Communication — Help Us Help You!

TFC’s fiscal sponsorship program receives a very high volume of emails. We do our very best to respond to you quickly and efficiently. Here are some communication tips for how you can “help us help you” with the greatest efficiency:

  • Respond to emails completely in a timely manner with the clarity and respect that you would want us to communicate with YOU.
  • Start a new thread when the topic is new. Please don’t reply to an old email on an unrelated topic.
  • Do NOT start a new thread if you are replying to an email, continuing the conversation, keep the same thread!
  • Put your project name in the subject line. Every time.
  • Read the whole Fiscal Sponsorship Guide section and bookmark it. Please follow our instructions—we spent a lot of time building these systems to make things run smoothly.
  • Your membership lasts for one year. On your renewal date we will consider your project for renewal. If you are challenging to communicate with, require us to chase you for responses, etc., your project will not be renewed.
  • When your project is up for renewal, renew on time. If we have to send you multiple reminders, your project will not be renewed.
  • Thank you! We are looking forward to great communication with you.

Ways to Receive Donations

  1. Check donations:
    • Donors can send checks directly to The Film Collaborative, however, for your own protection, we suggest that you collect checks from donors and send them to TFC once you have verified that all the required information is included.
    • Checks should be made out to “The Film Collaborative”
    • Project title should be printed in the For/Memo line of personal and business checks, if from a Donor Advised Fund the project title on the attached cover letter is fine.
    • Mailing address must be exactly as below and must include “Att: Fiscal Sponsorship”
    • Send us an email to notify us of incoming check donations. Include the donor name, amount, mailing address, email address. In a single email please.
    • Do not send mail to TFC via any method that requires a signature upon delivery.
    • Donations received by mail are opened and reported to the fiscal sponsorship department once per week at the end of each week. We will send the info to the primary project contact via email once per week.

    Mail checks to:
    The Film Collaborative
    Attn: Fiscal Sponsorship
    3405 Cazador St.
    Los Angeles, CA 90065

  2. Grants:
    • Grants come in by check or by wire transfer. Sometimes funders send additional paperwork, Agreement etc. may be sent to TFC by USPS or by email. This depends on the funder.
    • Please provide TFC with a copy of ALL funder paperwork, grant Agreements, reports etc.. As the grantee of record, TFC must have all paperwork in hand prior to releasing funds.
  3. Online:
    • Your project listing on the Film Collaborative website contains a donation link.  Donations are processed through PayPal.
    • Credit card donations may incur a fee from PayPal. As of this writing the fee is 2.2% + .30 for each transaction.
    • PayPal gives donors the option for donors to choose to cover the transaction fee. This is an opt-in box donors must choose. If they select the option the donor will pay the 2.2% + .30 fee. If they do not select this option the fee will come out of the gross donation.
    • PayPal may increase or decrease this fee without notice. TFC is not responsible for changes in PayPal’s fees, this is a pass-though fee, not a TFC fee.
    • When a donation is received for your project the primary and secondary project contacts will get an auto generated email notification.
    • On the 15th of each month, or closest business business day after the 15th, online donations are imported into our donations system. Funds can be paid to you within 3 business days from there or TFC can also hold the funds until you have expenses you want to pay. Let us know your preference.
  4. Wire Transfer / Bank Transfer:
    • TFC accepts donations via wire transfer. Contact us for bank account information.
    • Send us the donors full name, mailing address, email address, amount you are expecting and the name of the bank account the wire transfer will come from.
    • Ask your donor to include your project name in the transfer info that the bank sends with the transfer.
  5. Stock Donation:
    • TFC accepts donations in the form of stock. Contact us for instructions.
  6. Matching Gifts:
    • Many companies match employee charitable gifts.
    • Each company has their own protocol. S ome use a third party such as Benevity to send the funds. Some companies require proof of donation made to us, then they process the match. Others require that the donation AND the match be processed through them.
    • Have your donor check with their company for specific instructions.
    • For TFC, the most important thing is that the donation be designated for your project in the paperwork so when we receive it we know what project it is for.
    • When you know a matching donation is coming please notify us with as much info about the donation and payment method as possible.

Free Resources for Filmmakers

TFC Address and Contact Info

  • TFC’s address for grant funders and donors is:
    The Film Collaborative
    Attn: Fiscal Sponsorship
    3405 Cazador St.
    Los Angeles, CA 90065
  • If you find another address on TFC’s website, this is for distribution-related materials. Fiscal sponsorship communications should be mailed to the Cazador St. address.
  • Donations etc. mailed to any other address will be delayed or lost.
  • For grant applications, TFC’s Contact person is: Lynnette Gryseels, Director of Development and Fiscal Sponsorship, lynnette@thefilmcollaborative.org, 323-963-4327. Use the Cazador Street address above.
  • TFC’s EIN: 32-0295081

Donation Processing and Payout to You

  • Funds are sent to the filmmaker via bank transfer.
  • On the 15th of each month, or closest business business day after the 15th, online donations are imported into our donations system.
  • You can choose to receive funds as you raise money, or accumulate funds and draw down only as needed. You choose.
  • As a nonprofit TFC does not pay tax on donations received for your project, however, these funds are considered taxable income for you. We strongly suggest that you do not ask to receive funds raised until you are ready to spend them. TFC can hold funds for you until you are ready to spend the money so your business will not have the unnecessary tax burden of income that you did not spend. TFC can pay you all or some of the funds raised for your project whenever you need them.
  • Funds received via fiscal sponsorship are considered income by the IRS. You are responsible for accurately reporting this income to the IRS. TFC will send you a report and 1099 by February of each fiscal year detailing the funds you received in the previous fiscal year.
  • TFC’s admin fee on donations and regular grants is 5%.
  • For government grants and grants where we have to submit and manage on your behalf the fee is 7%. This situation is rare and DOES NOT APPLY to most projects.

Tax Receipts

  • TFC will send donors a tax receipt via email for donations in accordance with IRS tax regulations.
  • TFC issues tax receipts by email.
  • Email addresses for credit card donations are collected during the online donation process.
  • Please obtain email address for all check donations of $250 or more.
  • For donations under $250 the IRS does not require a receipt, however, TFC will send one if you provide an email address for the donor.
  • Please obtain mailing address for all donations of $500 or more regardless of donation method.

Thanking Donors

  • We recommend that you contact your donors directly with personal thank you notes.

Film Credit Guidelines

  • TFC does not endorse the Producer, Co-Producer or Associate Producer credits to financiers or crowdfunding backers. These are day-to-day producing credits only, these credits should not be bought or sold.
  • The Executive Producer may be given to a financier who contributes at least 25% of the financing for feature narrative films and 10% of the financing for a documentary film.
  • Documentary crediting guidelines (features and shorts): documentaryproducersalliance.com/work
  • Feature film crediting guidelines, see Theatrical Motion Pictures section: producersguild.org/code-of-credits
  • A Simple Guide to Feature Producer Credits (fiction features and shorts): screencraft.org/2020/08/28/understanding-feature-producer-credits/

Film Credits — TFC Acknowledgement

  • As per the fiscal sponsorship Agreement The Film Collaborative name and or logo should be in your film credits, printed materials other places where appropriate.
  • Format:
    Fiscal Sponsor
    The Film Collaborative

Crowdfunding

  • TFC Fiscal Sponsorship can be combined with crowdfunders Kickstarter and Seed & Spark.
  • TFC fiscally sponsored filmmakers have raised over a million dollars on crowdfunding platforms. We have direct relationships with each of the crowdfunders we work with which can help get your project noticed. We can also connect you directly to receive one one one assistance with your campaign.
  • TFC will also announce your campaign launch on our Facebook page.
  • Before launching your campaign we require at least two weeks notice so we can process the set up with your crowdfunder of choice properly and for them to provide you with valuable feedback.
  • The fiscal sponsorship-crowdfunder connection must be set up prior to launching a crowdfunding campaign.
  • There is a $50 admin fee to TFC for all crowdfunding campaigns to help cover the additional admin required by TFC.
  • Contact us early in your planning process for additional information.

Grant Applications

  • Contact info and EIN are above.
  • Please notify us when you apply for grants so we are prepared should the funder contact us with questions.
  • Once awarded with a grant please supply TFC with a copy of ALL grant materials, contracts, letters of agreement and funder contact information
  • For government grants, or any grants that requires that TFC submit on your behalf, contact us at least one month prior to the grant deadline to confirm that we will be able to submit this application for you. Do not assume that we will be able to submit on your behalf without contacting us first. There is a $50 fee for each application we submit and all application documents are due two weeks before the deadline.

Grant Resources

Each link below is a unique list of grant opportunities. Some opportunities can be found on more than one list.

NOTE: Many grants require a fiscal sponsor, however, some do not. When you apply, it is important to note which ones are which.

The Film Collaborative Grant Opportunities
Artist Creative Capital Opportunities with Upcoming Deadlines
No Film School Massive List of Fall 2020 Grants
No Film School Massive List of Winter 2020 Grants
No Film School Massive List of Fpring 2020 Grants
No Film School Massive List of Summer 2019 Grants
Kitsplit Blog Ultimate Film Grant List Summer 2018
Kitsplit Blog Ultimate Film Grant List
IFP’s Guide to Granting Organizations
Whicker Awards Other Finding Resources
Hollywomen Grants
FilmDaily.tv Grants
ILoveDocs.com Funding Resources
Britdoc: Film Funds Resource
FilmProposals.com Film Grants
PBS Filmmaker Resources
Creative Capital Online Resources
POV Filmmaker Calendar
Sundance Inclusion Resource Map

Resources useful for finding foundations who may fund projects related to your subject matter:

Candid (formerly known as Foundation Center)
GrantSpace
Grant Select
Inside Philanthropy
Guidestar

Grant Writing

California Humanities Grantwriting Tips
Creative Capital How to Write a Grant Proposal with Confidence - First Steps
Creative Capital How to Write a Grant Proposal with Confidence - Translating Your Ideas on Paper
No Film School Grant Writing Tips
Creative Capital Online Resources
Artwork Archive How to Get Artist Grants Funding

Exclusivity

  • By signing the fiscal sponsorship Agreement you are agreeing that TFC will be the only Fiscal Sponsor for this project.
  • If you need an exception, please contact us to discuss.

Active Fundraising

  • You must be an active fundraiser to remain in the fiscal sponsorship program.
  • To be considered for renewal you must have raised funds in the previous 9 months. If your project has not raised funds for 9 months or more you will be asked to provide a fundraising plan to demonstrate how you will raise funds via fiscal sponsorship and outside of fiscal sponsorship in the near future. If you do not have a realistic plan to raise funds your project will not be renewed.

TFC Membership Renewal / Annual Project Update

  • As part of the fiscal sponsorship Agreement all projects must be current TFC members in order to remain fiscally sponsored.
  • You will receive a renewal reminder during the month prior to your renewal date.
  • You must renew on time. If we have to send you multiple reminders your project will not be renewed.

Year-End Report

  • After year-end The Film Collaborative requires a status report and current budget with expenses for your project. The reporting period is: January to December. These reports are due regardless of whether or not funds were raised during that period.
  • Failure to deliver reports on time will result in the suspension of your project.  Payments cannot be made to projects that do not have current reports.

Funder Reports

  • Some funders require reports as part of the terms of funding. Please provide TFC with a copy of all reports provided.
  • These reports must be delivered in full and on time. Failure to deliver reports on time will result in the suspension of your project. 
  • As a TFC fiscally sponsored project you are representing the Film Collaborative and it is very important to maintain positive and up to date relationships with all funders.
  • It is not TFC’s responsibility to remind you of funder report deadlines.

More on Communications…

  • Email is our primary means of communication with you. However, sometimes a phone call is best. Email us to set up a time.
  • Should your contact information change, it is your responsibility to update us. If you do not update your contact info you are not exempt from required responses, due dates etc.
  • Be sure to “whitelist” @thefilmcollaborative.org from your email SPAM filter.

TFC Distribution

  • When your film is ready for distribution we can connect you with our distribution team.
  • TFC offers independent filmmakers a full range of services, including education about distribution thefilmcollaborative.org/distripedia
  • Film Festival Distribution program
  • Fee-based Distribution Consultation: Film Festival Strategy, Marketing, US Theatrical, US Hybrid Theatrical / Event Screening, Educational Distribution, Sales Strategy, Digital Distribution Strategy.
  • Sales: US and Foriegn
  • Let us know when your film is ready to be viewed for and we will connect you. thefilmcollaborative.org/submit