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. ⁵⁶⁷ 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.” ⁸ The publication was abandoned in 1978, and the Study Center is now a fiscal sponsor of liberal nonprofits. ^{9 10}

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. ¹¹ 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. ¹²

Fiscally-Sponsored Nonprofits and Projects

As of March 2019, Study Center fiscally sponsors of these 29 nonprofit organizations and projects. ¹³¹⁴

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. ¹⁵

Leadership

Study Center is governed by a nine-member board of directors, headed by Acting President Richard Livingston. ¹⁶ Geoffrey Link, the executive director of Study Center, oversees a staff of more than 140 individuals. ¹⁷

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. ¹⁸

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. 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.
6. “San Francisco Study Center – since 1972.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://studycenter.org/about/.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. “San Francisco Study Center – since 1972.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://studycenter.org/about/.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. “A Sampling of Study Center’s Fiscally Sponsored Projects.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 18, 2019. https://studycenter.org/samplingprojects/.
14. “A Sampling of Study Center’s Fiscally Sponsored Projects.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 18, 2019. https://studycenter.org/samplingprojects/.
15. San Francisco Study Center, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2017.
16. “San Francisco Study Center – since 1972.” San Francisco Study Center. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://studycenter.org/about/.

17. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). 2017.
18. “About Us.” Fiscal Sponsor Directory. July 10, 2018. Accessed March 17, 2019. https://fiscalsponsordirectory.org/?page_id=85.