In addition to the difficulties the U.S. has faced in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, issues of racial equity have also been at the forefront of the news. Following the death of George Floyd and the increase in racially-driven conversations, the philanthropic world has seen a spike in charitable contributions to organizations doing work in this area.

Over the last six months, individuals, corporations and other organizations have been keen to support organizations like the NAACP, National Urban League and the African American Leadership Forum, as well as a number of other initiatives focused specifically on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Through our private, nonprofit and public sector partners, Global Impact is also proud to support these initiatives and what they stand for in the fight for racial equity. Most recently, our team has facilitated the launch of two new initiatives through our fiscal sponsorship services: MITS Justice Fund and The Initiative Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership (“The Initiative”).

MITS Justice Fund
In the spring of 2020, leadership at MITS Records, an independent record label, began looking for a way to quickly launch a fund that would allow donors to make charitable contributions and support small grassroots organizations working to build power for racial justice, expose the root causes of social issues, and heal and uplift communities of color.

“At MITS we are strongly motivated to contribute and help build awareness to raise funds for BLM organizations. The music industry would not be where it is today without Black culture,” said Miles Austin, president of MITS records.

He went on to explain their strategy: “We wanted to focus on grassroots organizations because the ‘big dog’ organizations seem to get all the spotlight; while the smaller groups struggle for funding and support. Smaller organizations can be more hands-on – donations to these organizations can help grow a small team into a large organization.

All donations to the MITS Justice Fund will be matched – up to $50,000.

MITS Records approached Global Impact for support. With GI serving as their fiscal sponsor, MITS Records was able to quickly and seamlessly stand up the MITS Justice Fund.

The Initiative
Similarly, three Howard University School of Law alumni approached Global Impact with an idea to start a charitable initiative and raise funds to support organizations working to end systemic police violence and implement a collaborative approach to building healthy, scalable, community policing models.

“We want to see a generation of Black and brown kids who can’t conceive of the police being anything other than welcomed members of their community in the same way that Black and Brown kids today can’t conceive of not being allowed to drink from any water fountain they want or from using any public bathroom,” said Nadine Jones, director of The Initiative.

Just like MITS Records, they wanted to create this project with the support of a fiscal sponsor. Within a matter of days, Global Impact helped the Howard Alums launch The Initiative and start raising funds for their cause immediately.

The results
By working with Global Impact, both organizations were able to set up and launch their charitable project in just a few days. With Global Impact’s 65-year history of supporting fundraising efforts, leadership could rely on the organization to handle tax receipting and financial management so that they could focus on program development.

Since the launch of both the MITS Justice Fund and The Initiative, donors, individuals, foundations and corporations have been able to make charitable contributions in support of their cause. With this infrastructure in place, the two organizations have been able to grant over $100,000 in combined donations to six different nonprofits fighting for racial justice.

Whether you are looking for a mechanism to fundraise in the U.S. or to facilitate international grants, or want an alternative solution to receive and distribute funding, fiscal sponsorship through Global Impact can provide an accessible, efficient and affordable solution for seeking grants and soliciting tax-deductible donations.

To inquire about fiscal sponsorship with Global Impact, please contact us or complete our Fiscal Sponsorship application form.