The Learners Lab Foundation’s 501c Economic Development™

The Learners Lab Foundation™ though a number of gap-filling programs were intended along-side serving as Fiscal Sponsor, the need to establish far more impactful resources became evident as the 2015-16 primary season got underway.  Why, it was noticed that a long standing disadvantage of not being able to access startup resources was swinging in the negative.  The political climate at the time was revealing what had already been known to those who had hit those brick wall or had them dumped upon us.

Unfortunately, TLLF was intimately familiar with both, and from two different perspectives – one as a consultant helping this ignore community of entrepreneurs, and the other as one of them.

Fortunately when adversity or unfairness happens she only gets mad for a minute, then she goes to work and gets even!

Fast forward to 2021 and we are standing up a formal 501c Economic Development Enterprise™ targeting its efforts to 501c Start-Ups, 501c Entrepreneurs, and tax exempt small businesses.  The IRS has more than 25 types of tax exempt entities it approves, not just 501c3’s. And at TLLF, we help and serve them all.

The 501c Economic Development Enterprise™ offers the following Sponsorship Programs and Services:

  • Fiscal Sponsorship: category-based sponsorships for any startup stage of 501c from the idea stage, pending, young in operation or tax exempt status, or a new; Must be less than 2 years or in true startup phase. Need to establish multiple 501c’s, no problem, we have a sponsorship for that too! Its called the Dual-Multiple Entity Fiscal Sponsorship. Check out our Fiscal Sponsorship page for more information and download the Program Description and Program Applications for complete details.
  • Technical Assistance Service Center (TASC): 501c wanting sponsorship services and support but WITHOUT the legal commitment. At the idea stage, no problem, been in operation 5 years no problem, TASC is for you; Visit the Technical Assistance Service Center (TASC) page for more information and feel free to download the Program Description and Program Registration & Retainer which contains more specific details.
  • Special Projects Fiscal Sponsorship: for profit or other entities/individuals wanting to operate a charitable project or program; Visit our Special Projects Fiscal Sponsorship (SPFS) page to learn more.
  • Other Services & Supports: TLLF provides specialty services, is open to special request, even conducts several On-Demand Research for Fiscal Sponsorships, Grant Opportunities, and more. Stay tune, forms coming!
  • We are not Chartered to Serve International Organizations, But What We Can Do Is…:conduct research among our peers to produce a Master List of Fiscal Sponsors who offer Sponsorships for Non US entities or individuals looking for US Sponsored Fiscal Sponsorships. Stay tune, forms coming!

PROGRAM SUPPORT

InfoXchange™ (InfoX™), a 501c Resource Depot & Information Newswire Service that amongst other things introduces 501c Start-Ups & Entrepreneurs to the open market, given then awareness in community at large beyond their immediate circles! We are relentlessly pursuing and creating opportunities to make the business resources you need available to you. InfoX™ is one of the mechanisms we’ll use to deliver them.

For more information on these resources, stay tuned. And if you think a Fiscal Sponsorship might work for you, check it out.

Association of Tax Exempt Startups & Entrepreneurs (ATESE)

Its 2021 and you would with the IRS approving nearly 1m tax exempt entities each year that they would be a professional association for this unique segment of the business community, many of whom are small businesses. Until Association of Tax Exempt Startups & Entrepreneurs there was not.

Through ATESE, The Learners Lab Foundation is building a first of its kind mechanism where 501c Startups Founders & Entrepreneurs can network, share resources and explore both challenges and experiences with their peers — other 501c Founders. In addition to peer networking, ATESE’s mission is to provide a forum where to speak freely about problems, blockages & gaps in access to funding, financial, talent, and material resources that are encounter in the pursuit of tax exempt status. These are leadership-founder level of communications.

August 2022 saw the formation of National Chamber of Tax-Exempt Small Businesses, Inc. (NCTSB) Tax ID 88-3384567. Where ATESE is an Association of 501c Founders, NCTSB is a Chamber Membership of 501c Small Businesses that serve the Entire Staff not just its Founder.

Though both organizations have a specific mission and goal, both will also operate in tandem at the national level to:

  • promote 501cs from incubator past IRS approval,
  • create ongoing and unique 501c SmallBiz-2-SmallBiz™ supplier, networking, and resource reliance opportunities, and
  • encourage their recognition AND ACCEPTANCE as the 501c Small Business entities they are.

Until the IRS has issued both letters of determination, ATESE and The Chamber will operate as a Fiscal Sponsorship Awardees in the The Learners Lab Foundations Fiscal Sponsorship Program.

Meantime, recruitment for The Chamber and ATESE‘s Interim leadership is underway. Inquiries welcome.