After more than 20 years serving performing artists, The Field offers the most affordable and accessible fiscal sponsorship program in NYC!
Quick, simple, non-curated registration process to get started
Constructive feedback on all fundraising materials
Access to a supportive and knowledgeable staff of performing artists
Ability to manage your contributed funds
The Sponsored Artist Programoffered by The Field enables performing artists and groups to accumulate the funds they need to make their artistic and career goals a reality. Fiscal sponsorship provides independent performing artists and groups with: eligibility to apply for most government, foundation, and corporate grants which require a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit status; eligibility to receive tax-deductible donations of both money and goods from individuals; and other services where 501(c)(3) status is necessary.
If you are only interested in access to Materials for the Arts, the Costume Collection, and other nonprofit benefits (aside from financial contributions), those benefits are offered under regular Field Membership.
If you are interested in becoming a Sponsored Artist:
Please review the program fees and the Sponsored Artist Program Description & Contract. This information has been written to answer your questions and explain the various aspects of nonprofit fiscal sponsorship.
Once you have digested this information, please call (don’t email) (212) 691-6969 ext. 17 to speak to Audra Lang and reserve a spot in an upcoming Sponsored Artist Orientation. These meetings are held twice a month and last about an hour. They will provide you with more information on the program and resources available to help you on the way.
Sponsored Artist Program Fees For a flat fee of $150, plus Field membership, you will start in Stewardship for Emerging Artists. At $150, once you raise $3,000 you’re getting the best deal in town! And there are no additional fees for the first $10,000 you raise! There are different levels to the Sponsored Artist Program. If you raise more than $10,000 (congratulations!), you will move into Companies on the Verge where new fees apply, and so on (and you’ll still be getting the best deal in town!). Take a look at the outline below for more details.
Stewardship for Emerging Artists (raising up to $10,000)
Flat fiscal sponsorship fee of $150 plus Field membership ($100) for the year
0% taken from all funds raised up to $10,000.
Note: 4% bank processing fee still applies to all contributions raised on-line.
Companies on the Verge (raising $10,001 - $100,000)
Start with the above
5% fee taken from all funds raised over $10,000. (This applies to contributions made by check and credit card.) So if you raise $10,500, the additional charge is 5% of $500, i.e. $25.)
Note: The 5% fee includes the 4% bank processing fee for all credit card donations.
Established Companies (raising $100,001 and beyond)
Start with the above
8% fee will apply to all funds raised over $100,000.
Note: The 8% fee includes the 4% bank processing fee for all credit card donations.
Staff Contact Audra Lang (212) 691-6969 ext. 17
"The Field was there to help me through a major turning point, when my career was on the brink of transformation into something larger."
- Marlies Yearby, Tony Nominee & Choreographer of Rent
Applying for Grants The Field reviews all grant applications that require fiscal sponsorship before they are submitted to the funder. Please be sure to send your materials to us 10 business days before the deadline. To request grant review, send an email to audra@thefield.orgwith the narrative and budget attached.
NOTE: There will be a $50 rush fee for grants that come to us less than 10 business days before the grant deadline. In addition, requests to review late materials will be granted at the discretion of the Manager of the Sponsored Artist Program.
In the body of the email, please specify: • Grant deadline • Name of contact to address letter • Foundation address • List of materials requested from The Field (typically 501c3 letter, mission statement, audit, 990s, Board List)
These materials can either be emailed to you as PDFs or printed for you to pick up. Please specify in your initial email.
Artists who anticipate applying for more than 10 grants per year should talk with us before doing so, to see if there is a way to consolidate efforts. For instance if you write one boilerplate grant and send it to several different funders, this will count as one grant. There is a $25 fee per grant for applications over the 10 grant limit.
Important Grant Deadlines(check each foundation’s website for the exact date – the dates listed below may change) – a $40 application fee applies to the following grants because of the additional staff time they require. In addition, no late requests will be accepted for these grants. Please contact The Field at least one month before the deadline to let us know your intent to apply. Your materials must be ready for review least ten business days before actual deadline.
January 20 - Multi-Arts Production (MAP) Fund
March 23 - Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA) Requirements: Charities Registration # and non-profit incorporation in the state of New York
March 6 - New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) You must have two good audits. If you know your work has been audited, call NYSCA and speak to the appropriate NYSCA Associate to find out the status of your audits. See website for staff contact information (www.nysca.org). Requests for audits must be made in writing to NYSCA four weeks prior to the performance date.
NOTE: National Endowment for the Artsdoes not accept fiscally sponsored applications.
Individual Donation Letters Email your fundraising materials to audra@thefield.orgat least one week before you want to send them out. In all of your fundraising materials (including e-blasts, website donation pages, and program solicitations), you will provide prospective donors with donation instructions. Here’s how it works -- donors can donate by check or credit card to The Field on behalf of you, the sponsored artist.
To donate by check: •Please make all checks payable to The Field. •Write Artist /Company name in the memo line. •Donors should mail checks directly to the you, the artist (include your address or a return envelope.)
To donate by credit card: •Go to www.thefield.org/t-sponsoranartist.aspx •Enter Artist name and Company name (you will provide the correct name – the primary contact -- and company name to the donor) •Click "Contribute" and follow the prompts
NOTE: Any donation made in exchange for goods or services is not tax-deductible. (i.e., tickets)
All of your solicitation letters (including your website donation page, program solicitations and e-blasts), must include the language about The Field in italics below. Note to companies: The primary Field contact is responsible for making sure that all company members follow The Field guidelines. No company member should send out an email blast or letter asking for donations without having The Field review it first.
The Field is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization serving the New York City performing arts community. Contributions made to The Field and earmarked for insert your artist name/company name here are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. For more information about The Field contact: The Field, 161 6th Avenue, New York NY 10013, (212)691-6969, fax: (212)255-2053,www.thefield.org. A copy of The Field’s latest annual report may be obtained, upon request, from The Field or from the Office of the Attorney General, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
Receiving Employee Matching Grants Donors may ask their employers for a Matching Gift Form. Donors will enter "Performance Zone Inc DBA The Field" as the designated charity and may note on the form that the matching gift is designated for Artist / Company Name. If it's a hard copy, donors mail it to you with their donation check. If it's an electronic form, please notify The Field; email audra@thefield.orgwith the names of the employee and corporation.
Hosting a Benefit Event or Auction Because benefits and events traditionally offer goods in exchange for dollars, money received is not considered a donation. The same holds true for money paid for auction items – the person receiving the item is essentially purchasing it so it is not a contribution (even though the money they pay may be contributing to your project income!)
The only exception to this would be if you charged a very high ticket price for a dinner; for example, $500, and the actual value of the dinner/event was $100, then you offer the following: $500 dinner ticket ($100 value; $400 will be tax-deductible). Then you will need to let The Field know which donors received benefits when you send your checks in to us.
Acknowledging Funders and Donors Artists are responsible for sending thank you letters to all of their contributors. Remember that thank you letters can lay the groundwork for future solicitations. For monies contributed by check, the artist (that’s you!) will keep track of the names of donors and donations amounts – you should record this information for your own records before you deliver checks to The Field for processing. For money contributed by credit card, The Field will provide (unless the donor would prefer to remain anonymous) a list of online donor information (names, addresses and amounts) along with a check to you for the total donation amount.
Please note: The thank you letter you write to your donor is not a tax receipt. Tax receipts must be issued by The Field.As mandated by law, The Field will send thank you letters to individual contributors who give $250 or more. For contributors who give $249 or less, their canceled check or credit card receipt will serve as their receipt for the IRS. This means The Field does not issue a receipt. The Field will send acknowledgments to all foundations as well as individuals who contribute goods.
Processing Your Checks & Online Donations Please have your individual donors send their contribution checks to your address; once you have collected them, mail or drop them off in batches at The Field’s office, attention Cassie Terman. Please note that The Field cannot accept cash donations.
Before you send your checks to The Field: •Is each donation check made payable to The Field? All checks that are not made out to The Field will be returned to the artist. You will need to send the check back to the donor and have them correct the error. •Is the donor’s address included (and current) on checks for $250 or more? If it is not, please write it in. The Field will need the addresses of donors who contribute $250 or more to issues tax receipts. Without a tax receipt these donors will not be able to claim the deduction!
Funds will be turned around to you ten business days after 1) the check arrive in our office or 2) the credit card purchase is made – this allows us time to be sure that the donor’s check clears our bank. Due to the time needed to clear both banks, we are unable to make any exceptions to the two-week policy. We will automatically mail your checks to you; should you wish to pick up your check, please include a “hold for pickup” note with every batch of donations.
Taxes
All monies raised through The Field’s Sponsored Artist Program are considered income and must be dealt with on your taxes. If you earn more than $599 through The Field in a calendar year, you or your company will receive a 1099-misc form. Keeping track of receipts related to how you are spending this money will be crucial to your filing – most artists do not pay additional taxes because they deduct their art-related expenses from this 1099 income. If you are an individual, you can file a Schedule C to report income and expenses for your business. We can refer you to an accountant to discuss your personal situation. Donations are tax-deductible for your donors, which makes it more attractive for them to contribute to your project. In addition, most funders will only distribute grants to non-profit organizations, and not to individuals.
Twelve-Month Reports
The Field will send you a simple form at the end of each calendar year that asks you to account for any grant money and/or individual contributions that you have received. In addition, we ask that you send along any documentation about your project, including programs, flyers, reviews, etc. These materials help us substantiate your activities and sponsorship to The Field’s Board of Directors. If we do not receive these reports by the March 31st deadline, your sponsorship may be suspended until the report is returned to us.
Important Deadlines with The Field
January 10 - Deadline for all prior year donation checks to be delivered to The Field
February 2 - 1099s & 12 Month Reports are sent to sponsored artists
February 15 - Sponsored artists contact The Field regarding any corrections to their 1099
March 2 - 1099s are sent to the IRS
March 31 - 12 Month Expense Reports due from sponsored artists
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