Film
Geeks Give: Philanthropy from the World of Science Fiction/Fantasy, Comics and Gaming
Full disclosure: I was a geek before it was cool. Not the kind that you’ll end up working for; instead, I’m a fan of science fiction and fantasy in their many forms. I loved the genres well before “Star Wars” started making science fiction (or SF, as … [Read more...] about Geeks Give: Philanthropy from the World of Science Fiction/Fantasy, Comics and Gaming
So You Want to Make an Independent Film. Who’s Funding Now?
Who’s Funding Efforts to Bring Climate Narratives to the Big Screen?
“New Urgency.” How the Sundance Institute Helps Filmmakers Navigate an Evolving Field
In 1981, actor Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute to foster new voices in American film. That same year, the nascent organization invited 10 filmmakers to Utah, where, with the assistance of some of the film industry’s preeminent writers, … [Read more...] about “New Urgency.” How the Sundance Institute Helps Filmmakers Navigate an Evolving Field
“More Than Just a Check.” This Funder Couples Cash and Professional Support to Help Artists Thrive
Founded in 1999, Creative Capital provides individual artists with cash support — still hard to come by in arts philanthropy — while cultivating a deep network where artists can explore collaborations, manage their finances, and tap expertise to … [Read more...] about “More Than Just a Check.” This Funder Couples Cash and Professional Support to Help Artists Thrive
Visual Storytellers and Journalists Face Growing Risks. What Can Funders Do to Protect Them?
Recent years have seen an alarming increase in attacks on visual storytellers and journalists, ranging from online harassment campaigns and lengthy legal battles to imprisonment, injuries, and even death. Data from the Committee to Protect … [Read more...] about Visual Storytellers and Journalists Face Growing Risks. What Can Funders Do to Protect Them?
Backed by a Sobrato Heir, This Funder Is Working at the Intersection of Film and Social Change
Media and storytelling have always been powerful ways to inform, persuade and generate empathy — key ingredients in bringing about social change. Not too long ago, I wrote about Pop Culture Collaborative, which focuses on harnessing viral videos, … [Read more...] about Backed by a Sobrato Heir, This Funder Is Working at the Intersection of Film and Social Change
How Fundraisers for Filmmaking Adapted During the Pandemic
Throughout the pandemic, organizations devoted to filmmaking continued funding the creation of new work, while shifting how that work was shared with audiences and donors alike, relying more on virtual screenings and festivals. We recently spoke with … [Read more...] about How Fundraisers for Filmmaking Adapted During the Pandemic
How the Inevitable Foundation Is Cultivating Underrepresented Disabled Screenwriters
In 2013, Marisa Torelli-Pedevska began working at a residential summer camp for teens and adults with developmental disabilities in Rhinebeck, New York called Camp Ramapo. It was an eye-opening experience for Torelli-Pedevska, who had chronic illness … [Read more...] about How the Inevitable Foundation Is Cultivating Underrepresented Disabled Screenwriters
Funder Spotlight: Created by an Oscar Winner, the Jerome Foundation Backs Film and More
IP Funder Spotlights provide quick rundowns of the grantmakers on our radar, including a few key details on how they operate and what they’re up to right now. Today, we’re catching up with the Jerome Foundation, which supports early-career artists, … [Read more...] about Funder Spotlight: Created by an Oscar Winner, the Jerome Foundation Backs Film and More
Recognizing the Power of Storytelling, a Funder Collaborative Backs Media in the Global South
From oral traditions to streaming movies, storytelling is central to the human experience. But beyond simple entertainment, stories have the ability to impact people and advance social change.Take, for instance, Upton Sinclair’s novel “The Jungle,” … [Read more...] about Recognizing the Power of Storytelling, a Funder Collaborative Backs Media in the Global South
For Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Philanthropy is a Family Affair
Hollywood fortunes are growing. “Spartacus” actor Kirk Douglas was worth around $80 million by some estimates before he passed away, having smartly established a production company in the 1950s to make movies outside the studio system. In 2020, the … [Read more...] about For Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, Philanthropy is a Family Affair
Three Years After His Passing, an Entertainment Mogul’s Estate May Be Ramping Up Giving
Every now and then, we come across a notoriously publicity-shy billionaire whose philanthropic profile significantly expands after his passing. Consider businessman and entertainment mogul Jerrold “Jerry” Perenchio, who passed away three years ago at … [Read more...] about Three Years After His Passing, an Entertainment Mogul’s Estate May Be Ramping Up Giving
Looking Back on the Legacy of a Small but Influential Funder of Independent Film
This is the story of one small, specialized foundation that has made significant social impact across a range of issues and themes. In July of 1995, the thermometer in Chicago hit 106 degrees. The city recorded 739 heat-related deaths. In early 2020, … [Read more...] about Looking Back on the Legacy of a Small but Influential Funder of Independent Film
A Long Tradition: How Celebs Are Stepping Up to Help in a Global Pandemic
As the novel coronavirus continues to move through the United States and the world at large, philanthropy is one vehicle that has stepped up to provide a range of aid, fund research, and address not just the health impact of the virus, but the … [Read more...] about A Long Tradition: How Celebs Are Stepping Up to Help in a Global Pandemic
Geek Chic: How a Funder Uses Film to Get the Public Jazzed About Science
In 2003, before funders began giving millions for STEM education or calling on Americans to view scientists the way they value athletes, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the Sundance Institute began a collaboration focused on highlighting “the … [Read more...] about Geek Chic: How a Funder Uses Film to Get the Public Jazzed About Science
“A Tool for Positive Social Change.” A Funder Ups Support for Documentary Filmmaking
Last year, the University of Southern California refused a $5 million pledge from Harvey Weinstein after the New York Times published a piece documenting the producer’s decades of alleged abuse. As I noted at the time, the pledge, which was earmarked … [Read more...] about “A Tool for Positive Social Change.” A Funder Ups Support for Documentary Filmmaking
“Artistic Expression Meets Scientific Inquiry.” Checking in on the Sloan Foundation’s Film Grantmaking
While the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is primarily known for its work in the fields of science, technology, and engineering, it has also emerged as a powerful force in the cinematic arts space.Launched in 1996, Sloan’s film program encourages … [Read more...] about “Artistic Expression Meets Scientific Inquiry.” Checking in on the Sloan Foundation’s Film Grantmaking
Pop Pluralism: A Funder Collaborative Works to Shift Norms in Entertainment
When we heard from the Pop Culture Collaborative last year, executive director Bridgit Evans called out a national “crisis of imagination,” and touted the power of pop culture to reshape our concept of what pluralism looks like. Over several grant … [Read more...] about Pop Pluralism: A Funder Collaborative Works to Shift Norms in Entertainment
Intervention Points: Behind a Fellowship to Support Diverse Documentary Filmmakers
News out of Harlem suggests that niche funders aren't sitting around waiting for Hollywood to do more to support underrepresented filmmakers. They're perfectly capable of doing it themselves.Firelight Media, the production company co-founded 18 years … [Read more...] about Intervention Points: Behind a Fellowship to Support Diverse Documentary Filmmakers
“Bay Area Values.” A Stalwart Regional Funder Expands its Support for Narrative Film
In a post looking at the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation's $46.4 million gift to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, I noted that while the Bay Area's tech elite remain ambivalent about the arts, other funders in the region are a different … [Read more...] about “Bay Area Values.” A Stalwart Regional Funder Expands its Support for Narrative Film
Mind the Gap: Can Hollywood Do More to Support Underrepresented Filmmakers?
The saga of the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' FilmCraft and FilmWatch grant programs provides an instructive look into how funders are working to boost diversity in a film space—and how much work still needs … [Read more...] about Mind the Gap: Can Hollywood Do More to Support Underrepresented Filmmakers?
Principle vs. Impact: When Should Institutions Keep Tainted Donations?
The extent to which nonprofits need to consider the moral character or ideology of their donors is a question that we've wrestled with before at Inside Philanthropy. Should it really matter who the money comes from, and if it does, how does one draw … [Read more...] about Principle vs. Impact: When Should Institutions Keep Tainted Donations?
Building a Community: A Funder Expands Support for LGBTQ Artists
Last month, half a year after Queer|Art, a New York–based nonprofit, established the Barbara Hammer Lesbian Experimental Filmmaking Grant, it announced its inaugural winner: Fair Brane, a filmmaker and painter based in Los Angeles. The annual $5,000 … [Read more...] about Building a Community: A Funder Expands Support for LGBTQ Artists
We’ve Seen This Movie Before: A Big Gift Jumpstarts a Museum’s Flagging Capital Campaign
David Geffen's $150 million gift to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has recently attracted a lot of attention, but he isn't the only entertainment mogul riding to the rescue of a Southern California institution as of late.The Academy of Motion … [Read more...] about We’ve Seen This Movie Before: A Big Gift Jumpstarts a Museum’s Flagging Capital Campaign
Exposure and Support: A Foundation Looks to Diversity the Ranks of Visual Storytellers
Last month's news that the MacArthur Foundation's Journalism and Media program announced $5.7 million in grants to seven organizations to support nonfiction media makers from diverse backgrounds is important for two reasons.First, it suggests that … [Read more...] about Exposure and Support: A Foundation Looks to Diversity the Ranks of Visual Storytellers
Two Thumbs Up: How Roger Ebert’s Legacy Lives on Through Chicago Giving
For film fans around the world, Roger Ebert is forever famous for the trademarked phrase “Two thumbs up.” But for many nonprofits in Chicago, the local legend also represents new opportunities.Roger Ebert’s connection to Chicago goes deep, and he was … [Read more...] about Two Thumbs Up: How Roger Ebert’s Legacy Lives on Through Chicago Giving
Meet the Renegade Positioning the Southwest as a Magnet for Filmmakers
Roughly three years ago, in a post looking at George R. R. Martin's donation to start a screenwriting award at the New Mexico Film Foundation, I referenced a 2011 New Yorker article describing how his fans send him scathing letters for taking too … [Read more...] about Meet the Renegade Positioning the Southwest as a Magnet for Filmmakers
May the Force Be Less White: A Movie Mogul’s Commitment to Diversity in Film
George Lucas' recent philanthropy increasingly resembles his filmmaking. Some gifts look to the future, while others evoke the past. Recent news points to an example of the former.In October of 2015, he made a $10 million endowment from the George … [Read more...] about May the Force Be Less White: A Movie Mogul’s Commitment to Diversity in Film
