Good Causes

What Good Causes does

Good Causes, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor headquartered at 272 Broadway in Albany, New York, founded in 1998 under the former name Innovative Charitable Initiatives, Inc. The organization provides fiscal sponsorship, employee administration, and a temporary administrative home for emerging nonprofits, collaboratives, consortiums, and programs in transition across New York State. Over its 28-year history Good Causes has supported more than 250 charitable groups — including initiatives in youth development, arts, and food programs — and has administered federal, state, and local governmental grants on behalf of its sponsored programs. The entity operates as an affiliate of the New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. (NYCON) within the NYCON family of nonprofit services.

The organization's core offering is service-based rather than technology-based: back-office administrative oversight, financial stewardship, employee administration, and grant compliance delivered directly to client organizations on a fiscal-sponsorship basis. Revenue is generated through administrative fees on pass-through funds rather than through a software platform, and the firm has no proprietary technology stack, AI/ML features, or patents. Good Causes has served as the incubator environment for BoardStrong, a digital board recruitment and matching platform that now operates as a separate NYCON affiliate, illustrating a prior role in building out the NYCON family ecosystem beyond fiscal sponsorship.

In February 2026 Good Causes' Board announced that the organization would conclude its fiscal sponsorship services in May 2026, aligning with NYCON's strategic plan to focus resources on supporting existing nonprofits rather than emerging organizations. The wind-down will not result in staff layoffs; Executive Director Kelly S. Mathews will lead the transition while continuing to serve as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President, Financial Management Group of NYCON, and as Chief Operating Officer of BoardStrong. Following May 2026 the legal entity will remain extant as an NYCON affiliate, but its primary revenue-generating service line will cease.

Name

Good Causes

Legal name

Good Causes, Inc.

Website

https://goodcausesinc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Good Causes is an Albany, NY-based nonprofit fiscal sponsor providing administrative oversight, financial stewardship, and employee administration to emerging nonprofits and programs in transition across New York State as part of the NYCON family, concluding fiscal sponsorship in May 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Fiscal Sponsorship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Charities & Grantmaking Intermediaries (BPAGAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Fiscal sponsorship services
• Nonprofit administration
• Financial stewardship
• Grant administration
• Employee administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Albany

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Good Causes, Inc. provides fiscal sponsorship, employee administration, financial stewardship, and grant administration services to emerging nonprofits, collaboratives, consortiums, and programs in transition. The organization serves as a temporary administrative and legal home for charitable projects that have not yet obtained their own 501(c)(3) status, enabling community leaders to operate programs and ultimately spin off as standalone nonprofits.

Product overview

Good Causes, Inc. is a nonprofit organization offering fiscal sponsorship services as its primary offering. Founded in 1998 (formerly Innovative Charitable Initiatives, Inc.), the organization provides administrative oversight, financial stewardship, and employee administration to emerging nonprofits, collaboratives, consortiums, and funders supporting transitioning programs. The company also administers federal, state, and local governmental grants on behalf of sponsored programs. Good Causes operates as an affiliate of the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON) family of nonprofit services, which includes related offerings such as BoardStrong for board development services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NYCON Family of Nonprofit Services: Good Causes is part of the New York Council of Nonprofits, Inc. Family of Nonprofit Services, which includes related entities like Council Services Plus and BoardStrong.

Products and services

• Fiscal Sponsorship Services Administrative oversight, financial stewardship, and a supportive legal and administrative home for emerging nonprofits, collaboratives, consortiums, and programs in transition, including the ability to administer federal, state, and local governmental grants on behalf of sponsored programs.
• Employee Administration Services Employee administration services for emerging charitable groups and nonprofits operating under Good Causes' fiscal sponsorship, enabling sponsored programs to maintain proper employment administration without standing up their own HR infrastructure.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250 organizations have been supported through fiscal sponsorship services

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGood Causes is a NYCON affiliate; this is a parent-subsidiary relationship within the NYCON family of nonprofit services. NYCON provides a full range of business and capacity building services including consulting, training, employee benefit plans, and liability policies. Good Causes provides fiscal sponsorship services as part of this ecosystem.
• BoardStrongcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoardStrong is part of the NYCON family; it got its start through Good Causes. BoardStrong provides comprehensive board building solutions including recruitment, education, and development services through a digital board matching platform.
• Council Services PlusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of NYCON family of services; a full-service licensed insurance brokerage specializing in small-to-mid sized nonprofits with focus on group employee benefits, liability coverage, and risk management.
• Economic Research InstituteminorOthersReferenced as a resource for Form 990 Finder to search nonprofit organization information.
• National Network of Fiscal SponsorsminorOthersReferenced as a professional resource network for fiscal sponsorship industry best practices and standards.
• New York State Charities BureauminorOthersReferenced as a regulatory resource for charities operating in New York State.
• Internal Revenue ServiceminorOthersReferenced as the federal regulatory body for charities and nonprofits under Section 501(c)(3).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Fractured Atlas: Large national fiscal sponsor serving artists and emerging arts/cultural organizations with grant administration and financial services — directly comparable to Good Causes' role as fiscal intermediary for transitioning and emerging nonprofits.
• Propel Nonprofits: Minnesota-based nonprofit that operates fiscal sponsorship services alongside capacity-building programs for emerging organizations — directly analogous to Good Causes' mission of providing fiscal and administrative infrastructure to new nonprofits.
• Tides Foundation: One of the largest fiscal sponsors in the United States, providing administrative oversight, grantmaking infrastructure, and project incubation for emerging nonprofits and philanthropic initiatives — directly comparable to Good Causes' fiscal sponsorship model at significantly greater scale.

Others

• New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON): Parent organization of Good Causes, providing capacity-building, consulting, training, and insurance/brokerage services to nonprofits statewide — directly comparable as the same operating environment that Good Causes was folded into.
• BoardStrong: NYCON-affiliated nonprofit that originated within Good Causes, offering board recruitment, education, and development through a digital matching platform — comparable as a sibling entity sharing the NYCON ecosystem and nonprofit capacity-building focus.
• Council Services Plus: NYCON-affiliated insurance brokerage serving small-to-mid-sized nonprofits with group benefits, liability, and risk management — a sibling service organization to Good Causes within the same NYCON family of services.
• National Network of Fiscal Sponsors: Industry association defining best practices and standards for fiscal sponsorship in the U.S. — directly relevant as Good Causes' professional reference network and a clear comparable on standards, governance, and operational benchmarks for fiscal sponsors.

Regional players

• The New York Community Trust: Major community foundation serving New York City and surrounding region, administering grants and supporting emerging charitable programs — overlaps with Good Causes' NY-State-focused fiscal sponsorship and grant administration activity.

Broad incumbents

• The Foundation Center (Candid): Established information and research provider for the philanthropic and nonprofit sector — broader incumbent that serves the same ecosystem Good Causes operated in, with overlapping funder and grantee data services.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodcausesinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Good Causes