Our Services

GDI Solutions offers two complementary fiscal sponsorship models designed to meet initiatives at their stage of development and geographic context.

Why should an organization choose fiscal sponsorship, and what is it? 

Fiscal sponsorship is a formal arrangement where a 501(c)(3) public charity (like GDI Solutions) provides legal and financial oversight to a project or initiative that does not have its own US tax-exempt status. This allows your initiative to accept tax-deductible donations, apply for grants, and scale your operations without the administrative burden and costs of setting up and managing a standalone nonprofit entity.

Model A: Comprehensive Fiscal Sponsorship

Full operational hosting within the GDI Solutions legal entity. Ideal for mid-stage initiatives seeking a mission-aligned partner for finance, HR, compliance, and operations. (Fee: 10% of all donor funding received)

What we provide:

  • Use of GDI Solutions 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status,

  • Finance & accounting (AP, AR, monthly reporting),

  • Operations & compliance (subawarding, insurance, reporting),

  • Human resources (onboarding, payroll, benefits, performance management)

  • Information technology

  • Inclusion in GDI Solutions’ network.

Is my initiative eligible? Similar to Model A criteria, we encourage initiatives interested in Model C fiscal sponsorship to reach out to us directly, even if they do not meet all of the following priority criteria.

Eligibility: Legally incorporated outside the US; Low-compliance or unrestricted donor funding; Mission aligned with charitable/educational purposes; Proposed subaward of at least $100,000. If you’re not certain about your funding compliance, please reach out to us at info@gdis.org.  

Fee: 5% of each subaward payment. Minimum subaward: $100,000 USD.

Geographic Coverage: Latin America, Africa, and South Asia

Model C: Pre-Approved Grant Relationship

Regranting to locally-led, high-impact organizations in LMICs and to other organizations that do not have 501(c)(3) status, enabling access to US-based philanthropy. GDI Solutions envisions its role as a temporary bridge until organizations can receive donor funding directly.

What we provide:

  • Receive donor funding and re-grants for charitable purposes

  • Due diligence on proposed subawardees

  • Negotiate and issue subaward agreements

  • Disburse payments per agreement milestones

  • Collect, review, and approve subawardee reports

  • Report financial performance back to donors.

Is my initiative eligible? Note: We consider the following priority criteria when evaluating potential initiatives; however, we encourage initiatives to reach out to discuss even if they do not meet all qualifications. 

Eligibility: Mid-stage (~3-5 years), not legally incorporated; Systems-change focus with priority in LMICs; Currently constrained at an existing host; Unrestricted or low/moderate-compliance funding; Annual operating budget of at least $1.5M. 

Fee: 10% of all donor funding received. No startup fee. Min. annual budget ~$1.5M.

Geographic Coverage: US, Africa, Europe, and Asia

Services at a glance

Service Model A — Comprehensive Model C — Pre-Approved Grant
Legal hosting Within GDIS entity Separate legal entities
HR & payroll Included Not included
Finance & accounting Included Reporting only
Fee 10% of all funding received 5% per subaward payment
Minimum budget / award Approximately $1.5M annual budget $100K minimum subaward
Best for Mid-stage, unincorporated initiatives Locally led LMIC NGOs

What our partners are saying

“The GDIS team is helpful, professional, and really stood out to us as being the right solution to our fiscal sponsorship needs. We had a complicated international tax situation arise, and GDIS was really willing to help accommodate us and modify our agreement to make it work. Without that, we would have had far fewer funds available to commit to delivering on the grant.”
Zachary Gottlieb Executive Director, Bank.Green
“Not only is GDIS a highly professional organization in how they deliver their professional services, but reliable and trustworthy in representing their client. You did a great job representing us well at PJMF, thank you!”
Steven Wanyee President Emeritus, HELINA
“GDIS has a team of professionals who are agile and committed to their role. They walk you through the process from beginning to end.”
Mavis Finance Manager, Pan African Health Informatics Association
“I cannot imagine managing our donor contracts and our various consultants without the GDIS legal team. They make every administrative step of contracting clear and navigate the paperwork to provide us peace of mind that our donor obligations and contractor requirements have the proper legal oversight.”
Andrea Zinn Director, Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF)
“GDIS provides more support to its sponsored organizations than most fiscal sponsors we have come across. Our representative from GDIS has been responsive and helped ensure that fiscally sponsored organizations submit required documentation on time to funders. GDIS has relevant expertise to provide value to organizations working in the international development space.”
Anonymous donor