sponsorship

n. funding, endorsement; position of a person who is responsible for the welfare of another; state of being a godparent

To sponsor something is to support an event, activity, person, or organization financially or through the provision of products or services. A sponsor is the individual or group that provides the support, similar to a benefactor. Sponsorship may be an arrangement to exchange advertising for the responsibility of funding a popular event or entity. For example, a corporate entity may provide equipment for a famous athlete or sports team in exchange for brand recognition. The sponsor earns popularity this way while the sponsored can save a lot of money. This type of sponsorship, known as cause-related, is prominent in the sports, arts, media and charity sectors.
See more at Wikipedia.org...

Noun
1. the act of sponsoring (either officially or financially)
(hypernym) support

(n.)
State of being a sponsor.
  

see Corporate Sponsorship.