From the very first days when Action For Education Equity was initially discussed as an idea, before it even had a name, it was known that a fiscal sponsor would be needed. We identified that as being the right choice for the project because we recognized that with such a large financial goal donations would need to be tax deductible. We wanted to ensure that the community could trust their donations were being handled professionally, with every cent properly tracked.

For those of you not familiar with fiscal sponsors, the National Council of Non Profits has short video explaining:

So having a fiscal sponsor wasn’t a difficult choice, but who to choose as a fiscal sponsor, was a tougher decision.

Action for Education Equity does not support the non-profit industrial complex, which is why we provide our funds directly to the Rochester City School District (RCSD). Allowing the RCSD autonym to make the right decisions for their students, not making decisions based on what donors want to fund. So we required a partnership with an organization who reflects similar values.

We chose Rochester Education Foundation because they have a small staff of Rochester City based employees and a proven track record of working with the RCSD over 15 years. We also shared several central beliefs regarding the willingness of the Greater Rochester Area to support Rochester City Students.

You can find out more about our partnership and fees paid to REF here.

Stuart Hencke, REF’s Executive Director had the following to say about the partnership: