We incubate values-driven practitioner movements through fiscal sponsorship.

Superbloom leverages fiscal sponsorship as a tool to support the digital rights and Internet Freedom community, with a focus on human-centered research and design. Projects can seek and receive tax-exempt contributions and grant support without delay, bypassing the costly, burdensome and lengthy process of creating a free-standing organization with its own infrastructure.

Superbloom’s ’s Board of Directors provides fiduciary oversight, while its staff manages contributions and supports general project operations. The ability to rely on this existing infrastructure and administrative backbone allows project leaders to keep costs low while focusing on vision, mission and generating high-quality programs and outcomes.

Superbloom brings 8 years of operating experience as a remote, international team. We work with diverse types of funding, including US Government, European Commission, and foundation grants, and offer various contracting options to fit the needs of our fiscally sponsored projects in the US and internationally.

To start the conversation about fiscal sponsorship with the Superbloom team, please send an email to contact@superbloom.design →

Our FSPs

FAQs

What is a fiscal sponsor?

A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit organization that houses projects for people or groups who want to engage in charitable activities. These projects share the legal and tax-exempt status of the fiscal sponsor – in this case, Superbloom. Superbloom will serve as the administrative host of the project so that the project doesn’t have to go to the trouble and expense of establishing itself as an independent nonprofit organization.

What services does Superbloom provide, and what is the fee structure?

Superbloom provides financial management services including grant and contract management and support for financial reporting. Since FSP staff will be contracted as Superbloom staff, we provide payroll and benefits administration, and HR, tax, and insurance support. Where the FSP’s intellectual property belongs to Superbloom, the project and teams will use Superbloom’s technical platforms, where the costs for the accounts are included in the fee structure.
In exchange for these services, Superbloom charges 10% of annual income for most contracts and grants, and 15% of government grants.

What strategic alignment does Superbloom look for in FSPs?

Superbloom’s mission is to transform the current design paradigm in tech by centering the needs of people. We believe technology design is integral to the open source movement and should be leveraged to affect societal change. We look to grow the community of human-centered practitioners by supporting projects that share our core values. →

What does Superbloom not do?

As a 501(c)(3) public charity, Superbloom must follow all laws governing nonprofit organizations, which include multiple restrictions to ensure funds meet intended charitable purposes. For example, we cannot undertake or support political activity such as contributing to a political candidate or coordinating with a candidate’s campaign.

We also cannot simply act as a “conduit” of funds. Instead, we receive and distribute the funds on behalf of a project with a charitable purpose, and bear legal responsibility for ensuring that funds are used for their intended purpose. This oversight also includes the governance and management expertise of a fully-functioning, seasoned nonprofit Board and staff.

Thought partnership as a foundation for impact

We offer tailored coaching for individuals and teams working on public interest technology. Our experienced coaching team covers all global time zones and speaks 10 languages.

Our pragmatic approach to capacity-building gives changemakers the tools and techniques to dramatically improve the impact of their work. Collaborative goal-setting and a focus on democratizing human centered design knowledge are the cornerstones of our sessions.

What is coaching?

We meet you where you are

People working to shift power in the technology ecosystem have deep expertise in their fields, and often need a thought partner to help them navigate where they are stuck, a new challenge, or a different approach. We start by listening and understanding the project or the challenge and help you through it.

We improve projects

Code quality alone doesn’t determine a project’s success. In order for the project to have impact, the target audience needs to be able to find it, understand it, and operate it. We explain and frame the core tenets of usability and user experience (UX) design in a way that is appropriate for and accessible to teams working on public interest technology and interventions in the public interest technology ecosystem.

We transform people

The teams we work with leave sessions with an enhanced understanding of the power of human centered design thinking, as well as the confidence to explore more. They take this into their next projects and teams, becoming and creating allies in making an impact.

Topics include: User research; fundraising and sustainability; open processes; design tooling; information architecture; documentation; accessibility; usability; workshop and facilitation design; UX and UI design; visual design; branding and naming; communication; community development. If you’re looking for something you don’t see here, write us and we’ll find the right people!

Who is coaching for?

Project teams

We work directly with practitioners to help them navigate product and process hurdles, from strategy to design, from documentation to community and hiring. We take a proudly human-centered approach, helping teams enhance the usability, understandability, and effectiveness of their projects. Read more about how we work with project teams.

Funders

We design collaborations with funders in the public interest technology space, offering accompaniment for their grantees to help enhance their impact. Read more about how we support funders.

More Information

Rates

As a US 501(c)3 nonprofit with an educational mission, we work to make capacity-building affordable for everyone who needs it. Our rate model varies based on the sector, the budget of our partner, and the length of the engagement.

Coaches

We are an international team with expertise in research, design, software development, and product management, supported by a diverse set of advisors and partners. Our coaches are an ever-growing pool of high-calibre, hand-picked practitioners, covering every global time zone and over 10 languages. Read more about them here.

Join us as a coach

If you’d like to become part of our paid coaching team, read more about what we’re looking for.

Get started

Read more about the program. Drop us an email coaching@superbloom.design and we’ll work with you to find the coaches and model that meets your needs.

Program Team