations.