OVERVIEW: The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation’s grants fund human interest documentary filmmaking and photography.
IP TAKE: Grant seekers should expect fierce competition for Rivera-Ortiz’s grants. Grants are accessible, but highly competitive given the size of this grant space.
PROFILE: Created in 2010, the Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation for Documentary, Photography, and Film was founded by photographer Manuel Rivera-Ortiz, perhaps best known for photographing the lives of poor and disenfranchised people in the world’s least-developed countries. It seeks to “support photo and film reportage as a catalyst for change and social justice in communities where needs are most pressing,” so the focus is very much on social issues in less developed countries across the globe. It also works to “encourage a new generation of photographers and filmmakers […] to take to the streets every day and document humanity on the move.” It wants to bring attention to the communities and issues that the “breaking news” media tends to forget about. The foundation funds grants for Film and Photography.
Grants for Film
The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Film Grants are given to “stand-alone” short documentary films of 10-20 minutes in length that focus on humanitarian themes. The Global Grant is a $5,000 award to one “short-short” documentary film project. According to the foundation, participants “must be committed to the field of reportage and documentary filmmaking.” Rivera-Ortiz’s Films on Human Importance and Impact focuses on human interest pieces. This program seeks films “highlighting human unrest, forgotten communities, over-exploited people and environments impacted by war, poverty, famine, disease, exploitation and global distress.” This is a $5,000 grant, as well.
To learn more about the types of film projects that the foundation has funded, check out its Grant Recipients page.
Grants for Visual Arts
The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Photography Grants are given along very much the same lines. Since Rivera-Ortiz is a photographer himself, they take these grants quite seriously and want to highlight the best work that’s bringing attention to global human unrest, forgotten communities, and over-exploited cultures and environments. The Global Grant awards “one EUR 3,000 grant to one documentary photography project based on the quality of the submitted 15-image portfolio, the strength of the submitted proposal, as well as any supporting materials including an updated CV.” The Human Importance and Impact awards grants to documentary photography projects “on topics of human suffering and unrest, forgotten communities, exploited lands and people, on communities ravaged by war, poverty, famine, disease, and the exploitation of global resources.”
Important Grant Details:
The foundation announces calls for submission each year, typically on November 1, with an application deadline of March 31. Grant seekers should note that these dates are subject to change, so it is important to check the foundation’s website for current deadlines. To learn more about the types of photography projects that the foundation has funded, check out its Grant Recipients page.
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