Most introductions here are free. When someone does contribute, it isn't a commission — it becomes a micro-grant for a founder.
Community funds are made possible by our partnership with The Granite City Foundation, our fiscal sponsor.
Most introductions are free. This is what happens when one isn't.
Introduce people free, or send the contribution to a community fund instead of your own account.
Start a fund →Give any amount. You see exactly what reaches the fund before you confirm.
Browse funds →Open programs, a set grant size, plain eligibility. No account needed — your email is enough.
Find an open program →No single contribution is large. Together they're runway.
Illustrative. Real totals are on each fund's page, from settled contributions only.
Contributions settle directly into the fund's own account under The Granite City Foundation, never through a Tambor balance.
The donate form shows the fee and what reaches the fund before you confirm. Stripe’s processing fee is separate and charged by Stripe.
The steward reviews, awards, and pays the founder from the fund’s account. Tambor records every step.
A fiscal sponsor stands behind the funds: it receives the contributions and is accountable for how grants are made. That's what lets someone start a fund without standing up a nonprofit first.
Tambor keeps the records; The Granite City Foundation receives contributions and oversees the funds. We don't give tax advice — ask the Foundation or your own advisor.
Two places: connectors routing their contributions to a fund instead of keeping them, and people donating directly. Both become micro-grants.
No. Free is the default when a connector adds someone, and contributions are optional. The connection comes first.
No. Every fund has its own account under our fiscal sponsor and money settles directly there. Tambor keeps a 5% fee and records the rest — it is not the bank.
5% of a contribution to a fund — a third of the 15% we take when a connector keeps it. Stripe’s processing fee is separate and shown before you confirm. Nothing is taken from a free introduction.
Tambor doesn't give tax advice and makes no claim about your tax outcome. Contributions are received by The Granite City Foundation, which runs the funds — ask them about tax treatment, or check with your own advisor.
Yes. Every fund page shows a running total and a ledger of settled contributions, plus each grant the steward awards and pays.
Yes — a checkbox on the donate form. It still counts toward the total; your name just isn’t on the ledger.
No — that's exactly what the sponsorship is for. Community funds operate under The Granite City Foundation as fiscal sponsor, so a steward doesn't need to stand up a legal entity of their own to start one.
We do, deliberately. A fund needs its payout account connected and an approval before it can accept a cent.
The fund’s steward — they set the program, read every application, and make the call. Tambor keeps the record; it does not pick winners.
A short form: who you are, what you’re building, what the grant unlocks. No account, no deck. You’ll hear back either way.