OVERVIEW: Women in Film supports early-stage women filmmakers and other film professionals with workshops, fellowships and other programs.
IP TAKE: Women in Film is an important resource for women and nonbinary filmmakers and film industry professionals seeking mentorship and professional development opportunities. Its monetary grants mainly fund the organizations with which it partners in running these programs. This creates a crowded grantmaking space that favors multi-year grants, but the foundation is accessible and supportive, so don’t hesitate to reach out. Due dates and guidelines vary by program.
PROFILE: Tichi Wilkeson Kassell, the former publisher and editor-in-chief of the Hollywood Reporter, founded Women in Film in 1973. A member-based organization, Women in Film “advocates for and advances the careers of women working in the screen industries to achieve parity and transform culture.” Women in Film runs workshops, fellowships, advocacy and other programs that are predominately for women and LGBTQ filmmakers. Its monetary grants mainly go to organizations with which it partners in running these programs.
Grants for Women and Girls
Women in Film supports women filmmakers through a series of signature programs that it runs on a yearly basis.
The Emerging Producers program provides a 12-part class and advisement sessions to eight aspiring women and/or gender nonconforming film producers.
Helpline Support Spaces are eight-week programs run by mental health professionals who aim to support women working in screen industries. The most recent groups have focused on Black women and other underrepresented genders in the film industry and on addressing the effect of COVID-19 on the lives of women film professionals.
Women in Film’s Insight Fellowships support “emerging women of color filmmakers” with advocacy, mentorship and professional development opportunities.
The organization’s Mentoring Program matches women in the early stages of film careers with mentors in the specific areas of the industry in which they aim to work.
The Production Program “offers support and funding for short-form content, which includes mentoring for writers, directors, creative producers, and line producers, as well as resources to hire women-focused crew.”
Women in Film runs multiple Writing Labs each year, with the goal of providing “new television and screenwriters with knowledge to build and sustain their careers.” Writing labs vary in theme from year to year, but typically include several four-week intensives and a year-long residency program.
The Sundance Institute Financing Intensive consists of two-day workshops that help women filmmakers “build the skills and relationships necessary to advance a front-burner project to the next stage of financing success.”
Women in Film also partners with the Sundance Institute in maintenance of an Inclusion Resource Map, an online tool for filmmakers and professionals seeking funding, networking opportunities, mentorships, fellowships and professional development opportunities.
Women in Film runs programs at no cost to participants and accepts applications for each program through its website.
Grants for Film and LGBTQ
Women in Film’s supports women and nonbinary filmmakers through all its programs, fellowships and workshops. Monetary grants mainly go to film institutes and production companies with which it partners in producing these events. The organization runs several ongoing programs with the Sundance Institute, including its Inclusion Resource Map and the Sundance Institute Financing Intensive. Other collaborators include the University of California Los Angeles, Women Make Movies, the American Film Institute and Red Nut Films of Brooklyn, New York.
Important Grant Details:
Women in Film makes about $200,000 in grants a year ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. Grants mainly support organizations that partner with Women in Film in running its several professional development programs for women and others in the early stages of their film careers. For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s recent tax filings.
Women in Film accepts applications from women and nonbinary filmmakers and film industry professionals for each of its programs and fellowships. Application procedures and deadlines vary by program. General inquiries may be directed to Women in Film’s staff via email or telephone at 323-935-2211.
PEOPLE:
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