Rochester Area Foundation becomes fiscal sponsor

ROCHESTER,Minn.--The Rochester Area Foundation is now the new fiscal sponsor for 11 area nonprofits after the Rochester Diversity Council dissolved a few weeks ago.

The Foundation received a request from leaders of the Diversity Council to adopt them in order to continue supporting their needs.

President of the Foundation, Jennifer Woodford  says bringing the organizations in, furthers their efforts in bridging gaps in the community. 

Initially, the new sponsor questioned if they had the proper resources to take them on.

They say being housed under the diversity council was a benefit for these organizations because of it's culturally-specific expertise. 

“ We wanted to make sure that even if we don't have that exact expertise, that the expertise that we do have in finance; in administration, in volunteerism, in fundraising and grantmaking, all of those things--could support these organizations holistically in a way that would really be beneficial to them." Woodford says. 

She adds that although they expanded the umbrella of the foundation, they are not actively seeking additional fiscally sponsored organizations.

Because the organizations were not starting from scratch and were already heavily involved in the community, Woodford says it made the transition easier.