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 theaters, multiservice human service organizations, art museums, educational service providers, and international humanitarian organizations.

Foundation size

Foundation size Number 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 type Number of grantmakers
Community
 
21
Private
 
569
Corporate
 
24
Other
 
36

Grants made

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

Top 10 foundations supporting film and video production organizations

Grantmaker State Geographic focus Percent of grant dollars to film producers Number of grants made to film producers Median grant size
JP Morgan Chase Foundation NY National 0.0% 12 $125
Seattle Foundation WA State 0.0% 10 $2,250
Baird Foundation WI National 0.2% 10 $500
Abbvie Foundation IL National 0.0% 9 $100
Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) TN Metro 0.0% 7 $1,000
Liberty Hill Foundation CA Metro 0.2% 6 $3,000
The Harnisch Foundation NY National 2.3% 6 $1,000
Arkansas Community Foundation AR State 0.0% 6 $500
Salesforce Com Foundation CA National 0.0% 6 $75
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) NJ National 0.0% 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 grant Number of grants
<$10k
 
814
$10k-$25k
 
0
$25k-$100k
 
0
$100k+
 
2

Grant amount by grantee size

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

Grantee states

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

Grantee metros

Metro area of grantee Number 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

Grantee Grant size Purpose Grantmaker
First Look Media $25,045,000 Arts & Culture Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)
Forward Impact $2,825,000 Arts & Culture Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF)
San Diego Film Foundation $5,000 General Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego
County Theater $5,000 General Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego
Light House Studio $5,000 Pymwymi Project - Psa Charlottesville Area Community Foundation
International League of Conservation Photographers $5,000 A Photographer for the Rapid Response Visual Conservation Charlottesville Area Community Foundation
Light House Studio $5,000 The Keep It Reel Program Charlottesville Area Community Foundation
The Lighthouse International Film Festival $5,000 To Further Its Charitable Purpose Prince Family Foundation
Center for Southern Folkore $5,000 Memphis Music & Heritage The Turley Foundation
If Not Us Then Who $5,000 General & Unrestricted Francis and Christine Martin Family Foundation
Filmnorth $5,000 General Support CommunityGiving
Facets Multi-Media Incorporated $5,000 Support General Operations Jahn Foundation
Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) $5,000 General Operating Support Our Fund
Expressive Media $5,000 Streaming Library Funding The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia (CFNOVA)
Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute $5,000 General Operating Support Arkansas Community Foundation
Ithaca Festival $5,000 Ithaca Festival at Stewart Park Program JM McDonald Foundation
Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) $5,000 Perpetuate Charitable Mission Sylvia and Howard G Minsky Foundation
Social Good Fund $5,000 Human Rights Proteus Fund
Worcester Roots Project $5,000 Pilot Project Summer Program for Youth Greater Worcester Community Foundation
Girl Rising $5,000 Direct Service Grant From A Donor Advised Fund The Women's Foundation of Colorado
Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival $5,000 Project Support Flagstaff Arts Council
Port Townsend Film Society $5,000 Donation for "the Translator, the Life & Work of Red Pine". Credit To Read Martha Trolin & Libby Atkins Jefferson County Community Foundation
First Light Foundation $5,000 General Support Aspen Community Foundation (ACF)
Media Working Group $5,000 To Support Production Costs of the Network Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region
Just Vision $5,000 General & Unrestricted Natembea 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.