FAQ
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions about Working with JCI
Interested in exploring a relationship with JCI? Are you currently a JCI sponsored project in need of a refresher on how we work? These questions and answers are for you!
Every project under the fiscal sponsorship of Jewish Creativity International is responsible for being familiar with the information below, and for complying with its requirements.
JCI Fiscal Sponsorship is a Partnership. You own the donor relationship and JCI manages the funds administration on your behalf.
For New Project Inquiries
Jewish Creativity International, also known as the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, receives the money donated or granted to your project, and “re-grants” the money to you by paying your invoices.
It allows your donors to receive a tax deduction for donations, and it qualifies you for grants available only to tax-exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
JCI’s administrative fees are 5-8% of the funds we receive for the benefit of your project. The amount varies based on the model of services to which you choose to subscribe. JCI operates on the C Model of fiscal sponsorship (learn about the different models here). Within the C Model, we offer C+, C, and C- options which come with different administrative fees and corresponding service levels.
There is a one-time $250 onboarding fee and an annual $180 membership fee, which is recoverable against the administrative fees (i.e., if at least $2,250 of annual donations come through JCI and your project is on the C+ model with 8% administration fees, then the membership fee is covered by the administrative fee.)
There may also be extra fees assessed by partner organizations for certain services such as online fundraising and credit card processing. JCI may also require payment for specific tasks such as overnight wire transfers, or preparing special financial reports or other documents. You don’t owe us anything until JCI receives money in support of your project.
No. You may indirectly receive some of the benefits of JCI’s tax-exempt status, but your project can become a 501(c)(3) only if and when the Internal Revenue Service issues you a letter which determines that you qualify.
Email contact@jewishcreativity.org, and you will receive an inquiry form to fill in describing your project. The application process includes a brief Zoom interview.
The proposed project should be an expression of creativity, either artistically or culturally. It should center on Jewish art, culture, tradition, history, peoplehood, or the Jewish essence or soul. The project leader or team need not be Jewish. We sponsor projects in the fields of Broadcast Media, Culture, Dance, Experience, Film, Multimedia, Music, Podcast/Audio, Theater, Visual Arts, and Writing.
We do not sponsor projects whose work or project teams promote, support or engage in violence, bigotry, racism, antisemitism, or antizionism (meaning policies or activities that question Israel's right to exist or its legitimacy as a secure, independent, democratic Jewish state).
No. You can use money donated to JCI by your funders to pay their wages, but if there is an employment relationship, it’s between you and them.
By signing a Fiscal Sponsor Agreement which we’ll prepare once you and we agree to work together. When you sign that Agreement, you will be bound by the rules and procedures described in these FAQs and detailed in our Standard Operation Procedures (SOP), available upon request.
For All Projects: New Inquiries and Currently Sponsored
When you use JCI's crowdfunding platform for a project-owned campaign, donations are automatically matched to your project. Otherwise, JCI matches funds to your project through donor designations that come with the donation (whether written on a check or in the details of an ACH).
It is your responsibility to instruct your donors to properly designate their donations to your project. JCI provides you with template instructions to share with your donors.
It is also your responsibility to alert JCI of expected donations using a donation report form that provides JCI with donor contact details and the donor's wishes regarding anonymity or public recognition.
By implementing your project and submitting receipts for your expenses to JCI for reimbursement or direct vendor payment (depending on the fiscal sponsorship model you select).
Not usually. Our main purpose as fiscal sponsor is to process grants and contributions. Payments to you for services you provide – i.e., earned income – should go directly to you.
No. Because the grants and contributions are made payable to Jewish Creativity International, we’re responsible to the funders for how the money is spent. Specifically, we need to be able to demonstrate that the money was used for appropriate tax-exempt purposes, and in case of grants, that the terms of the grants are being fulfilled.
To us, payable to Jewish Creativity International. The fastest and most secure method is by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) or by wire.
Please note: in the case of a wire transfer or EFT donation from a Donor Advised Fund, make sure that the sender provides the name and address of the individual donor(s) who advised the grant. We need that information for our records.
We partner with Fundrazr to process credit card donations. Credit-card donations are subject to Stripe processing fees of 2-3% (depending on the credit card used) and $0.30 per transaction, in addition to Fundrazr's 5% fee. Donors are invited to cover the processing fees, and many do.
Yes, through PayPal and Venmo (2-4% processing fees apply, depending on the size of the donation).
We email account statements on a monthly basis, when there has been activity in the account for that month. More frequent and even self-service access to financial information is available at the higher-level C+ sponsorship model.
We share information about donations coming in on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on the sponsorship model you select.
You can sometimes do that with online donations through FundRazr, but *not* for a donation by check or funds transfer to Jewish Creativity International. JCI accepts only donations which are 100% tax-deductible.
You can tell them that contributions made directly to your project are not tax-deductible, because the project does not have tax-exempt status by itself in the eyes of the Internal Revenue Service. Jewish Creativity International—a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization—serves as your fiscal sponsor so that donors can support your work and also receive a tax deduction.
No, not usually. Normally the relationship is directly between the funder and the project.
No, we can’t. That’s not our role. Of course we’ll help you comply with the specific procedures of foundations when needed, but we are not in a position to suggest possible funders for your project. Our services are limited to our duties as your fiscal sponsor.
Under the C+ model, we can offer advice about best practices and suitable strategies on an informal basis, but of course it’s up to you to make any decisions. You’re entirely responsible for all your project’s business decisions.
We do business as Jewish Creativity International, which is our brand identity. Our legal corporate name is the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, and many directories still list us by that name. That’s also the name we use for government filings and some legal documents. They are two different names for exactly the same entity.
JCI may, in its sole discretion, terminate a fiscal sponsorship, with or without advance notice, for any reason or no reason.
Otherwise, a sponsorship effectively ends when all the money in your restricted fund has been spent. If, for any reason, you want to end the relationship before that happens, we’ll work out a mutually agreeable exit plan. That’s essential because, without an agreed-upon process, JCI would be obligated to return any unspent funds to the donors.
For Current JCI Projects Only
Invoices from your vendors and contractors should always be submitted to you, since the goods or services are being provided to you. All invoices from your vendors should be addressed to your project. After you receive an invoice, you’ll share the invoice with JCI for vendor payment or reimbursement to you (depending on the fiscal sponsorship model you subscribe to with JCI). See the SOP you received when you onboarded for more instructions on sharing your invoices with JCI.
Whether a vendor is a U.S. individual, a partnership, an LLC, or a US corporation, a signed IRS Form W-9 from the payee is required. For vendors who are not U.S. citizens or entities, a Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E is required. The forms are available for download at irs.gov. We can’t pay any individual for their services unless we have their W-9, W-8BEN, or W-8BEN-E on file.
Send them a copy of our Determination Letter, the official statement by the IRS of our tax-exempt status. There’s a link to that letter at the bottom of every page on our website. It explicitly says that “grantors and contributors may rely on this determination.” You may also want to reinforce the connection by identifying Jewish Creativity International as your fiscal sponsor on your website and in your fundraising materials.