Tides Center

Tides Center

P.O. Box 889385
Los Angeles, CA  90088-9385
(415) 561-6400
Website: www.tides.org

Contact:
Diane Lai
Interim Director of Strategic Partnerships
Partnerships@tides.org

Year organization became a 501(c)(3): 1976
Year of first fiscal sponsorship: 1977
Number of sponsored projects: 200

Fiscal sponsorship fee:
For the comprehensive suite of back-office services, legal framework, and capacity-building support that Tides Center provides, each project is allocated a share of total costs. This cost allocation is equal to 9% of the project’s gross annual revenue. For projects with revenue in excess of $1 million in a calendar year, the projects’ shared cost allocation retained by Tides Center on the revenue above $1 million drops to 6%. The shared cost allocation for all funding from government sources is 15%. The cost allocation is higher for this type of funding because government grants entail significantly more auditing and reporting services. Finally, projects should reserve a minimum of 1% to 2% of gross annual revenue for insurance costs.

Eligibility criteria:

  • Aligned mission/values: Tides Center 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 healthy society, one which is founded on principles of social justice, broadly shared economic opportunity, a robust democratic process, and sustainable environmental practices. Tides Center believes healthy societies rely fundamentally on respect for individual rights, the vitality of communities, and a celebration of diversity.
  • Geographic: U.S.-based.
  • Minimum budget: $100,000.

Types of projects or services we sponsor:

  • Arts and culture
  • Children, youth and families
  • Disaster relief
  • Drug treatment
  • Economic development
  • Education
  • Environment/sustainable growth
  • Faith-based/religious
  • Festivals and events
  • Health/nutrition
  • Housing
  • Mental health
  • People or communities of color/minorities
  • Political advocacy/social justice
  • Social services
  • Women
  • Youth development
  • Other

Services we offer projects:

  • Auditing
  • Bill paying
  • Bookkeeping/accounting
  • Human resource management
  • Insurance
  • Legal services
  • Payroll
  • Receiving property and stock donations
  • Tax reporting

Based on Fiscal Sponsorship: 6 Ways to Do It Right: Our model(s) of fiscal sponsorship are:

  • Model A, Direct Project

Organization description:
Tides Center is the nonprofit sector’s leading sponsor of social innovation. Tides Center provides back-office services, a legal framework, and capacity-building support for projects that share our vision of a just, healthy and sustainable world. Tides Center accelerates social change by enabling new and effective approaches to some of our society’s most pressing issues. Tides Center and our projects believe healthy societies rely fundamentally on respect for human rights, the vitality of communities, and a celebration of diversity. Projects work to effect change in the areas of social justice, economic development, civic engagement, environmental sustainability, environmental justice, human rights, community development, international affairs, and nonprofit capacity building, among others. Varying in size from a single dedicated volunteer to a staff of hundreds, Tides Center projects are located all over the nation.