Founded in 1972, the San Francisco Study Center (Study Center) is a left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that specializes in fiscal sponsorship. It provides fiscal sponsorship—which includes funding and financial oversight — to organizations that have not obtained, or are ineligible for, tax-exempt status under federal guidelines. ¹² Study Center fiscally sponsors progressive housing policy groups, health and education projects, and political advocacy campaigns with a focus on the San Francisco area. ³⁴ 

Background

During San Francisco’s “neighborhood power” movement in 1972, a team of recent college graduates established Study Center to monitor the San Francisco City Hall. ²¹² Through an 8-page monthly newsletter, Study Center discussed the latest developments from City Hall; covering “committee meetings, PUC, Planning,[and] Building Inspection,” the newsletter was intended to serve as “an early-warning system for neighborhood organizers.” ² The publication was abandoned in 1978, and the Study Center is now a fiscal sponsor of liberal nonprofits. ^{1 2}

Activities

As the fiscal sponsor of a nonprofit or project, the Study Center essentially takes on the role of banker and accountant, funding and overseeing all financial activity of the group, usually until it can achieve self-sufficiency. ² Charging clients a 10 percent service fee, the Study Center will provide fiscal sponsorship to organizations small and large, ranging from $2,000 up to $1 million per year. ²

Fiscally-Sponsored Nonprofits and Projects

As of March 2019, Study Center fiscally sponsors of these 29 nonprofit organizations and projects. ³³

Funding

For 2017, the Study Center reported more than $6.1 million in total revenue. Program service fees made up approximately 80 percent of its total revenue, while grants and contributions accounted for the remaining 20 percent. ⁵

Leadership

Study Center is governed by a nine-member board of directors, headed by Acting President Richard Livingston. ¹ Geoffrey Link, the executive director of Study Center, oversees a staff of more than 140 individuals. ⁴

Associated Organizations

In 2008, Study Center founded the Fiscal Sponsor Directory, a web-based directory of fiscal sponsors in the United States. The directory is managed and funded by the Study Center. ⁶

1. “San Francisco Study Center – since 1972.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://studycenter.org/about/.
2. Eldon, Eric. “Inside The Study Center, A Civic Champion In The Central City.” Hoodline. February 21, 2015. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://hoodline.com/2015/02/study-center-civic-champion-central-city.
3. “A Sampling of Study Center’s Fiscally Sponsored Projects.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 18, 2019. https://studycenter.org/samplingprojects/.
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2017.
5. San Francisco Study Center, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2017.
6. “About Us.” Fiscal Sponsor Directory. July 10, 2018. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://fiscalsponsordirectory.org/?page_id=85.