Fiscal sponsorship
Applying, donations, team cards, receipts and what the money can be spent on.
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- What is fiscal sponsorship, and what does it cost? Your team runs as a sponsored program of The Robotics Catalyst Foundation Inc., a 501(c)(3), so donors get a tax-deductible receipt and you spend from a team balance with team cards. The Foundation takes an administrative fee (4% unless your signed agreement says otherwise) from each online gift, and Stripe's card processing fee is separate.
- How do I apply and sign the agreement? Submit the application under Money > Fiscal sponsorship. Once the Foundation approves it, fill in and sign the agreement on the Agreement page (a parent co-signs if you're under 18), and the Foundation countersigns. Your balance, cards and donations open after the countersignature.
- A sponsor wants our EIN or a tax letter. Where do I find it? Give them the Foundation's details, EIN 39-2225353, which are at the top of Money > Documents with copy buttons. The fiscal sponsorship letter naming your team, the W-9 and the IRS determination letter are on the same page when they've been issued.
- How do I set up and share our donation page? Your donation page is created when the Foundation approves your team and goes live once the agreement is countersigned. Copy its link from the Public donation page panel on Money > Account; the same panel has a /sponsor link worded for companies.
- How do donation refunds and chargebacks work? When a gift is refunded or charged back, your balance goes down by the share of the gift that reached it, and the same share of the Foundation's fee comes back to you. Stripe's dispute fee is never charged to your team. Teams can't refund a donor themselves; email the Foundation.
- How do team cards work? Someone with the Manage cards permission adds a team member as a cardholder on Money > Cardholders. The member finishes a short profile and their virtual card is issued automatically. By default a card spends against the whole team balance; turn on an allowance to make that person ask before spending.
- My card was declined, what should I do? Open Money > Balance and find the declined row in Activity; it shows the reason. Most declines are a frozen card, not enough available team balance, a used-up allowance, or a grant rule, and most are fixed from the Cardholders page.
- What are card grants? A grant puts a set amount of team money on a new virtual card for one purpose, with an optional expiry date, store lock and merchant-type lock. Whatever isn't spent goes back to the team balance when the grant ends.
- What counts as a valid receipt, and when is it due? Every card purchase needs an itemized receipt or order confirmation within 14 days of the transaction, the Receipt Deadline in Exhibit B of your agreement. After that, reminders repeat every 3 days, and the Foundation may suspend cards until it's in.
- How do I upload a receipt? Tap the upload link in the "Receipt needed" notification, which works without signing in, or use Upload next to the purchase under Receipts needed on Money > Cardholders. Photos and PDFs up to 10 MB are accepted.
- What can our team spend money on? Anything that supports the team's robotics program, such as parts, tools, software, registration and event fees, travel to competitions, safety gear, outreach and reasonable admin costs. Nothing for personal use, nothing for any one person's benefit, and nothing political.
- What is a fee notice, and why would I need to re-sign the agreement? A fee notice is how the Foundation changes your Fee Percentage. It needs no signature, arrives at least 60 days before the change (for an increase), and only affects gifts received on or after its effective date. Re-signing is different, and only happens when the Foundation issues a replacement agreement.
- Where are our fiscal documents? Under Money > Documents. Your team's fiscal sponsorship letter, signed agreement and any fee notices are under Issued to team, and the Foundation's own paperwork (IRS determination letter, W-9, Form 990 and more) is under The Foundation.
- What happens to our money if the team folds or leaves? The balance never comes back to the team or to any person as cash. After fees and costs are settled, the Foundation moves it, and any equipment, to a public charity, public school or school district your team names within 90 days, once the Foundation approves it. If nobody is named, it goes to the Foundation's own charitable and educational work.