AMP Sponsored Projects Program

Overview

Allied Media Projects (AMP) operates a Sponsored Projects Program that provides 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship to independent media and film projects with a social justice dimension. Through AMP's sponsorship, filmmakers can receive tax-deductible donations from individuals and apply for foundation grants that require a nonprofit organizational partner - without incorporating a separate nonprofit entity.

AMP is rooted in Detroit, Michigan, and has been providing fiscal sponsorship since 2014. The organization currently works with more than 120 sponsored projects across the United States and Puerto Rico. More than half of AMP's sponsored projects are based in Detroit. The program supports a range of media forms including documentary features, scripted features, animation, short films, episodic content, new media, and theater.

What It Offers

Fiscal sponsorship through AMP provides:

• 501(c)(3) umbrella: Donations made to sponsored projects through AMP are tax-deductible for the donor, opening access to individual major donors, family foundations, and community foundations that require nonprofit status
• Foundation grant eligibility: Many grant-making organizations - including government arts agencies and private foundations - require applicants to have nonprofit status. AMP's sponsorship satisfies this requirement
• Financial management: AMP processes donations on behalf of the project, issues tax receipts to donors, and disburses funds to the filmmaker. AMP provides financial stewardship including bookkeeping, accounting, and compliance services
• Two sponsorship models: AMP offers comprehensive fiscal sponsorship (where the project becomes a program of AMP) and grant-specific sponsorship (where the project remains independent). The comprehensive model includes payroll, vendor management, and insurance; the grant-specific model focuses on fundraising support and donor management
• Project support: AMP consults on project planning, management, and evaluation, and supports fundraising and communications strategy
• Network access: Sponsored projects join AMP's national network of social justice media makers, with connections to the annual Allied Media Conference and related community networks

AMP charges an administrative fee on donations received through the sponsorship, which covers the organization's processing, compliance, and financial management costs. Filmmakers should account for this fee in their fundraising targets. The fee structure is tiered and varies based on the sponsorship model and the volume of funds processed.

Eligibility

AMP's sponsorship program is open to independent media and film projects that align with AMP's mission of media-based organizing for social justice. Projects must:

• Have a social justice, community organizing, or liberation-focused dimension
• Be independent productions (not produced by a studio or major streamer)
• Go through an application process and be accepted into the program before fundraising can begin under AMP's nonprofit umbrella
• Be able to articulate how the project uses media to advance social transformation

AMP supports projects at any stage - development, production, post-production, or distribution. The program is primarily oriented toward US-based projects, though AMP works with projects across the US and Puerto Rico. Filmmakers should review the AMP Sponsored Projects page for current application guidelines and eligibility criteria.

How to Apply

Filmmakers interested in fiscal sponsorship through AMP should:

1. Review the AMP Sponsored Projects Program page and the Fiscal Sponsorship Resources to understand the two sponsorship models
2. Determine which model fits your project: comprehensive (project becomes a program of AMP) or grant-specific (project remains independent)
3. Prepare a project description, budget, and fundraising strategy
4. Contact AMP staff at sponsoredprojects@alliedmedia.org with questions not answered in the guides
5. Submit an application through AMP's process

AMP accepts applications on a rolling basis. There is no application fee.

Fiscal Sponsorship in the Independent Film Funding Landscape

For independent filmmakers without their own nonprofit status, fiscal sponsorship is a prerequisite for accessing a significant portion of the documentary and independent film funding landscape. Many foundations, individual major donors, and arts agencies will not fund a project without a nonprofit partner. Securing fiscal sponsorship before beginning serious fundraising is one of the most practical steps an independent filmmaker can take.

AMP sits alongside several other fiscal sponsors available to US independent filmmakers:

• Fractured Atlas: One of the largest fiscal sponsors in the US, open to artists across all disciplines. Charges an 8% administrative fee on donations.
• Film Independent: Requires membership ($95/year). Open to independent narrative and documentary projects of any length. Non-US applicants welcome. Projects must be seeking to raise over $10,000. Application fee is $45.
• Women Make Movies: Specifically for women filmmakers. Offers fiscal sponsorship alongside production assistance and distribution services.
• International Documentary Association (IDA): Offers fiscal sponsorship for documentary projects. Requires IDA membership.

AMP differentiates itself from these options through its explicit social justice focus and its roots in media-based organizing. Filmmakers whose work aligns with AMP's mission of "media for liberation" will find a values-aligned partner, while filmmakers without a social justice dimension to their work may be better served by Fractured Atlas or Film Independent.

Historical Context

Allied Media Projects grew out of the Allied Media Conference, which first took place in 1999 in Bowling Green, Ohio, before relocating to Detroit in 2007. The conference brought together media makers, artists, and organizers exploring how media can be used as a tool for social transformation. AMP was formalized as a nonprofit organization to provide year-round infrastructure for the network the conference had built.

The Sponsored Projects Program launched in 2014 as AMP's fiscal sponsorship arm. As of 2024, the program marked a decade of providing fiscal sponsorship services, growing from a small set of Detroit-based projects to a national network of more than 120 sponsored projects. AMP's GuideStar profile (EIN: 01-0559608) lists its headquarters in Detroit, MI.

AMP's approach to fiscal sponsorship is explicitly rooted in social justice values. The organization describes its work as "radical fiscal sponsorship" and prioritizes projects that align with its vision of dismantling supremacist systems, cultivating liberatory ways of being, and caring for communities. This values-driven approach means AMP evaluates not only the financial viability of a project but its alignment with the organization's mission.

Who Should Apply

Independent filmmakers in the United States working on documentary, fiction, animation, or new media projects with a social justice, community organizing, or liberation-focused dimension who need a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor to access foundation grants and tax-deductible individual donations. AMP is particularly suited to filmmakers whose work is rooted in community organizing and who want a fiscal sponsor whose values align with their project's mission.

Filmmakers without a social justice dimension to their work should consider Fractured Atlas, Film Independent, or IDA as alternatives.

See Also

For understanding how fiscal sponsorship fits into a complete documentary financing strategy, see Documentary Financing: Building Your Stack. For modeling fundraising targets and revenue projections, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For planning your production timeline alongside your fundraising cycle, use the Production Schedule Calculator.