Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association (PPNA) recognizes that formal and informal groups, along with individual and collective community members, help strengthen a community. Presently, PPNA provides fiscal agency for several groups including Powderhorn Porchfest, the Art Sled Rally, and Neighbors 4 More Neighbors. As a result, we are taking steps to create a more structured approach to how we receive, consider, and support future fiscal agency requests and opportunities.

A person or group of people who are working on an initiative, project, and (or) program where the primary objective centers on serving the community without regard for generating profit. The person or group is likely in the early stages of organizing their efforts and have not determined the need for, or sought, a non profit designation through either Federal or State government. In this case, a person or group will likely need to pursue charitable donations or grant funding to help advance their efforts. As an organization with a Federal nonprofit 501(c)(3) designation, PPNA can serve as an intermediary to help facilitate a person’s or group’s ability to procure charitable contributions and provide appropriate bookkeeping services to accurately record these contributions.

The primary role between PPNA and a person or group to whom it becomes the fiscal sponsor is that of bookkeeper. The overall parameters of the fiscal sponsor relationship is outlined in a unique Fiscal Sponsor Agreement (FSA) for each person or group that is approved for this support by PPNA’s Board of Directors. Central elements of the FSA pertain to requirements that provide PPNA visibility to and approval of the fiscal sponsoree’s approach to funds solicitation. This includes potential grant proposals and content within individual donor solicitation letters. PPNA’s role as a fiscal sponsor does not aim to suggest or infer that the association endorses actions by the person or group being sponsored. PPNA does not participate in the person's or group’s decision making processes other than PPNA’s oversight of its fundraising efforts and subsequent account reviews to ensure procured contributions are used for the purposes promoted by the sponsoree and (or) agreed to in furtherance of a specific grant award.

The agreed upon fee in the FSA covers staff time and associated costs to provide fiscal oversight to the sponsoree in support of the initiative, project, and (or) program described in the FSA. Charging a fee for fiscal agency is standard practice within the nonprofit sector.

PPNA is moving to a structured application process to obtain information regarding a person’s or group’s intentions for their initiative, project, and (or) program for which they are seeking fiscal agency. Each applicant will be scored based on their efforts’ purpose or mission statement alignment with PPNA’s overall mission, their affiliation with the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood or Greater Powderhorn Community, and the existence of at least a three person advisory council, committee, or board that will help make decisions related to the applicant’s stated purpose or mission. PPNA will review and consider applicant requests for fiscal agency on a rolling basis, and will not approve more than two requests per quarter each year.