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A group of Philadelphia nonprofit organizations is collectively fundraising to replenish funding lost when the Federation of Neighborhood Centers Inc.’s fiscal sponsorship shuttered Dec. 31.
Twenty-four small organizations that had contracted their financial management to FNC collectively lost $426,081, according to a report by Social Impact Services.
“A few organizations had to close their doors. People have lost their jobs. Thousands of people across the city have lost their services,” said Janine Spruill, founder and director of the youth media project Lil’ Filmmakers. “Though we are the victims, we have to save ourselves.”
Spruill, along with Marisha Marsh and Keyshawn Datts, two other leaders impacted by FNC’s demise, launched the Restoring Our Projects campaign to recover funds for all affected organizations. The campaign includes Hard Raise on a Good Day, a fundraising effort that will allow these organizations to apply for relief.
Keyssh Datts, founder and executive director of Decolonize Philly, has found a new fiscal sponsor at CultureWorks, after Federation of Neighborhood Centers lost hundreds of thousands of dollars belonging to dozens of neighborhood organizations. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
The campaign states that a total of 62 organizations lost $719,812 to FNC, but the financial review of FNC by Social Media Commons shows that there are 24 existing, active FNC sponsorship clients with a loss of $426,081.
FNC said it has begun repairing the damage by raising relief funds for organizations that lost money through its fiscal sponsorship program. However, CEO Demir Moore said fundraising takes time.
“We’re working to get the organizations back on their feet,” Moore said. “I lose sleep trying to figure out how to help organizations thrive.”
Moore was not able to say when relief funds could be raised.
“A lot of people don’t have time to wait a year or two years to get their money back,” Keyssh Datts, founder of Decolonize Philly, said. “People have had their cars towed. People have had to move. People had to lay off staff. People had to experience the mental and physical effects of it.”