---
title: "The XSF as a Fiscal Host"
author: "Sam Whited"
date: 2021-09-26T00:00:00Z
categories: ["Miscellaneous"]
---

Managing funds is easy when you're a large project owned by an incorporated
entity with accountants at your disposal, or when you're a small project run by
one person who accepts and uses all donations.
When you're in between, however, it can be difficult to handle.
If you're a project with a few regular contributors but no bank account, who
handles the money?
For many projects the answer is a fiscal host.

Fiscal hosts accept donations on behalf of a smaller organization and then
earmark the donations for that smaller groups use.
This way the larger organization handles taxes and accounting and the smaller
group doesn't have to incorporate or pay lots of money for accountants.

Many fiscal hosts exist for software projects, some focused on particular areas
of the software world that they want to see developed.
Many general software focused hosts such as the [Software Freedom
Conservancy](https://sfconservancy.org/) and the [Open Source
Collective](https://www.oscollective.org/) have requirements that put them out
of the reach of most small XMPP related projects.
Until now no fiscal host has existed specifically to nurture and grow new XMPP
related projects.

Today the XSF is announcing that it will change this by acting as a fiscal host
for XMPP related projects.
A new organization has been created on [Open Collective] and will be using their
platform to accept donations on behalf of hosted projects.
Funds are currently handled in USD (since the XSF is based in the U.S.) but
projects from all over the world are welcome to apply!
We can't wait to see what small XMPP projects are able to do once they are given
the tools they need to raise money under the umbrella of a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization like the XSF!

[![Screenshot of the XSF Open Collective page showing an Actions mnenu with "Apply" visible at the bottom.](/images/blog/fiscalhost_step_one.png)][Open Collective]

The new terms of fiscal sponsorship can be found [on the website][tos], and you
can apply for sponsorship by creating a collective for your project on Open
Collective, then navigating to the [XMPP organization][Open Collective] and
clicking "[Apply]".
This will present you with a form where you can enter the required information:

[![Screenshot of the application form that allows you to select an account to apply from as well as enter information about the project applying.](/images/blog/fiscalhost_step_two.png)][Apply]

For more information about fiscal hosts, see the Open Collective [Fiscal Hosts
FAQ].

If you run an XMPP related open source project or organization and think you
could benefit from a fiscal host to help you manage and distribute funds,
consider [applying][Apply]!

[Open Collective]: https://opencollective.com/xmpp
[tos]: https://opencollective.com/xmpp
[Apply]: https://opencollective.com/xmpp/apply
[Fiscal Hosts FAQ]: https://docs.opencollective.com/help/fiscal-hosts/fiscal-hosts
