Grants for film production organizations

590 film and video production organizations received at least $29.8 million in grants for the most recent fiscal year. This includes 816 grants made from 650 grantmaking organizations, with a median grant amount of $2,000. Of these 650 foundations, 86% made just a single grant to film producers, and 2% made grants to four or more film producers. This analysis is based on grantmakers that e-file their Form 990s, and likely is an undercount of grants.
$29,766,006
Total grant dollars given to film production organizations
816
Number of grants made annually to film production organizations
650
Number of grantmakers funding film production organizations
$2,000
Median grant size to film production organizations

Foundations that support film and video production organizations

Out of all grants made to film production organizations, 71% came from small foundations with less than $10 million in assets. The top 10 grantmakers accounted for 94% of the dollar-value of grants to film producers. Foundations funding film producers also made grants to multiservice human service organizations, theaters, educational service providers, art museums, and youth development programs.

Foundation size

Foundation sizeNumber of grantmakers
Small
 
466
Medium
 
96
Large
 
88
Small foundations have <$10M in assets. Medium foundations have $10M to $50M in assets. Large foundations have >$50M in assets.

Foundation type

Foundation typeNumber of grantmakers
Community
 
21
Private
 
569
Corporate
 
24
Other
 
36

Grants made

Grants made to film producersNumber of grantmakers
1
 
561
2-3
 
75
4-10
 
13
11+
 
1

Top 10 foundations supporting film and video production organizations

GrantmakerStateGeographic focusPercent of grant dollars to film producersNumber of grants made to film producersMedian grant size
JP Morgan Chase FoundationNYNational0.0%12$125
Seattle FoundationWAState0.0%10$2,250
Baird FoundationWINational0.2%10$500
Abbvie FoundationILNational0.0%9$100
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT)TNMetro0.0%7$1,000
Liberty Hill FoundationCAMetro0.2%6$3,000
The Harnisch FoundationNYNational2.3%6$1,000
Arkansas Community FoundationARState0.0%6$500
Salesforce Com FoundationCANational0.0%6$75
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)NJNational0.0%5$1,250

Film and video production organizations grantees

Film production organizations with more than $5 million in total revenues received 94% of all grant dollars. These larger organizations accounted for 19% of all film producers.

Grant amounts

Size of grantNumber of grants
<$10k
 
814
$10k-$25k
 
0
$25k-$100k
 
0
$100k+
 
2

Grant amount by grantee size

Grantee annual revenueMedian grant size
<$100k
 
$2,000
$100k-$500k
 
$2,000
$500k-$1M
 
$2,000
$1M-$5M
 
$2,000
>$5M
 
$1,750

Grantee states

State of granteeNumber of grants
California
 
208
New York
 
180
Massachusetts
 
50
Pennsylvania
 
35
Other
 
343

Grantee metros

Metro area of granteeNumber of grants
New York City
 
167
Los Angeles
 
94
San Francisco
 
71
Washington DC
 
31
Other
 
386

Top 25 grants made to film production organizations

GranteeGrant sizePurposeGrantmaker
First Look Media$25,045,000Arts & CultureSilicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)
Forward Impact$2,825,000Arts & CultureSilicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)
San Diego Film Foundation$5,000GeneralJewish Community Foundation of San Diego
County Theater$5,000GeneralJewish Community Foundation of San Diego
Light House Studio$5,000Pymwymi Project - PsaCharlottesville Area Community Foundation
International League of Conservation Photographers$5,000A Photographer for the Rapid Response Visual ConservationCharlottesville Area Community Foundation
Light House Studio$5,000The Keep It Reel ProgramCharlottesville Area Community Foundation
The Lighthouse International Film Festival$5,000To Further Its Charitable PurposePrince Family Foundation
Center for Southern Folkore$5,000Memphis Music & HeritageThe Turley Foundation
If Not Us Then Who$5,000General & UnrestrictedFrancis and Christine Martin Family Foundation
Filmnorth$5,000General SupportCommunityGiving
Facets Multi-Media Incorporated$5,000Support General OperationsJahn Foundation
Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF)$5,000General Operating SupportOur Fund
Expressive Media$5,000Streaming Library FundingThe Community Foundation for Northern Virginia (CFNOVA)
Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute$5,000General Operating SupportArkansas Community Foundation
Ithaca Festival$5,000Ithaca Festival at Stewart Park ProgramJM McDonald Foundation
Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF)$5,000Perpetuate Charitable MissionSylvia and Howard G Minsky Foundation
Social Good Fund$5,000Human RightsProteus Fund
Worcester Roots Project$5,000Pilot Project Summer Program for YouthGreater Worcester Community Foundation
Girl Rising$5,000Direct Service Grant From A Donor Advised FundThe Women's Foundation of Colorado
Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival$5,000Project SupportFlagstaff Arts Council
Port Townsend Film Society$5,000Donation for "the Translator, the Life & Work of Red Pine". Credit To Read Martha Trolin & Libby AtkinsJefferson County Community Foundation
First Light Foundation$5,000General SupportAspen Community Foundation (ACF)
Media Working Group$5,000To Support Production Costs of the NetworkCommunity Foundation for the Greater Capital Region
Just Vision$5,000General & UnrestrictedNatembea Foundation
Methodology: To determine grants and grantees, Cause IQ analyzes electronically-filed Form 990, Form 990-EZ, and Form 990-PF financial disclosure documents, matching grantees to specific organizations using EINs and fuzzy matching logic. The "Film production organizations" category for this page is determined by the "A31: Film, Video" National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities (NTEE) code. Cause IQ determines NTEEs for organizations by its own internally-developed secret-sauce algorithms.